How picturing the Boston Massacre matters
Maybe this painting looks familiar. A long row of red-coated soldiers. A cloud of gun smoke engulfing the street. Falling bodies.Detail of...
Pennies and nickels add up to success: Maggie Lena Walker
Maggie Lena Walker was one of the most important Black businesswomen in the nation, and today too few people have heard of her.Maggie Lena...
Pre-K photo from 1949 sparks memories of a D.C. childhood
While scrolling through Facebook one day, Eunice was struck by a sudden memory. "I had a visceral reaction and thought, 'Oh my God!'" She...

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"The Wonderful World of William Steinway"
William Steinway, 1882. Photograph by Carl Borntraeger, Wiesbaden, Germany. Courtesy of Henry Z. Steinway Archive.Editor’s note: In...
Joe Wilder: Celebrating a jazz legend's 89th birthday
Today, the National Museum of American History and Smithsonian Jazz celebrate trumpeter Joe Wilder’s 89th birthday. Born in 1922 in Colwyn...
Photo of fabric apron with textured fabric around edges and scene in center with elaborate architectural design
Brother Washington’s apron: A Masonic mystery (part 1 of 3)
Many of us have the Antiques Roadshow fantasy. You know the one. Some object or work of art, inherited or bought on the cheap (then...
"Race to the Museum": moving day
Last month we asked you to vote on which historic car you’d most like to see on temporary display, and after 24,000 votes, the 1929 Miller...
Donor Spotlight: Honoring a father's quiet patriotism
Editor’s Note: Today’s post is the first in a new series that will profile some of the museum’s generous donors.Each Veterans Day, the...
The "Aha!" moment: A conversation with our museum docents
1,971. Is that the number of stitches in the stripes of the Star Spangled Banner? The minutes it takes to drive from the museum to...
Proposing "Wizard of Oz" style
Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by guest blogger Kurt R. Bell. In life, we often connect memorable dates with events that had some...
1915 San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exposition: In color!
The 1915 San Francisco Panama Pacific International Exposition was an international fair held to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal...
Celebrating Chinese New Year
Curator’s note: The following post is the latest from our Sweet & Sour series. Be on the lookout for the opening of our Sweet &...
Learning in public: Developing a business and economic history exhibition
Developing a new exhibition is very exciting. For some time, curators at the museum have been discussing a major new exhibition initiative...
Bringing heroes to the classroom
Recently in the online community run by our partner, Verizon Thinkfinity, an educator asked how members of our history teachers...
Truth and fiction: My connection to American Girl Addy
Editor’s note: To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, the National Museum of American History is partnering with American...
Gold frame containing black and white photo of man in hat showing off some type of instrument in box
Tools never die...do they?
If “matter can neither be created nor destroyed,” as the ancient Greek philosophers postulated, can the same principle be applied to...
The Lemelson Center serves up food for tomorrow
The Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center is dedicated to the study of invention and innovation in the history of the United States....
Build a better mousetrap
Legend has it that that Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.” The...
Made in America
Lincoln bust sold by Smithsonian store Recently U.S. Senator Bernard Sanders from Vermont wrote to the museum and gently chastised us for...
Benedict Arnold: American history’s most heroic traitor
“Time Trial of Benedict Arnold,” the museum’s new theater program, opened on December 27 to rave reviews! The program explores the...
Behind the scenes in the costume collection
Editor’s note: This essay by guest blogger and maker Allison Thurman is adapted with permission from the Center for the Future of...
And the winners of the Race to the Museum contest are...
We asked you to vote for your favorite of 8 automotive jewels in the Smithsonian car collection, covering 120 years of history . . . and...
Photograph of exhibition exterior.
1939: The year of goldfish gulping
Los Angeles Times, April 30, 1939. "Goldfish Gulping," p. I3.It started out with one. One live goldfish, swallowed up by a Harvard freshman...
In Tribute to Dr. William Taylor, Jr., Jazz Elder Statesman, July 24, 1921-Dec. 28, 2010
Dr. William Taylor, Jr., known as Billy, was an educator, composer, actor, jazz pianist, and elder statesman. He was a cultural advocate...
This is Futurama!
In my last blog post, I took you on a brief tour of the Eco-City scene in China, in the northern area around Beijing. I wish, though...
Fifty years ago, the Kennedys became the first family
Richard Avedon photographed president-elect John F. Kennedy and his family fifty years ago on January 3, 1961. The Museum has just opened...
10...9...8...Top 10 posts of 2010
As the countdown to 2011 draws near, I’m pleased to share with you the top 10 most popular original “O Say Can You See?” blog posts in 2010...
Slideshow: 2010 Year in Review
Phew! That’s all I can say about compiling the highlights from another remarkable year at the museum. We kicked off the year in style, with...
Race to the Museum: Which cars are in the lead?
Public voting for our Race to the Museum contest opened December 21, 2010 and will run through January 11, 2011.   Can't wait...
Race to the Museum: Vote for your favorite car
In the National Museum of American History, there is a cabinet full of keys—keys that fit the 73 cars in the museum’s automobile...
Race to the Museum: EV1 electric car, 1997
This post is the last in a series of eight profiling automobiles in the museum’s collection. At the conclusion of the series on Tuesday,...
Race to the Museum: GM Sunraycer solar car, 1987
This post is the seventh in a series of eight profiling automobiles in the museum’s collection. At the conclusion of the series on Tuesday...
Race to the Museum: Glasspar sports car, 1953
This post is the sixth in a series of eight profiling automobiles in the museum’s collection. At the conclusion of the series on Tuesday,...
Race to the Museum: Tucker sedan, 1948
This post is the fifth in a series of eight profiling automobiles in the museum’s collection. At the conclusion of the series on Tuesday,...
Race to the Museum: Miller race car, 1929
This post is the fourth in a series of eight profiling automobiles in the museum’s collection. At the conclusion of the series on Tuesday,...
Race to the Museum: Oldsmobile curved-dash runabout, 1903
This post is the third in a series of eight profiling automobiles in the museum’s collection. At the conclusion of the series on Tuesday,...
Race to the Museum: Balzer automobile, 1894
This post is the second in a series of eight profiling automobiles in the museum’s collection. At the conclusion of the series on Tuesday,...
Race to the Museum: Long steam tricycle, about 1880
This post is the first in a series of eight profiling automobiles in the museum’s collection. At the conclusion of the series on Tuesday,...
Race to the Museum: Voting opens Dec. 21
In the museum, there is a cabinet full of keys—keys that fit the 73 cars in the museum’s automobile collection. Fourteen of these cars are...
A few of our favorite things
As museum professionals, we’re often asked about our favorite artifacts in the museum. In the Thinkfinity online community, this question...
Photographing (painting) the Dolls' House
Recently, when asked about my photographs which are featured in William L. Bird, Jr’s book, America’s Doll House: The Miniature World...
American girlhood
When I was a little girl, we alternated between taking family vacations to Disneyworld and Colonial Williamsburg. And I have to say I had...
50 years of running COBOL
COBOL, a COmmon Business-Oriented Language, was proposed by a committee of programmers from business and government in 1959 and...
A victory for chard
Editor’s note: This post is the fourth in a series of monthly posts exploring the work of Smithsonian Gardens and...
Exploring historical connections in China
It is good to be back at the National Museum of American History after a ten-day visit to Shanghai, China. The main reason for my trip was...
Preserving the Maid of Cotton collection
During my internship with the Archives Center I’ve had the opportunity to work on the Maid of Cotton Collection. Running...
Thanking our legacy donors
Recently, Director Brent Glass hosted a “thank you” luncheon for a small group of the museum’s planned giving donors. The highlight was a...
Thanksgiving in a can
For early Thanksgiving meals, I bet someone went out and hunted a turkey, gathered some cranberries, and harvested some spinach and...
Welcoming our littlest visitors
Sure, toddlers love dinosaurs and things that they can climb on. But did you know they also love history? When parents want to take their...
Squirrels stealing the scene at the Smithsonian
When I thought about doing an internship at the National Museum of American History, the idea of working in the building that houses the...
New take on the old museum field trip
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Smithsonian Magazine’s Around the Mall blog. Do you have a great idea for...

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