Skip to main content
The National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Website

Search Google Appliance

Donate Button

Donate
The National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History
Menu
  • Explore History
  • Visit
  • About

Collections & Exhibitions

Search the Collections
Browse by SubjectOnline ExhibitionsObject GroupsArchives CenterRights and Reproductions

Topics

Food HistoryInfectious Disease HistoryLatino HistoryPhilanthropyRestorative HistoryWomen's HistorySee all topics...

Connect to History

O Say Can You See? BlogDigital and Social MediaMonthly NewsletterThis Day in History
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

Teachers & Students

Resources for EducatorsFun Stuff for KidsFAQ for EducatorsFAQ for ParentsPlan a Field Trip

Plan Your Visit

Visit InfoInfo en españolHoursMuseum MapFood & StoresFAQ for VisitorsPlan a Field Trip

Today's Hours
10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Map of Museum
View in Maps

Exhibitions

On ViewUpcoming

Events

Calendar of EventsFood History WeekendNational Youth SummitJazzChamber MusicHistory Film Forum

The Museum

Mission & HistoryStrategic PlanFAQsPress InformationMuseum ReportsFacility Rental

Our People

StaffDepartmentsAfrican American History Curatorial CollectiveStaff PublicationsMuseum BoardContact Information

Get Involved

Internship ProgramFellowship ProgramVolunteer ProgramJob Opportunities

Membership & Giving

Learn More and DonateJoin the CouncilGift Planning
Conservation of the Star-Spangled Banner is made possible through donations like yours.

Upending 1620

Where do we begin?

Many Voices, One Nation

How did we become US?

American Democracy

A Great Leap of Faith

Girlhood
(It's complicated)

See how girls have changed history

Smithsonian’s History Explorer

Online resources for teachers

Upending 1620

Many Voices

Democracy

Girlhood

Teacher Resources
  • Visitors
  • Researchers
  • Educators
  • Kids
Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
Welcome to the Museum
  • Visit Info
  • Info en español
  • Museum Map
  • Food & Stores
  • Accessibility
  • FAQ for Visitors
Today's Hours

10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

  • Days/Hours - Details
  • Getting Here
Museum facilitator with visitors
Things To Do
  • Exhibitions
  • Events & Daily Programs
  • Print & Audio Guides
  • Visiting With Kids
  • Field Trips
An assortment of museum objects in a drawer
Collections
  • Search the Collections
  • Browse by Subject
  • Object Groups
  • Archives Center
  • NMAH Library
  • Dibner Library
Screenshot of website for exhibition, "Thomas Jefferson's Bible"
Online Resources
  • Online Exhibitions
  • O Say Can You See? Blog
  • Podcasts
  • Webcasts
  • Lemelson Center
A group of museum visitors
At the Museum
  • Departments
  • Publications
  • Internship Opportunities
  • Fellowship Opportunities
Smithsonian's History Explorer
Online Resources
  • Smithsonian's History Explorer
  • Teacher Resources & Training
  • History & Children's Literature
  • History Explorer Podcasts
  • Founding Fragments Videos
Young visitors looking at museum objects
Visit the Museum
  • Plan Your Field Trip
  • Register a School Group
  • Downloadable Self-Guides
  • Orientation Video for Students
  • Orientation Video for Teachers
  • FAQ for Educators
Visitors working on a computer
Stay Connected
  • Subscribe to our Newsletter
  • O Say Can You See? Blog
  • @amhistorymuseum on Twitter
A child experimenting with a historic laundry device
At the Museum
  • Things to Do
  • Amenities and Fun Stuff
  • FAQ—Visiting With Kids
  • Advice From our Blog
A woman reading a book to children
At Home
  • Online Activities
  • History & Children's Literature
  • Exhibition Topics
  • Digital Media
  • FAQ—Using This Website
Star-Spangled Banner activity
Games & Activities
  • History Time Videos
  • Hands-on Invention
  • Tracking the Buffalo
  • Star-Spangled Banner
  • American Enterprise
  • Smithsonian 3D

American History on Instagram

  • Planning to pack your Thanksgiving leftovers in Tupperware? If you do, you’ll be packing them in a piece of American history! Earl Tupper invented Tupperware in the late 1940s, transforming a waste product of the oil refining process into flexible, translucent plastic containers with an airtight seal to keep leftovers fresh. But how could he get Americans to trust—and buy—his invention? Brownie Wise had the answer: parties. Wise didn’t create the home party sales model, but she pioneered it for Tupperware. Tupperware parties transformed the company’s reputation and helped drive sales. The parties did more than sell the plastic containers—they offered women (and men) an opportunity to start their own businesses. #Tupperware #TupperwareParty #FoodHistory #BusinessHistory #WomensHistory #AmericanHistory #SmithsonianFood #VintageHome #ObjectProject #Thanksgiving #BecauseOfHerStory
  • Mashed potatoes? Maybe green beans? We can picture this coming fresh out of the oven and eagerly awaiting to find out which delicious #Thanksgiving staple was inside. This 1960s CorningWare casserole dish probably looks familiar—did your family have one? Did you know that CorningWare’s Pyroceram was originally developed for military applications during World War II? Even after the war, it proved to be an effective material for bakeware. Why? The glass-ceramic, non-porous material was capable of withstanding sudden temperature changes; it was also resistant to stains and odors. Then and now, cooks appreciated that the same dish could be used for cooking, freezing, and serving food. This casserole dish was donated to the museum by Mrs. Anne L. Bernat, who received a set of CorningWare dishes as a wedding present in 1967. At the time of the donation in 2011, she was still using them. #AmericanHistory #History #FoodHistory #MilitaryHistory #SmithsonianFood #Corningware #Thanksgiving #VintageKitchen #VintageDish
  • Wampanoag and other Native American communities began marking Thanksgiving as a National Day of Mourning in 1970, to dispel myths that misrepresented their history. The banner refers to the arrest of 25 participants in the 1997 commemoration—arrests courts later deemed wrongful. Our newest exhibition, 'Upending 1620: Where Do We Begin?,' re-examines the familiar story of the English Pilgrims’ arrival in Wampanoag Country more than 400 years ago. On our blog, one of the exhibition's curators explores how untangling history from myth—and learning about the experiences of the Wampanoag and other Native Americans—could give renewed meaning to a national holiday. You can view the blog here: https://s.si.edu/3cCB4uf 📷: Banner, Day of Mourning, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1998 Gift of United American Indians of New England (UAINE) #NativeAmericanHistoryMonth #NativeAmericanHistory #AmericanHistory
  • Introduced in 1976 with only about 200 made in total, the Apple I computer heralded a shift in personal computing. In the years prior, most computers were sold as kits or assembled at a premium by the manufacturer. The Apple I, however, was preassembled and ready for use – as long as the customer provided their own keyboard and video output! Steve Wozniak designed the Apple I with ease of use and affordability in mind. For example, the computer supported video output was compatible with a TV monitor (a novel idea at the time). The computer's enthusiastic reception among the members of Silicon Valley’s Homebrew Computer Club in 1976 prompted Wozniak and his friend and business partner, Steve Jobs, to found the Apple Computer Company (later renamed Apple Inc.) and start manufacturing the Apple I, followed by the Apple II the following year. The Apple I sold as a single, pre-assembled motherboard for $666.66. Because so few Apple Is were made and because the company gave customers the option to trade in their Apple I for an Apple II computer, hence limiting their circulation, Apple Is have become a sought-after collector’s item. #ComputerHistory #AppleOne #Technology #Computers #AmericanHistory #1970s

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. Follow the link to plan your visit.

Explore Learning Resources

Our website offers many ways to explore history, including online exhibitions, museum tours, educator resources, activities for kids, and our online collections.

1620 Display at National Museum of American History Asks “Where Do We Begin?”

A new exhibit challenges preconceptions of the Mayflower landing and offers a nuanced account of the Wampanoag people who encountered the Pilgrims.

Benjamin Franklin’s Pioneering Electrical Work Influenced Today’s Technology

National Museum of American History Commemorates 20th Anniversary of Acquisition of Julia Child’s Kitchen With Virtual Events

See full events calendar
See more news items

From Our Blog

U.S. map. One large arrow beginning in Jamestown, Virginia cuts through the U.S. South, labeled “God’s Curse Slavery.” Another arrow, starting in Plymouth, Massachusetts, cuts through the U.S. North, labeled “God’s Blessing Liberty.”

Does Thanksgiving have room for both thankfulness and mourning?

Is there room in Americans’ Thanksgiving celebrations for both thankfulness and mourning? That challenging question arose as my colleagues and I took a new look at encounters in the 1600s between English Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in eastern Massachusetts. A showcase exhibition, titled Upending 1620: Where Do We Begin?, now shares our findings—and our questions—near the National Mall entrance to our museum.
Gordo comic strip. Uncle Mio (wearing a suit and carrying a box of chocolates bouquet of flowers) talks to his nephew, who explains the qualities of different types of flowers. Behind the two figures appear precise, scientific diagrams of flowers.

Gus Arriola and Gordo, agents of Mexican culture

According to Gus Arriola, creator of the comic strip Gordo, “my main goal was to maintain a positive awareness of Mexico through all the years, every day, without being political. When I started [in 1941], words like 'burrito' were unknown in the United States."
Martha Raye in conversation with members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Raye and the soldiers sit outside on benches.

“Maggie of the Boondocks”: Martha Raye and a lifetime of service to the U.S. Armed Forces

Entertainer Martha Raye's life changed forever when she joined the fledgling United Service Organizations (USO) during World War II. The experience gave Raye a lifelong calling of entertaining and serving the nation’s service personnel in the field.
Read more stories from our blog

Shop SmithsonianStore.com

5-strand faux pearl necklace

Facility Rental

tables set for an event in Flag Hall

Support the Museum

Your donation will make history.

2020-2030 Strategic Plan

Learn about our mission and priorities.
National Museum of American History Logo

Constitution Avenue, NW
Between 12th and 14th Streets
Washington, D.C.

  • Giving
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Site Map
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
Sign up for Monthly E-newsletter

Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use)

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

Search Google Appliance

  • Home
  • Visit
  • Exhibitions
  • Events
  • Collections
  • Educator Resources
  • Blog
  • About the Museum
  • About Our People
  • Get Involved
  • Giving
  • Press
Smithsonian Website