National Museum of American History

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Bernice Johnson Reagon's Lessons for Living

Bernice Johnson Reagon’s life offers us lessons to navigate an unjust world and work toward change. From her role as a Civil Rights activist to her transformative curatorial position at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Reagon demonstrated how songs and musical traditions, particularly those of the oppressed and marginalized, can transform the world.

Women in Blues Event

What's Happening in August: Events, Exhibits and Resources

Here's what's happening this month at the National Museum of American History

Portrait of Anna May Wong. Wong wears a yellow dress and gazes to the side of the frame. She delicately holds a red folding fan behind her head.

Anna May Wong's Long Journey From Hollywood to the Smithsonian

Anna May Wong built a remarkable career, she became a legendary style icon.

Three cards where visitors left handwritten messages invoking girl power. One card reads: “you think we're not good enough but we're just to [sic] good for you, girl power.”

What Does 'Girl Power' Really Mean?

We asked our visitors to talk back about what it means to be a girl

Black velvet leotard with crystal bead detailing at neck

Designing Kristi Yamaguchi's Costume to Sparkle Under the Spotlight

In the center of a dark arena, a spotlight illuminates a glittering Kristi Yamaguchi, ready to skate.

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Ella at the Gala

The Ella Fitzgerald Papers reveal a surprising connection between Fitzgerald and the Kennedy Inauguration

Lousian Mamer

What Do Refrigerators Have to Do With Women's Empowerment?

For rural women in the mid-1900s, one force for change was an organization that few today would think of: the Rural Electrification Administration

Anti-suffrage pennant

Why a Social Activist Opposed Woman Suffrage

The right to vote, insisted some women, would undermine their efforts to promote the public good

Ruth Bader Ginsburg at a Smithsonian event.

Join the Smithsonian to Honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Celebrate Women's History Month with Oprah Winfrey, John Roberts, Gloria Steinem, and more in this incredible virtual program

Portrait of Madam C. J. Walker, taken in 1915.

How Madam C.J. Walker Changed Philanthropy

Walker challenged the accumulation-of-wealth model of philanthropy, which postpones giving until the twilight years of life

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Celebrate Black History Month With These Virtual Events

The National Museum of American History offers plenty of ways to celebrate Black history from the comfort of your home

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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

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Maggie of the Boondocks

In the Mekong Delta, there was nobody who could pick up your spirits like USO girl Martha Raye

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

Leo Baker's personalized skateboards (NMAH)

How LGBTQ Skateboarders Have Carved Out a Place at the Park

The Smithsonian has collected from members of the diverse and fiercely dedicated LGBTQ skate community

Speaker’s card advertising Walker’s services as a lecturer. Walker described herself as

Mary Walker, the Original "New Woman"

Walker described herself as "the original new woman," referring to an emerging term for an independent woman who stood up for herself, regardless of social roles.

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