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¡Pleibol!

In the Barrios and the Big Leagues
En los barrios y las grandes ligas

American Democracy

A Great Leap of Faith

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(It's complicated)

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The museum is open Friday–Tuesday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. All visitors ages two and older are required to wear a face covering. Learn more.
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American History on Instagram

  • Happy 175th Birthday to the Smithsonian! Did you know that when we first opened our doors in 1964, we were known as the Museum of History and Technology? In 1980, the name was changed to the National Museum of American History to better represent our basic mission - the collection, care, and study of objects that reflect the experience of the American people. #Smithsonian175 📷: Construction of the new Museum of History and Technology, now the National Museum of American History, on June 19, 1962. Photo from the @smithsonianarchives.
  • Lena Richard was a Black chef who built a culinary empire in New Orleans during the Jim Crow South. As part of her inspiring career as a chef, educator, and entrepreneur, in 1939 she became the first African American to publish a Creole cookbook, New Orleans Cook Book (pictured above). Ten years later, she also became one of the first Black chefs to have her own cooking program on television based off her much beloved cookbook. Join guest chef and New Orleanian Dee Lavigne as she prepares a classic Creole dish and recounts Richard's compelling story, which is currently featured in a recently installed case, “The Only One in the Room: Women Achievers in Business and the Cost of Success,” in the American Enterprise exhibition at National Museum of American History. Lavigne will also share her own story as a chef and entrepreneur in the Crescent City and how she draws inspiration from Richard’s career as she continues to build her own business, Deelightful Desserts, during the challenges of the current moment. This program is hosted in collaboration with the Southern Food and Beverage Museum where Lavigne is the Director of Culinary Programming. Tickets available for purchase here: https://s.si.edu/3eafXk4 #LenaRichard #NewOrleans #FoodHistory #SmithsonianFood #CreoleFood #CreoleCuisine #FoodTV
  • Today would have been Emmett Till’s 80th birthday. On July 25, 1941, Emmett Louis Till was born at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Although Till is usually thought of as a Chicagoan, most of his boyhood was spent in Summit, Illinois, a tight-knit community just outside of Chicago. Mamie Till-Mobley, Till’s mother, spoke fondly of the town in her memoir, where Till found friendship and community. 'I knew the entire community was looking out for him... He would hang out with his friends all day on Saturdays and spend a good part of Sundays in Church, where, of course, he’d find his friends again.” In the summer of 1955, Till took a train from Chicago to Money, Mississippi to visit relatives. Within days of his arrival, Till was brutally murdered in an act of racial violence. Till was never again to see the town he played in, the friends he made, or the family he loved. The murder of the young boy from the Midwest sparked outrage across the nation, and galvanized Civil Rights activism. One hundred days after Till’s murder, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery city bus and was arrested for violating Alabama's bus segregation laws. Reverend Jesse Jackson told Vanity Fair (1988) that “Rosa said she thought about going to the back of the bus. But then she thought about Emmett Till and she couldn’t do it.” Today we honor the life of Emmett Till and reflect on the movement his tragic murder inspired: https://s.si.edu/2V94vyk 📷: Emmett Till with his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, ca. 1953-1955. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Mamie Till Mobley family #EmmettTill #CivilRights #History #AmericanHistory #AfricanAmericanHistory #BlackHistory #CivilRightsHistory #MississippiHistory #CivilRightsMovement
  • In the summer of 2004, Sports Illustrated invited readers to meet the 'Real Dream Team'—the USA's gold-medal winning Olympic softball team. 🥎 Few teams in Olympic history were as dominant as U.S. softball in 2004, which outscored its opponents 51-1. The team's gold-winning performance in Athens continued a string of Olympic victories in softball. The 2004 games were the third time softball was played in the Olympics; Team USA took home gold in the sport in 1996, 2000, and 2004.🏅 Two of the Olympians who helped Team USA win in Athens are profiled in our newest exhibition, ¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas. Swipe above to see outfielder Jessica Mendoza's Olympic ring and pitcher Lisa Fernandez's signature on a ball signed by several members of the 2004 team. Follow the link in our bio today to dig into the history of how Latinas have shaped the history of baseball and softball, from the barrios to the Olympics: https://s.si.edu/3kUpu39 #History #AmericanHistory #OlympicHistory #SportHistory #SoftballHistory #LatinaHistory #LatinxHistory #WomensHistory #Softball #Olympics #TeamUSA #BecauseOfHerStory ¡Pleibol! received generous support from the Cordoba Corporation and Linda Alvarado, and federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Follow @amhistorymuseum on Instagram.

Our Mission

Empowering people to create a just and compassionate future by exploring, preserving, and sharing the complexity of our past.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions on a range of topics offer firsthand experiences with treasures of American history.

Collections

We collect artifacts of all kinds—from gowns to locomotives—to preserve an enduring record of our past for the American people.

News and Events

Visit the Museum

The museum is open Friday–Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. All visitors ages two and older are required to wear a face covering. Timed-entry passes are no longer required. Follow the link to plan your visit.

Stories of Black Philanthropy: Treasures from the Museum

In celebration of Black Philanthropy Month, go behind the scenes to learn about objects that tell the long and complex history of Black giving. August 12, 3 p.m. Free; registration required.

Jazz Beyond Borders with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra

Enjoy a free streaming concert from our renowned jazz ensemble featuring vocalist Kurt Elling, from their 2019 Asian tour. Available through August 30.

National Museum of American History Receives AAM Accreditation

The certification from the American Alliance of Museums is the highest national standard of recognition afforded the nation's museums.

Heroic WWI Homing Pigeon Cher Ami Marks Smithsonian Centennial

“¡Pleibol!” Slides Into Smithsonian Summer 2021

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From Our Blog

Glass tube with label for helium inside a wooden box, adjacent to the box's removed lid

Historic helium sample surfaces at Smithsonian

Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, but also evanescent and thus hard to hold. It was discovered in 1868 as a yellow line in the spectrum of the solar corona, and named for Helios, the Greek god of the sun.
Cher Ami

He? She? Or just plain Cher Ami? Solving a century-old pigeon mystery

This summer marks the centennial of a bird—possibly the most famous pigeon in history—going on display at the Smithsonian. A representative of Columba livia domestica, this bird is known as simply Cher Ami.
Group of people led by Dr. Marie Curie and President Harding walking down steps at the White House

Radium and the Gift from the Women of America

One hundred years ago Marie Curie stood among the rose bushes, the press, and a crowd of White House guests, holding a golden key. The key opened a box that contained a gram of radium. Could it also unlock a cure to cancer? Women across America were led to believe as much, rising to the call sent out in their journals and newspapers to fund a gift worth more than $100,000.
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