Home | National Museum of American History

The Star-Spangled Banner

The Flag that Inspired the
National Anthem

The Price of Freedom

Americans at War

American Democracy

A Great Leap of Faith

American Enterprise

How does American business affect you?

Draper Spark!Lab

Where museum visitors become inventors

Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

An assortment of museum objects in a drawer

Collections

Screenshot of website for exhibition, "Thomas Jefferson's Bible"

Online Resources

At the Museum

Online Resources

Young visitors looking at museum objects

Visit the Museum

Stay Connected

A child experimenting with a historic laundry device

At the Museum

At Home

Games & Activities

This Day In History

May 23, 1910

Bandleader and clarinetist Artie Shaw is born.

View Object

Our Mission

We help people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future.

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

American Music Salon Series: U.S. Air Force Percussion Ensemble

The USAF Band presents a percussion chamber recital with music by Grieg, Lauridsen, and more. May 23, 12:30 p.m.

Films in the Warner Bros. Theater

Enjoy a variety of daily short films and special features. Check the Theater page for showtimes.

Marchesa Donates "Crazy Rich Asians" Gown to the Smithsonian at Los Angeles Event

Marchesa is donating the iconic blue dress that played an integral role in the Warner Bros. Pictures film "Crazy Rich Asians" to the National Museum of American History.

"The Big Bang Theory" Costumes To Join the National Museum of American History Collection

Smithsonian Marks 150th Anniversary of Transcontinental Railroad

See full events calendar
See more news items

From Our Blog

Square banner for boxer John L. Sullivan showing flags and the phrases “Champion of the world…May the best man win”

A sports star being political, 19th-century style

Sports have always been political. Few items in the museum’s collections make this point better than an 1882 banner honoring boxer John L. Sullivan.

Woman wearing purple latex gloves presses gently into the inside of one of the Ruby Slippers into a case.

The (display) case of the Ruby Slippers

Many noses are pressed against the case that houses Dorothy's Ruby Slippers each day, but how many people notice the case that holds them?

Lobby cards for the film "Saludos Amigos"

Donald Duck: An American Diplomat?

In his 1933 inaugural speech, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promoted the importance of the Good Neighbor Policy. When Roosevelt delivered his speech, few would have guessed that, just a few years later, Donald Duck would become an "ambassador at large" to facilitate U.S. policy.

Donate Button

The Star-Spangled Banner

The Price of Freedom

American Democracy

American Enterprise