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 "Public Programs"

4 music-inspiring objects through the eyes of our Making American Music interns
Musical inspiration abounds in the collections and exhibitions around us. As interns in the Making American Music project, we get to follow...
Sheet music cover, 'Get off the track!'
An anti-slavery anthem reimagined for today
Turn right at the Batmobile. Take the elevator behind the John Bull locomotive. If you hit Julia Child's kitchen, you've gone too far. My...
Composite of four images, all showing streets and buildings in New Orleans
300 years and counting: A new look at New Orleans and “Creole cuisine”
Celebrating the 300th anniversary of its founding this year, New Orleans is a city whose culture and cuisine have captivated the American...
An old bottle of soap
Ordinary objects or incredible inventions?
According to a recent report by Mintel, a marketing research agency, few millennials use bar soap. Don't be alarmed, though. They...
Large hardcover book, mostly dark brown with gold-colored details.
The lost sounds of religious history
What does religion sound like? Across the United States today, you can listen for it in the tolling of church bells, the Muslim call to...
Copper chocolate pot, 1740s–1760s
Remembering Forrest Mars Jr.
Hearing that Forrest Mars Jr. had passed away on July 26, 2016, put me in a sad but reflective mood. One of the giants of the chocolate...
Black and white photograph of a woman posing, unsmiling, with a bicycle
Becoming "Louise the Wheelwoman"
"Meet the Wheelwoman" is an interactive theater program created in conjunction with a new learning space at the museum, the Patrick F...
Color photo of waterfalls cascading down rocky mountains with greenery around.
Filmmaking and our National Parks: Q&A with writer and director David Vassar
To commemorate the centennial of the National Park Service, the museum will join with the Environmental Film Festival to...
Thomas Edison's patent model for improvements to a stock ticker
Learning the lingo of patents and trademarks
The Smithsonian and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are hosting an Innovation Festival at the museum on...
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...
New project explores what it means to be American
This winter, Zócalo Public Square and the National Museum of American History are launching an unprecedented partnership and a new, three-...
Word cloud of words visitor wrote in comments about 9/11 memories, the words "think" and "happen" are biggest
9/11 digital archives: Visitors tell us their stories
Visitors to the museum's 2011 commemorative event September 11: Remembrance and Reflection were invited to share their stories...
Museum staff and students look at a National History Day project on a large board
Making the most of History Day at the National Museum of American History
Manager of Youth and Teacher Programs Naomi Coquillon shares the inside scoop on National History Day at the museum.On one wonderful day...
Demonstrating shea butter at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2011 on the National Mall. Image via Peace Corps.
7 tips to make your family visit to National Mall festivals more fun and less stressful
If you are visiting D.C. this summer, you have the chance to be part of some amazing events.The Fourth of July lights up the National Mall...
3 old cell phones
True magic: Dialing up cell phone history with "Marty" Cooper
Cell phones have come a long way since the "gray brick" that many of us remember. Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation...
Welcoming home the Japanese American Nisei Congressional Gold Medal
American Heroes: The Japanese American Nisei Congressional Gold Medal goes on display on February 19, 2014, beginning with a special...
White button that says "I'd rather be farming" in black text with the image of a tractor
From dirt to dinner: How agriculture history influences American lives
Soil is more than just dirt; it affects all of the foods we eat. But why is this really a conversation about history and why are we talking...
Four people standing among plants in a garden, trees in the background
Food in the Garden kicks off with focus on heirlooms
Missed last week's Food in the Garden 2013 Summer Series event? New Media intern Hannah Ostroff recaps the discussion on growing local,...
A bear catches a fish in its mouth, with water raging all around
Exploring Alaska: Q&A with Environmental Filmmaker John Grabowska
As part of the Environmental Film Festival, the museum will present the world premiere of The Ends of the Earth, John...
Cranberries in a pot, set on dried leaves
5 questions with a colonial culinarian
It's not everyday that you get to meet an expert on colonial foodways—especially not one dressed in a historically accurate pilgrim outfit....
People watch a Civil War balloon go up above a treeline
Was the Civil War high tech?
Editor's note: Civil War technology is the topic of this weekend's symposium, and some of the sessions may surprise you, particularly...
Chris Kimball remembers eating and cooking with Julia Child
Chris Kimball of the cooking show "America's Test Kitchen" shares memories of cooking in Julia Child's kitchen with museum curators.Peering...
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...
Tomatillo
The tomatillo (tohm-ah-TEE-oh)
Editor’s note: The Smithsonian’s kickoff celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month takes place on September 15, 2012 here at the...
Fall Fridays
It’s time again to go back to school and at the National Museum of American History that means we get ready to create exciting experiences...
Love on the range: The story of a cowboy
Nat Love (pronounced “Nate”) lived the kind of life that adventure novels and blockbuster movies are built on. Freed from slavery at a...
Croquet on the Mall
Croquet on the National Mall? This spring, while researching our series of Meet Joseph Henry museum theater programs, Daily Programs staff...
The true meaning of voice
Editor’s note: Today’s post is written by a student at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. This spring, Professor Amy Stevens’ civil...
Hands-on history: Folding a national symbol
Have you ever seen an American flag up close? I don’t mean the kind you can wave at parades. How about an American flag that’s 30 feet tall...
Photo of man wearing a black hat and brown coat. He faces camera with an anxious expression, his right hand raised as if swearing an oath.
How should John Brown be remembered?
An  actor portrays abolitionist John BrownThis summer, the National Museum of American History’s History Alive! Theater program...
Theater Preview: "Time Trial of John Brown" and "Am I a Pirate?"
When you read a textbook, glance at a grainy photograph of a legendary historical figure, or gaze at an artifact locked behind a...
Flag Day ceremony welcomes 20 new U.S. citizens
What better place to become an official U.S. citizen than at an American history museum?  During a special naturalization ceremony,...
A bowl where soap is being mixed by museum interpreters
Suds Up: How to make soap, 19th-century style
Piqued by the innovation, resourcefulness, and ingenuity required in an era before washing machines did all the scrubbing for us, we...
The "Aha!" moment: A conversation with our museum docents
1,971. Is that the number of stitches in the stripes of the Star Spangled Banner? The minutes it takes to drive from the museum to...
Benedict Arnold: American history’s most heroic traitor
“Time Trial of Benedict Arnold,” the museum’s new theater program, opened on December 27 to rave reviews! The program explores the...
In Tribute to Dr. William Taylor, Jr., Jazz Elder Statesman, July 24, 1921-Dec. 28, 2010
Dr. William Taylor, Jr., known as Billy, was an educator, composer, actor, jazz pianist, and elder statesman. He was a cultural advocate...
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...
Sacred ground: Smithsonian Gardens commemorating Medal of Honor recipients
Editor’s note: This post is the third in a series of monthly posts exploring the work of Smithsonian Gardens and...
Backstage at the museum
Loyal readers of our blog are surely familiar with the museum's theater programs, especially Join the Student Sit-Ins. This...
Making "Music for The World of Tomorrow"
Editor’s note: This post, written by Ryan Holladay, member of the D.C. music collective Bluebrain, is second in a series about...
Why commemorate the centennial of the Mexican Revolution?
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the National Museum of American History will hold a symposium and cultural festival, ...
"So whatever will happen": Music celebrates Haitian cultural identity
In the French Creole language, the song “Alayon bon peyi se Ayiti,” by Haitian composer Moise Abraham, can be translated “So whatever will...
Haiti's voices of hope
I’ve now made half a dozen visits to Haiti over the past months, putting into place a Smithsonian effort to help Haitians save their...
A no-brainer collaboration: "Music for the World of Tomorrow"
Every time I consider quitting Facebook, a surprising connection keeps me hanging on. That’s how “Music for The World of Tomorrow” became...
Becoming a U.S. citizen at the National Museum of American History
On June 12, the Colonialists met the Futurists in Flag Hall. Some 24 children from 18 countries joined family members and friends at a...
Forty years of service
You may know that the museum has around 3 million objects in its collections. You may have guessed—especially if you’ve been here on a busy...
JAMing in Omaha
In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the museum’s resident big band orchestra, traveled...

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