American Enterprise chronicles the tumultuous interaction of capitalism and democracy that resulted in the continual remaking of American business—and American life.
This display includes objects that represent the technological innovations that helped meet challenges and, in turn, changed the forms of firefighting.
From the impact of new technologies, to the influence of social and cultural changes, the exhibition explores the transformation of food and drink in post-WWII America.
Racial segregation was still legal in the United States on February 1, 1960, when four African American college students sat down at this Woolworth counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Gunboat Philadelphia exhibition has been reinterpreted and updated to include its recovery in 1935, a history of its display at Lake Champlain as well as early preservation and acquisition by the museum.
Inventing in America, a collaboration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, focuses on inventions and innovators of the past and present, including Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Edison.
This landmark object identifies the transportation and technology wing of the museum. The steam locomotive John Bull was built in 1831 and ran for 35 years.
This exhibition, opened to commemorate the centennial of Edison’s light bulb, considers experiments with electricity before Edison’s, the "Invention Factory" at Menlo Park, how Edison created a market for his product, and the impact of electricity.
Through almost 200 museum artifacts and about 100 loan objects, this exhibition shows how the many voices of the American people have contributed to and continue to shape the nation and its communities.
Music HerStory explores women's contributions to music through unique media collections from the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, the Center for Folklife and Culture Heritage, and around the Smithsonian.