Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?
Sesame Street was an innovative and radical children's television program when it premiered in 1969. In the 1960s, many parents were...
How black Philadelphians fought for soldiers during World War I
Suffering from "shell shock and a general breakdown," Charles Mackall and James Randall arrived in Philadelphia in September 1918 from...
Culture in the colonial classroom: A failed attempt at assimilation
As our Philanthropy Initiative continues to explore the history of giving, we're eager to share stories of success and failure. This story...

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For portraits of man seated in chair, wearing jacket and bowtie
The Civil War's final surrender
On June 23, 1865, 150 years ago, the last Confederate general surrendered his arms at Doaksville, Oklahoma, near Fort Towson. Confederate...
Pick pack in circle shape
Packaging the Pill
It's often said that necessity is the mother of invention, but it can be the father of invention too. Here’s the story of an innovative...
Photo of the scultpure featured in the Business of Slavery section
Depicting the business of slavery
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Orders, Number 3, which proclaimed that all...
Orange juice cans
Connecting objects with place: 5 stories of innovation from "Object Project"
The Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Object Project is a new interactive learning space opening on July 1. Here, we're highlighting...
Happy money, front and back
Collecting the present: Partnering with researchers to document new developments in money
When considering the origins of objects in a museum’s collection, one might initially think of donations from private collectors, national...
D.C.-area musicians Little Benny on saxophone and and MeShell Ndegeocello on bass. Photograph by Thomas Sayers Ellis, used with permission.
Go-go, the funky, percussive music invented in Washington, D.C.
Experience live go-go music on Thursday, June 11, 2015, as part of our America Now! Music Festival.In the early 1970s, musical pioneer...
3 guitar heads
5 intriguing electric guitars from our collections
Happy 100th Birthday, Les Paul!June 9, 2015, is an important day for the guitar and music world: It is the centennial of the birth of...
What do the Bronx, Silicon Valley, and a Colorado college town have in common?
When you combine the right people and a mix of useful resources in a special place, invention and innovation often result. Here at the...
Milling machine with cranks and gears and four feet, table sized
3 hot spots of innovation and an invitation to share YOUR place of invention
Having worked at the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation for seven years, I see invention and innovation...
Photograph of an America Online installation disk, 1990s
6 surprising objects in the history of the Internet
On June 11, 2015, we present America Now, a nationwide celebration of America's innovative spirit. As part of the day's festivities,...
9-11 pin showing Twin Towers and Salvation Army badge
Salvation Army jacket comes to the collection bearing pins, stories of 9/11
On September 11, 2001, many people watched tragedy unfold on television, dismayed that there was little they could do to help. At her...
Photograph of William Ramsey's ledger
Baddledors, twig whips, and yards of thunder and lightning: Decoding a colonial ledger
Several years ago, Dr. Ann Smart Martin and I met at a conference and discovered our mutual interest in making eighteen and nineteenth-...
Textile object with text in white on red, with blue border
6 Jewish American objects for Jewish American Heritage Month
In April 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May to be Jewish American Heritage Month. Jewish American objects in our collections...
Carved wooden temporary grave marker of Lieutenant Charles R. Carville
The battlefield cross
The first appearance of the "battlefield cross" is a matter of conjecture. It might have been during the Civil War, to signify a dead...
Dole pineapple ad in very saturated color with can, fruit, and ukulele
5 things you probably didn't know about the ‘ukulele
The ‘ukulele, or ukulele, as it's spelled in American English ("uke" for short), is one of the first things that many people associate with...
Installation of the vault door
1.5 ton vault door to greet visitors in the new Gallery of Numismatics
Ellen Feingold is the curator of the National Numismatic Collection and The Value of Money. She explains why visitors will enter...
Portrait of Caroline Jones at the start of her career as an advertising executive
Caroline R. Jones: Trailblazing adwoman
A fedora, Lucky Strike cigarettes, and a set of cocktail-ready tumblers: all the hallmarks of a 1960s ad agency were on display Thursday...
Musical device with Dolby system
The Cheshire innovation
"'I wish you wouldn't keep appearing and vanishing so suddenly: you make one quite giddy.'"'All right,' said the Cat; and this time it...
Photograph of the museum's exterior
Donors support their daughters' favorite museum, help build new learning spaces
The museum is excited to be opening its transformed first floor of the west wing this summer, including the Patrick F. Taylor...
Microscope
The oldest microscope in the museum
In the store-rooms of the museum, we recently discovered a small microscope made around 1750. The "I. CUFF Londini Inv. & Fec."...
Chair made of 50 yellow pencils
Reinventing the chair, a pencil sketch in three dimensions
The humble chair has long been the subject of invention and reinvention. From reclining and office chairs to today's ever-shrinking airline...
The Cycle Parade March sheet music
Cruising through America’s cycling history with a digital scrapbook
It's that time of year when many D.C. commuters forgo their usual Metro rides and haul their bicycles out of storage or rent a bikeshare...
Kubla Khan Chicken Chop Suey
From the wok to the frozen food aisle
In honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, archivist Cathy Keen explores how a Chinese-American entrepreneur helped introduce new...
Remember the Lusitania: 3 pieces of World War I propaganda
One hundred years ago on May 7, 1915, the Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,195...
Supermarket sushi bar
5 big questions behind American sushi
Where can you find the sushi capital of Japanese America?In downtown Los Angeles, the five-block-wide neighborhood known as "Little Tokyo"...
Victorian trade card advertising Tabasco sauce, 1900
Tabasco and the war against bland military meals
Object Project new media assistant Caitlin Kearney explores the history behind how American soldiers have used Tabasco sauce to spice...
1920s icebox
Keeping your (food) cool: From ice harvesting to electric refrigeration
If you haven't done your spring cleaning yet, think about starting with the fridge. Thanks to electric refrigeration, we're able to store...
Detail crop of Neiman's "Big Band" painting
Meet the Titans of Jazz: A guide to LeRoy Neiman's fantasy jam session, Part 2
Can't tell your Dizzys from your Dukes? Whether you're new to jazz, or just looking for a quick and easy way to remember jazz history's...
Pres. Johnson dressed as super hero
Did we "win" the War on Poverty?
Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson declaring what would come to be known as the War on Poverty. In...
Pin with child's face and "I gave my tooth to science"
The Tooth Fairy goes scientific
Who collects baby teeth? Most of us would say "the Tooth Fairy." But in the late 1950s and 1960s, the Tooth Fairy had a competitor in both...
Detail image of LeRoy Neiman's "Big Band" painting, featuring 3 of the jazz artists
Meet the titans of jazz: A guide to LeRoy Neiman's fantasy jam session
When serious jazz fans namedrop their favorite musicians (and their copious nicknames), it can be a bit intimidating for those of us who...
A historic record
"How is that for high?"
What do you do after recovering sound from 130-year old recordings? For the museum, the next step was trying to understand that sound. In...
Soldier sits posed in grass with fellow soldiers, wearing uniform and looking at camera
A mother's solace: A letter from a World War I enemy
In 1922, four years after her American son was killed in action in World War I, Sallie Maxwell Bennett received a letter from Emil...
Students show off their letters on a bulletin board
4th graders' notes made a difference to Vietnam War soldiers
My main memory as a fourth grader in 1972-73 was playing "Little Willy" by The Sweet on the classroom's record player while waiting...
Lincoln's hat
A closer look at President Lincoln's silk hat
April 15 marks the 150th anniversary of the death of Abraham Lincoln. Across the country, there will be numerous remembrances and...
The surrender at Appomattox Court House: 150th anniversary
Thursday, April 9, marks the 150th anniversary of the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. In recognition of this...
Photo of Pat Murphy's Chicken House by Ansel Adams
Chickens, eggs, and the changing American diet
In getting ready for our next American History After Hours event, we've been looking at the history behind America's love of...
An early self-portrait of inventor and businessman Robert Cornelius, taken in 1839. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
A tour through storage brings an innovator to light
We often rely on our colleagues who have expertise in specific areas to guide us in our selection of objects for the American Enterprise...
"America" airplane and two men beside it
Admiral Byrd's "America" landed on my desk
Ya just never know what you will be offered at the National Museum of American History!A few weeks ago, I accepted a small collection of...
Detail of image: two men with camera and hats
Photographer slices heads!
Boston-area photographer George K. Warren, with studios variously in Lowell, Cambridge, and Boston, started as a daguerreotypist in the...
Roy Rogers and Trigger yo-yo, yellow and red
Throwing ourselves into Yo-Yo Heritage Month
April Fool's! It is not Yo-yo Heritage Month, so we unfortunately will not be sharing yo-yo facts all month. But...
Watercolor of Strayhorn in progress
Discovering the cool: Creating a visual identity for Jazz Appreciation Month
April is Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), with a variety of events and programs throughout the museum and country designed to...
Midwife tools
Midwives on horseback: Saddlebags and science
In 1931, the documentary The Forgotten Frontier asked, "Do you know that America is still a frontier country for about fifteen...
Teachers look at historic books
Remembering A. James Clark and a legacy of active learning
We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of A. James Clark, the driving force behind Clark Construction Group, LLC. The story...
Curator preparing “Abigail” doll for display in the “American Enterprise” exhibition.
From "rag" doll to community riches
A small, 11" cloth doll might seem like an incongruous object for discussing the issues of the American Great Depression. Yet enduring the...
Watercolor image of woman with red flowers
Ethel Reed and the poster craze
During the 1890s, just about any flat surface in the public eye might be covered with simple, bold, and colorful posters. They advertised...
Baseball players group photo
Baseball behind barbed wire
The year was 1944. A playoff series between two all-star baseball teams generated ample excitement. Gila River fought Heart Mountain...
Jefferson's Bible, open
Exploring religion in early American history
What was the significance of religion in the early history of the United States? In the summer of 2017, we will open a new exhibition...

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