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A Great Leap of Faith

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The Flag that Inspired the
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How does American business affect you?

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Where museum visitors become inventors

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Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

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

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A child experimenting with a historic laundry device

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This Day In History

October 15, 1924

Auto executive Lee Iacocca is born. One of his early successes was the Ford Mustang, which debuted in 1964.

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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

Book Signing: Adam Rippon

Figure skater and Olympic medalist Adam Rippon signs his book, accompanied by a special display of his costume and skates from the 2018 Winter Olympics. October 17, 12 noon-1:30 p.m.

Films in the Warner Bros. Theater

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

Smithsonian Presents Great Americans Medal to Honoree Paul Simon

The museum will present its Great Americans medal to composer, musician and philanthropist Paul Simon Sept. 18.

Merck Grant to Support Smithsonian Future Exhibition on History of American Medicine

“Elephants and Us: Considering Extinction” Opens at the Smithsonian

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From Our Blog

Old Mud, New Science

Our curators are discovering secrets in the muck scraped from the bottom of the Gunboat Philadelphia that will help us preserve a centuries-old warship for future generations.

Jimmy Carter: American homebrew hero?

As crazy as it may seem now, homebrewing used to be illegal and Jimmy Carter actually played a part in changing that, contributing to the craft beer revolution. But that’s just one unexpected facet in the story of how our current beer industry came to be.

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American Democracy

The Star-Spangled Banner

American Enterprise

Draper Spark!Lab