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NEWS |
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Race-Winning
“Stanley” Robot at the Museum
Built from a
diesel-powered Volkswagen Touareg, Stanford University’s
“Stanley” won the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Grand Challenge race in 2005. This driverless, autonomous
vehicle represents a glimpse into a future of “smart” cars and
automated highways. It will be on display at the Museum from
June 28 through Sept. 4. “Stanley” features such innovations
as laser range finders, radar systems, and a “monocular vision
system” that allow it to detect and adjust to its surrounding
environment.
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New
Hip-Hop Acquisitions To Go on Display
From the
fluid movement of break-dance to the thought-provoking lyrics
of urban life, hip-hop has transformed artistic expression for
more than 30 years. In July, the Museum will open a display of
newly acquired hip-hop objects called “Hip-Hop Won't Stop: The
Beat, The Rhymes, The Life.” The display touches on the four
main elements that make up hip-hop: DJ-ing, MC-ing, graffiti
art, and break-dancing.
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NOAA
Donation of Hurricane Katrina Materials
The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has donated
Hurricane Katrina-related materials, including a
dropwindsonde, a scientific instrument used to accurately
measure and track tropical storm conditions. Other items
include replicas of maps and in-depth weather charts, and a
copy of the urgent weather message compiled and issued by NOAA
the day before the storm hit the Gulf region. That message
accurately predicted the catastrophe and its aftermath. These
objects join a recently established Hurricane Katrina
Collection at the Museum meant to permanently document the
natural disaster.
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Celebrating
American Originals
The Museum honors American
ingenuity through its participation in Washington, D.C.'s
“American Originals” cultural celebration, which runs through
Labor Day. Highlights at the Museum include the Star-Spangled
Banner, Honky-Tonk, and Muppets exhibitions, and August's
National Inventors Month activities. Pick up a special guide
(in English or Spanish) at the visitor desk that highlights a
few of the Museum’s many treasured objects, or download it
before your visit.
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EVENTS |
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Celebrate the 4th at the
Smithsonian Museum Closest to the Fireworks
As you
commemorate the holiday, visit the Museum’s award-winning
exhibitions, including The
Price of Freedom: Americans at War, a survey of the
history of U.S. military conflicts including the American
Revolution. Hungry? On July 4 the outdoor food carts are open
late, so you can pick up dinner and enjoy the
fireworks.
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Festival:
“Scraps from the Past: Two Centuries of American
Scrapbooks”
Casual scrapbookers, historians, and
archivists alike can enjoy learning about the historical
significance of scrapbooks! Hear short talks by experts; meet
the editors of the newly released book, The Scrapbook in
American Life; see displays of unique scrapbooks from the
Museum collections; and get advice from a paper conservator
and technical photographer. Adults and kids alike can gather
“scrap” souvenirs and make a souvenir page. Sunday, July 23,
12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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American
History Alive!
Actors present 10-minute vignettes
highlighting the experiences of immigrants, workers, and
teenagers in the 1890s, 1920s, and 1950s, from the exhibition
America on the Move. Thursdays through Sundays, July
6-9, 13-16, 20-23, and 27-30. Times vary, so be sure to check
at the information desk. America on the Move
exhibition, first floor east. State Farm Companies Foundation
is proud to make possible the educational programs for
America on the Move.
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Meet
the Museum: Trickster Tales & Sea Island
Songs
Smithsonian Discovery Theater and actor
Xavier Carnegie present interactive storytelling and songs
drawn from the Gullah culture of the rice-growing plantations
of the South Carolina and Georgia low country before the Civil
War. Afterwards children are invited to the Communities in
a Changing Nation exhibition where they can sing
low-country songs and examine sweet-grass baskets and other
objects from the Gullah culture. Fridays, June 30, through
August 4, 2006. 10:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:15
p.m. Tickets required.
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Garden
Tours
Join a horticulturist on a tour on Tuesdays
in July (except July 4) of the Museum’s Heirloom Gardens,
which contain trees, shrubs, perennials, and herbs grown in
American gardens for generations. Visit the Museum’s recreated
Victory Garden, planted with WWII-era vegetables, and talk
with a horticultural expert on Thursdays throughout the month.
Tours begin at 11:00 a.m., weather permitting.
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 See all events and programs
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EXHIBITIONS |
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America
on the Move
Is your family traveling this summer?
Get your kicks on 40 feet of Route 66, commute on the Chicago
“L” train, and marvel at the massive 199-ton, 92-foot-long
“1401” locomotive in the America on the Move exhibition
of transportation history. Not planning to visit D.C. this
summer? You can still visit the exhibition online!
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Separate
is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education
This
exhibition, closing on July 16, chronicles the landmark
Supreme Court decision that helped end segregation in public
schools and was a turning point in the history of race
relations in the United States. The exhibition portrays the
struggle for social justice before and after the Court’s
ruling in the Brown case and challenges visitors to explore
what social justice means today. Can’t get to the exhibition
gallery before it closes? Visit the online
version.
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O
Say, Have You Seen? Museum Closing for
Renovation
To prepare for renovation, the Museum is
closing some of its exhibition galleries this summer, and the
full Museum will close to the public as of September 5, 2006.
The Hands on Science Center and many popular exhibitions will
remain open throughout the summer. See the schedule of
exhibitions that remain open through Labor Day, as well as
those slated to close in the coming months.
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See all exhibitions
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ON THE WEB |
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Podcasts:
Get Connected to Inventors Making History
From
robots and medical implants to innovations in music and
design, the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of
Invention and Innovation now brings a part of history to you
anytime, anywhere. With the Center’s podcasts, "Prototype
Online: Inventive Voices," you can hear great inventors and
innovators of the 20th and 21st centuries tell their stories
firsthand.
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July 1942:
United We Stand
This Web site takes you back to a
time just after the United States entered World War II, when
some 500 magazines across the country featured the American
flag on their covers in a show of national unity.
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Featured
object: IRIS 3047 printer
Today many people take
digital photography and printing for granted. Part of curator
Shannon Perich’s job is ensuring that the Museum’s collections
document the history of this revolutionary new form of
imaging. Learn more about how Perich helped to collect the
IRIS 3047 printer and the first satisfactory photographic
print it produced.
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FOR
EDUCATORS |
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“America
on the Move” Learning Resources
While your students
are on road trips, take time to check out all of the great
online resources related to the exhibition America on the
Move. You'll find classroom guides and self-guided
brochures to download, and links to two distance-learning
programs.
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Educators page
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FOR KIDS & FAMILIES |
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Festival:
Create Your Own Scrapbook Page
Come to the “Scraps
from the Past” Festival on July 23 to see examples of historic
American scrapbooks. Gather special souvenir “scraps” from
four different displays and then paste them onto a scrapbook
page to document your visit to the Museum!
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Featured
Family Object: Bud's Driving Goggles
Have you ever
gone on a long car ride? Who went with you? Have you ever
traveled with a pet? In 1903, H. Nelson Jackson and Sewell
Crocker completed the first cross-country drive. While
motoring through Idaho, Mr. Jackson adopted a dog he named
Bud. Happy as he was to be traveling, Bud didn't like the dust
blowing in his eyes, so Jackson bought him his own pair of
driving goggles. Visit America on the Move online or in
person to see the 1903 Winton Bud rode in. Does it look like
the car you ride in? What is different? Why did Bud need
goggles?
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Online
Game: Where’s Everyone Going?
Match the boats,
cars, and trains with their destinations and time periods to
learn how much transportation in America has changed over
time.
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SHOPPING & DINING |
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Hungry and need a break? A
summertime treat can be a picnic lunch from our outdoor food
carts. There are hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, hot
pretzels, ice cream, and Dippin' Dots! Also visit the Museum
shops for our unique selection of books and music, and our
newest and most cool hip-hop-inspired T-shirts and great
T-shirt/ baseball cap combo deal.
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Copyright ©
National Museum of American History. All Rights
Reserved.
14th Street and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington
DC 20560
Brent D. Glass, director
Map
& Directions
Admission to the National Museum of
American History is FREE.
CONTACT US
General
Smithsonian Visitor Information: 202-633-1000
or see our Contact
List
Frequently
Asked Questions
Media inquiries: 202-633-3129 or
visit our Press
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