National Museum of American History

Banner.png

Does Thanksgiving Have Room for Both Thankfulness and Mourning?

Through acts of protest and education, Wampanoag and other Native Americans have long urged other Americans to reconsider the Thanksgiving myth

Cosmo ad copy.jpg

When Computer Programming Was 'Just Like Planning a Dinner

Women were encouraged to seek employment in computing by appealing to traditional domestic roles

Lt Carr.jpg

Maggie of the Boondocks

In the Mekong Delta, there was nobody who could pick up your spirits like USO girl Martha Raye

senators detail.png

The Washington Senators Couldn't Win—but Excelled at Scouting Latino Talent

The Senators’ spectacular losing record obscures one of the most important stories in baseball history: the club's role in integrating Latino players into the major leagues

GI forum detail .png

Carlos Martinez, Patriot and Philanthropist

The Defense Department discriminated against Latino veterans — Carlos Martinez decided to do something about it

UFW poster.jpg

Essential or Expendable? How the UFW Fights for Farmworkers

Agricultural labor is often overlooked, but it is critical to understand its history, especially as COVID-19 shines a light on unchecked abuse and exploitation

Monarch wings.jpg

How Butterfly Wings Helped a New Collecting Initiative Take Flight

It’s perhaps unusual—but not unprecedented—that people without citizenship papers can effect change in government policy.

Latinx History.png

Ten Objects That Will Help You Understand Latinx History

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve put together a top 10 list of the museum’s most exciting Latinx history objects.

Jerseys.jpg

Baseball Uniforms Honor Latino Heritage on the Field

Puerto Rican baseball legend Roberto Clemente once declared, “When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth.”

World Trade Center, September 2001, by Christophe Agou

For Some, September 11 Turned the American Dream Into a Nightmare

Instead of obtaining the American dream of middle-class success, Sodhi experienced the American nightmare of hate and violence.

The stock certificate pieced back together and encased in mylar (NMAH)

How the Smithsonian Preserved a Stock Certificate Destroyed on September 11

The intent of conservation is not to make an object appear new again but to care for the object while upholding its history.

The Salvation Army jacket collected by the Smithsonian (NMAH)

A Salvation Army Jacket Comes to the Smithsonian Bearing Stories of 9/11

Dee Smith's first thought watching live footage of September 11? "I need to get to work."

Photograph by Jane Rogers. (NMAH)

The Day I Decided Not to Collect: A Curator's View of Ground Zero

It was not my place to ask the workers for anything, but to thank them for their tireless service.

Excerpt from a handwritten note from Daria Gaillard to her husband, Frank, on September 11, 2001 (NMAH)

Why Did the Smithsonian Collect a Handwritten Note from 9/11?

In moments of crisis, our first thoughts are usually to get in contact with the people we love.

Sign marking an evacuation route, tilted by the storm. Photograph by Hugh Talman.

How the Smithsonian Collected Artifacts That Told the Story of Hurricane Katrina

In the wake of disasters, the museum needs to collect quickly

R2-D2 droid costume featured in the movie

Why Isn't My Favorite Artifact on Display?

We know how it feels when you come to the museum and the thing that you love isn't on display

Rea Ann Silva with an oversized version of the Beautyblender sponge (Courtesy of Beautyblender)

How Rea Ann Silva Invented the Beautyblender—and Changed Makeup Forever

Silva’s work as a makeup artist on "Girlfriends" unexpectedly thrust her into the beauty products industry as an innovator and entrepreneur

Girlhood (It’s complicated) opened to the public on October 9, 2020. Artwork by Krystal Quiles for NMAH.

Why Did the Smithsonian Create an Exhibit About Girlhood?

The museum had a bold new idea—it was going to create an exhibition about girlhood

Rebecca Lukens (National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum, Coatesville, Pennsylvania)

How Rebecca Lukens Became the Nation's First Woman Industrialist

A sudden tragedy thrust Rebecca Lukens into the family business and into history, making her the first woman to run an iron mill in the United States

Robert Abbe's hourglass (NMAH)

Curing Cancer with a Single Gram of Radium

How a group of women gave radium as a gift to America

Categories
Archive

Page 5 of 7