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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...

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...

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...

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...

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."...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

"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...

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...

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...

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...

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 behind barbed wire

The year was 1944. A playoff series between two all-star baseball teams generated ample excitement. Gila River fought Heart Mountain...

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...

Boxing belt with Irish and American symbols

When Irish American eyes are smilin'

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, staff members have selected four objects that reveal facets of the Irish American experience.Dan Gifford,...

Illustration of an ambulance-style van with a red cross and text: "U.S.A. X-Ray Car No. 4"

The abstract artist and his World War I "X-Ray Car"

In 1897, at the age of 22, Henry Lyman Saÿen's career in scientific instruments seemed to be set. Little did he know that his talents would...

Embroidery under fire

The scream of incoming shells would send French peasant women dashing to their cellars for safety, but then they would pick their...

Campaign badge with a photo of Grant and gold-colored frame

A General's coins and a Japanese restoration

As an intern in the National Numismatic Collection, Chelsea Hansen has been working with General Ulysses S. Grant's collection of...

In numismatics, it's cool to be Square

As new monetary technologies emerge, how are they changing the way individuals and small businesses make transactions? Collections Manager...

O say can you sing a different patriotic song?

On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional act that made Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner" the...

Carbon-14 is 75±0 Years Old

February 27, 2015, marks the 75th anniversary of the discovery of the radioactive carbon isotope, carbon-14, by Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben...

Finding modern meaning in 130-year old sound

I'm willing to bet most people would agree that hearing some of the earliest recorded sound is pretty cool. But what exactly makes it so...

Outbreak! On the front lines of a measles epidemic

In 1904 C. A. Lindsley, the secretary of the Connecticut State Board of Health, complained that "measles is still prevailing in an epidemic...

Blue poster announcing year of innovation

A new home for innovation on the National Mall

Do you ever wonder how your National Museum of American History conceptualizes and then creates the exhibitions and programs that so many...

Ralph Baer: The inventor I knew

I love being around inventors. I love the quality of their imaginations, but most of all, I love the kind of people they are, their...

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