Special Report

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

Artifacts from the stage, screen and sports highlight how what we watch defines who we are

The famed Ruby Slippers were worn by by Judy Garland in her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. NMAH

A vintage promotional photograph commissioned and approved by Redfeather around 1915 is now held in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

The Forgotten History of Tsianina Redfeather, the Beloved American Indian Opera Singer

The museum's curator Ryan Lintelman says the egg is emblematic of the cultural import of Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley, who battles the magnificently ugly "xenomorph."

Smithsonian Curator Reveals New Details on an Egg From Sigourney Weaver’s Iconic ‘Alien’ Franchise

C-3PO and R2-D2 from the 1983 Star Wars — Return of the Jedi takes center stage at the new exhibition "Entertainment Nation / Nación de Espectáculo" on long-time view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Banged-Up, but Still Sassy, R2-D2 and C-3PO Are Back and Thrilling Fans

More than 200 artifacts are featured in the new exhibition, "Entertainment Nation," including clockwise from top left: Muhammad Ali's warm-up robe; the angel's jacket from the Broadway production Rent,; chairs from the set of TV's "All in the Family; a costume worn by Sylvestor Stallone in the film Rocky; Prince's "Cloud" guitar; a dress worn by performer Gloria Estefan and a conga drum used by musician Emilio Estefan from the Miami Sound Machine.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

American Pop Culture Takes the Spotlight in a New Blockbuster Exhibition

Carol Burnett's charwoman costume from her award-winning variety show (above in 1973) is now held in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Carol Burnett Reveals How She Came to Create the Charwoman

Celia Cruz (above in 2001 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.) was "a phenomenon," says the Smithsonian's Ashley Mayor, one of the organizers of the new exhibition "Entertainment Nation," opening in December at the National Museum of American History.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Enduring Legacy of Celia Cruz, the 'Queen of Salsa'

Jacquelyne Germain

Actor Charlotte Cushman defied gender norms, often dressing in a masculine style represented in this 1853 portrait from the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. She managed her own career and demanded equal pay with male actors.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Rise and Fall, and Rise Again, of America’s First Celebrity—a Woman Who Loved Other Women

Billie Jean King wore this dress when she beat Bobby Riggs, a former number-one male player, during the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes.”

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

What America’s Pop Culture Says About the Nation Itself

Lonnie G. Bunch III

The signpost of hometowns for each of the characters in the sitcom "M*A*S*H" is now held in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, where it will go on view December 9.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Fifty Years and TV's 'MAS*H' Still Draws Audiences

The meteoric rise of Fernando Valenzuela, a left-handed pitcher (above: a monument at Dodger Stadium) from the rural town of Etchohuaquila in Sonora, Mexico, won the hearts of Latina and Latino audiences

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Complicated Relationship Between Latinos and the Los Angeles Dodgers

Priscilla Leiva

The mostly retired singer-Songwriter Paul Simon told financier and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein that a recent dream has prompted him to work on a new extended piece of music.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Paul Simon Has 50 Ways to Charm an Audience

Queen Liliʻuokalani (above in Honolulu in 1917) “was one of the most successful composers . . . so much so that her repertoire remains at the forefront of those performed by Hawaiian musicians today,” says the Smithsonian's John Troutman

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How the Music of Hawaiʻi’s Last Ruler Guided the Island’s People Through Crisis