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National Museum of American History

illustration of a woman handing a musket to a militiaman at the doorway of a home while a child stands nearby and soldiers gather in the background.

How Did It Feel to Be an American Colonist in 1776? Probably Itchy, Achy and Slightly Nauseated

Trade the tricorn hats, bonnets and homespun shirts for flip-flops, sneakers and soccer jerseys, and the intrepid revolutionaries of 1776 would have looked a lot like the people of 2026. But their sense of embodiment and experience of health were markedly different from what Americans feel today

bow section of the wooden boat

Museum Happenings This July: Exhibits, Music and More at the National Museum of American History

The calendar of exhibitions and events happening at the museum in July 2025.

eggs nestled in straw

Eggs, Luck and the 1957 Bird Flu: Will History Repeat Itself?

A past pandemic was narrowly avoided—can the U.S. dodge another as a new strain spreads?

The interior of the Forensic Science on Trial exhibition. Several large cases with objects and text panels are visible.

Going Behind the Scenes With 'Forensic Science on Trial'

This year, the museum opened "Forensic Science on Trial," a temporary exhibition that explores how people influence the way forensic science is used in the pursuit of justice. The exhibition’s curator, Kristen Frederick-Frost, recently gave us a behind-the-scenes look into its creation. The transcript below is an edited version of our interview, led by Jordan Grant

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MUM’s the Word: Milestone Menstruation Collection Chronicles Women’s Health

Smithsonian Marks World-Wide Menstrual Hygiene Day May 28 With New Acquisition Announcement

The Magnavox Odyssey system arrayed in front of its cover box. The box is decorated with the system's name and small images of various games and children using the Odyssey's controller

How the Magnavox Odyssey Predicted the Future of Video Games

The first home video game system had a lot of the right ideas, just not at the right time

Pocket sundial

How Did a 17th-Century French Sundial End Up Buried in a Field in Indiana?

Curator Peggy Kidwell solves the mystery of a pocket sundial from the 1600s

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When Computer Programming Was 'Just Like Planning a Dinner

Women were encouraged to seek employment in computing by appealing to traditional domestic roles

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?

Title page to Garrard Conley's workbook from the gay-conversion camp Love in Action (NMAH)

The History of Getting the Gay Out

Conversion therapy made being different dangerous

Transgender flag designed by Monica Helms (right), and friends. The flag's stripes represent the traditional pink and blue associated with girls and boys and white for intersex, transitioning, or of undefined gender. Helms served in the United States Navy and became an activist for transgender rights in the late 1990s in Arizona where she grew up. She designed the flag in 1999. (NMAH)

Can an Object Be Gay? LGBTQ Collecting

Curator Katherine Ott reflects on collecting and interpreting LBGTQ material culture.

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