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National Museum of American History

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Essential or Expendable? How the UFW Fights for Farmworkers

Agricultural labor is often overlooked, but it is critical to understand its history, especially as COVID-19 shines a light on unchecked abuse and exploitation

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Ten Objects That Will Help You Understand Latinx History

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve put together a top 10 list of the museum’s most exciting Latinx history objects.

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Baseball Uniforms Honor Latino Heritage on the Field

Puerto Rican baseball legend Roberto Clemente once declared, “When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth.”

World Trade Center, September 2001, by Christophe Agou

For Some, September 11 Turned the American Dream Into a Nightmare

Instead of obtaining the American dream of middle-class success, Sodhi experienced the American nightmare of hate and violence.

The stock certificate pieced back together and encased in mylar (NMAH)

How the Smithsonian Preserved a Stock Certificate Destroyed on September 11

The intent of conservation is not to make an object appear new again but to care for the object while upholding its history.

The Salvation Army jacket collected by the Smithsonian (NMAH)

A Salvation Army Jacket Comes to the Smithsonian Bearing Stories of 9/11

Dee Smith's first thought watching live footage of September 11? "I need to get to work."

Photograph by Jane Rogers. (NMAH)

The Day I Decided Not to Collect: A Curator's View of Ground Zero

It was not my place to ask the workers for anything, but to thank them for their tireless service.

Excerpt from a handwritten note from Daria Gaillard to her husband, Frank, on September 11, 2001 (NMAH)

Why Did the Smithsonian Collect a Handwritten Note from 9/11?

In moments of crisis, our first thoughts are usually to get in contact with the people we love.

Sign marking an evacuation route, tilted by the storm. Photograph by Hugh Talman.

How the Smithsonian Collected Artifacts That Told the Story of Hurricane Katrina

In the wake of disasters, the museum needs to collect quickly

R2-D2 droid costume featured in the movie

Why Isn't My Favorite Artifact on Display?

We know how it feels when you come to the museum and the thing that you love isn't on display

Rea Ann Silva with an oversized version of the Beautyblender sponge (Courtesy of Beautyblender)

How Rea Ann Silva Invented the Beautyblender—and Changed Makeup Forever

Silva’s work as a makeup artist on "Girlfriends" unexpectedly thrust her into the beauty products industry as an innovator and entrepreneur

Girlhood (It’s complicated) opened to the public on October 9, 2020. Artwork by Krystal Quiles for NMAH.

Why Did the Smithsonian Create an Exhibit About Girlhood?

The museum had a bold new idea—it was going to create an exhibition about girlhood

Rebecca Lukens (National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum, Coatesville, Pennsylvania)

How Rebecca Lukens Became the Nation's First Woman Industrialist

A sudden tragedy thrust Rebecca Lukens into the family business and into history, making her the first woman to run an iron mill in the United States

Robert Abbe's hourglass (NMAH)

Curing Cancer with a Single Gram of Radium

How a group of women gave radium as a gift to America

This glass tube, part of the museum’s collection, once contained a sample of helium. Its paper label reads, “HELIUM / SIR W. RAMSAY, K.C.B., LL.D., F.R.S. / THOMAS TRYER & CO., Ltd. / STRATFORD, LONDON, ENGLAND.”

The History of Holding Helium

Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, but how do you hold it?

Team USA stamps

The Science Behind a Faster, Higher, Stronger Team USA

The unsung heroes behind the Summer Olympics are the scientists and engineers whose inventions and innovations help athletes become “Faster, Higher, Stronger”

Cher Ami, April 1918–June 1919 (NMAH)

Solving a 100-Year-Old Mystery About a Pigeon

Animal hero celebrates its Smithsonian centennial

Museum visitors participate in a flag folding while singing (or humming) the anthem (NMAH)

Why is the National Anthem So Hard to Sing?

If people whose livelihood is singing can't do it, what are the untrained to do?

The first stanza of the national anthem is projected prominently on the wall above the Star-Spangled Banner in the museum. (NMAH)

Why is There a Question Mark at the End of the National Anthem?

When we sing the anthem, we don't end it questioningly, but with a firm, declarative (sometimes over-warbled) note

The Star Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired our national anthem (NMAH)

8 Things You Didn't Know About the Star Spangled Banner

There is more to the story of this flag than meets the eye

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