Making history happen: Reflecting on DACA and its impact
In 2011, one year after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act failed to pass through the Senate, members of...
Ten objects that will help you understand Latinx history
The National Museum of American History has over 2 million items in its collections, spanning every topic you could think of. And from...
Suit up! Honoring Latino heritage on the field
Custom uniforms display cultural pride and signal Latino presence and excellence in baseball, America’s pastime. The colorful jerseys and...

Blog Posts in "Musings"

Confession: we peeked at your feedback (but would still like more)
Tell us what you think about this blog! Whether you're a regular reader or this is your first visit, we want to hear from you. We...
Tell us what you think about this blog
From time to time, we ask you what you think of the museum’s blog. Based on your feedback, museum staff write blog posts on new topics,...
Part II: My Experience on the set of "Gettysburg"
Editor’s note: As part of our free Classic Film Festival featuring four Civil War movies, you can see Gettysburg (1993) at...
Part I: My experience on set of the movie "Gettysburg"
Editor's note: As part of our Classic Film Festival featuring Civil War movies, you can see Gettysburg (1993) at the...
What makes America... America?
Hello, I’m David Allison, Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs. Here at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, we...
Debating the candidates, family style
Federal government and politics have surrounded me for most of my life. I grew up in Washington, D.C., the hub of the nation for topics of...
Museum visitos look at the Star Spangled Banner
The "unscripted" field trip
In line in the cafeteria recently, I stood behind a young woman in her early teens here on a field trip. She had with her a paper scavenger...
Dog wearing goggles on gravel
Soldiers in fur coats: Protectors, partners, and patriots in war and peace
Meet Fausto and Jimmy. Fausto is a Dutch Shepherd; Jimmy, a former Marine, is his handler. As a team, they are a Contract Working Dog (CWD...
Horse-drawn wagon
The making of Labor Day
Editor's Note: To commemorate Labor Day, the American Enterprise exhibition team will be highlighting some of the museum’s rich...
Why you should take your little kids to a museum
Last month I had the opportunity to walk through the Freer and Sackler Galleries with my three-year-old daughter. Passing by on...
The once-and-future spirit of Discovery
I felt like a kid again. On the morning of April 17, I stood amid a crowd of fellow staffers on the rooftop terrace of the National Museum...
Black Friday and the missing retail amenity
“Black Friday”—the day after Thanksgiving when holiday shopping goes into high gear—promises to start even earlier this year on Thursday,...
Following in the footsteps of James Smithson
Somewhat late in the summer of 1784, James Smithson embarked on his first scientific expedition. This “expedition” might have seemed a bit...
Button with "National AIDS Vigil" text in white on black background
Speaking out about HIV/AIDS, one button at a time
Editor's Note: This is the fifth post in a series exploring the 30th anniversary of HIV and AIDS. Beginning last June 3, the National...
Shortcuts across time and space
Chromolithograph, from about 1893, of Columbus bidding farewell to the queen of Spain on his departure for the New World in 1492. Courtesy...
Why I love working at the National Museum of American History
The author conversing with visitors at the history cart. Every so often, I am reminded of why I love working at the National Museum of...
Photo of the museum
A Simple Gesture: Remembering a museum volunteer
Fred Starobin, former museum volunteer.The other day, my mail included a card-sized letter. It was addressed simply to "Smithsonian...
Happy birthday, America! (Like my t-shirt?)
I’ve written before about the sartorial trends of our teens and other groups of like-minded visitors, but the biggest clothing event here...
The sculptor behind the Ken Behring bust
When sculptor Marc Mellon was commissioned to create the bust of philanthropist Kenneth E. Behring, the artist gladly took up the job and...
An "Oprah and the Prius" moment in the National Numismatic Collection
It began with a complaint. But as complaints go, this one was articulate and astute. Mary had just visited Stories on Money. Her love...
"If I could just get inside that glass, I could hear the song in there..."
Editor’s Note: Today’s guest blog is written by Kenneth Coultas, a Tennesseean who recently visited the museum with his family and had...
Ensuring a bright future for Numismatics
Coin collecting is the most popular hobby in the United States, and the Museum’s National Numismatic Collection (NNC) is one of the most...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Remembering life on the Day of the Dead
My first job after college was teaching elementary students at a bilingual school in Mexico City. While the majority of our students were...
Remembering September 11, 2001
Photo of World Trade Center towers against a clear morning sky on September 11, 2001. Gift of John Labriola. What I remember about the...
Back to our roots
Something wonderful is sprouting at the National Museum of American History. This past week I was introduced to the Victory Garden that is...
Abbey Lincoln, singer emancipator (August 6, 1930-August 14, 2010)
Singer/composer Abbey Lincoln drew strength from emancipation–her own and the liberation of others fighting for social justice. When she...
My scouting story
The Boy Scouts of America is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year and the museum is joining the celebration by recognizing staff...
An unheralded battle in the war against segregation
Recently at the museum we were privileged to hear from one of this country’s eminent historians, David Hackett Fischer. As he described his...
How to send us a "good" bad comment
If you’re at all like me, you like to share your opinions—not just for the thrill of being heard but to change things that seem wrong or...
America’s Funniest…cocktail party
Los Angeles. The Entertainment Capital of the World. What better place could there be for a presentation on the Smithsonian’s comedy...
When history meets pop culture: The Jonas Brothers visit the museum
The White House Correspondents Dinner brought quite a number of celebrities to Washington this month. One of the museum’s board members was...
Will you marry me?
I’ll admit it. Working at the National Museum of American History has some pretty great benefits. I get to meet famous Civil Rights leaders...
Kanye West sunglasses and FBI sweatshirts
In Washington, spring means cherry blossoms and teenagers. As soon as the weather begins to warm up, the city is flooded by tour groups of...
Star Spangled Women: Mary Pickersgill
Just imagine: you live in a time before electricity. No sewing machines, no lights, certainly no America’s Funniest Home Videos ...
Love the Smithsonian? Thank James Smithson.
Recently I had occasion to read a new biography of James Smithson, the Englishman whose bequest led to the founding of the Smithsonian...
What would you like to do at the museum?
In the past, readers have told us that they view the National Museum of American History as a trusted source of information and that...
Take only (wonderful) memories
Trained in graphics, I started as a publications designer of print materials for public events: lectures, concerts, performances of film,...
Bye bye buy out
What will these highly skilled museum professionals do? Several of them mentioned that their first task is to turn off the alarm clock. No...
Keeping our museum exteriors beautiful (and secure)
The Smithsonian hired architects Beyer Blinder Belle (BBB) to create a plan which would meet our needs. Since the Mall is such a sensitive...
The life cycle of a place of invention
My ears perked up at the announcement of this year’s Nobel Prize in physics. Not only was it awarded to an invention that revolutionized...

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