The day I decided not to collect: A curator's view of Ground Zero
About a month after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, I received a phone call from a colleague asking if I wanted to take a trip up to New...
Preserving and displaying layers of history: The stock certificate nearly destroyed on September 11
The history behind a single object can often tell many stories. In 2004 the museum acquired a stock certificate from an early Internet...
Why did the Smithsonian collect a handwritten note from September 11, 2001?
In moments of crisis, our first thoughts are usually to get in contact with the people we love. September 11, 2001, was a day when many...

Blog Posts in "Director's Notes"

A lobby with glass cases of objects and a stairway. The ceiling is a lurid red. In the center is a lego statue resembling the statue of liberty, resting on a large rectangular display with short glass walls surrounding it that have signage on it.
Opening on June 28, 2017: An exploration of the largest ideas and ideals in American history
As the museum's social media manager, I get to see many snapshots our visitors share on social media while they're here. Frequently...
Color photograph of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, taken from ground level with a perspective looking up. Light and puffy clouds streak across the sky. Green foliage in foreground.
Q&A with Director John Gray: Welcoming a new museum to the National Mall
Our next door neighbor, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, opens on September 24, 2016, and our whole staff is...
Display in which figures hold up contemporary campaign signs for presidential candidates while standing among historic objects related to voting, such as 1940s voting booths
Using history to inspire Americans to participate in democracy
As I walk into the museum each morning, I notice which figures in our Hooray for Politics display are holding their signs for presidential...
The public memory of September 11
Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of weekly blog posts exploring the 10th anniversary of September 11. Learn about the...
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...
Are we on a slippery slope of national amnesia?
Is American history dead? Are we on a slippery slope of national amnesia? If you look at data from a recent Marist Poll, you might answer...
Step by step to freedom and justice
Editor’s note: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the student sit-ins at the Greensboro, N.C. lunch counter. To commemorate this event...
American history through Iraqi eyes
As soon as more than sixty Iraqi public officials sat down in our auditorium, I knew I was facing a tough audience. These men and one woman...
The Kennedys’ visit to American history
During the memorial service for Senator Edward Kennedy last month, several speakers mentioned his love of American history and his son, Ted...
Knight at the museum
There are many heroes in the highly entertaining box-office hit, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. First we have Larry...
Scenes from the front line
Wearing my red director’s badge, I have plunged back into the throngs of visitors in the first month since we reopened to gauge how they...
Getting ready
Our director, Dr. Brent D. Glass, went on air yesterday to talk with Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris of “Daily Debrief” about what we’ve been...
Raising the flag
If you have been following the renovation at the National Museum of American History, you know that one of the visual centerpieces of our...
Behind the Scenes with Director Brent Glass
Museums change lives. When I was ten, my parents brought me to the Smithsonian for the first time.  They were children and...