National Museum of American History
Encyclopedia
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner
Star Spangled Banner Flag
The Star-Spangled Banner Flag or the Great Garrison Flag was the garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the naval portion of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812...

 and Archie Bunker
Archie Bunker
Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, bigoted, conservative, blue-collar worker, and...

's chair. The museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 is part of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

 and located in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, on the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...

.

History

The museum first opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. The building was one of the last structures designed by renowned architectural firm McKim Mead & White. In 1980, the museum was renamed The National Museum of American History to better represent a refocused mission: the collection, care, study, and interpretation of objects that reflect the experience of the American people.

Renovation

The museum underwent an $85 million renovation from September 5, 2006 to November 21, 2008, during which time it was closed. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP is an American architectural and engineering firm that was formed in Chicago in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings; in 1939 they were joined by John O. Merrill. They opened their first branch in New York City, New York in 1937. SOM is one of the largest...

 provided the architecture and interior design services for the renovation. Major changes made during the renovation include:
  • A new, five-story sky-lit atrium that is surrounded by displays of artifacts that showcase the breadth of the museum's collection.
  • A new, grand staircase that links the museum's first and second floors.
  • A new welcome center, as well as the addition of six landmark objects to help orient visitors.
  • New galleries such as the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention.
  • A new home for the Star-Spangled Banner
    Star Spangled Banner Flag
    The Star-Spangled Banner Flag or the Great Garrison Flag was the garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the naval portion of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812...

     that protects the flag in an environmentally-controlled chamber.

Layout

Each wing of the museum's three exhibition floors is anchored by a landmark object—a large, significant artifact that highlights the theme of that wing. Landmark objects include the John Bull locomotive
John Bull (locomotive)
John Bull is a British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States. It was operated for the first time on September 15, 1831, and it became the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operated it in 1981...

, the 1865 Vassar Telescope, the Greensboro lunch counter
Greensboro sit-ins
The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests which led to the Woolworth's department store chain reversing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States....

, George Washington Statue
George Washington (statue)
George Washington is a massive sculpture by Horatio Greenough commissioned for the centennial of U.S President George Washington's birth in February 22, 1732.-Description:...

, a Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...

 ambulance and a Dumbo ride
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (ride)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is a carousel-style ride located in Fantasyland at five Disney parks around the world. The original attraction opened at Disneyland in October of 1955, three months after the park opened...

 car.

Artifact walls consisting of 275 feet (83.8 m) of glass-fronted cases line the first and second floor center core. The artifact walls are organized around themes including: arts; popular culture; business, work and economy; home and family; community; land and natural resources; peopling American; politics and reform; science; medicine; technology; and America's role in the world.

Outdoor sculpture

An abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...

 sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

, Infinity
Infinity (de Rivera)
Infinity is an Abstract sculpture, designed by Jose de Rivera and created by Roy Gussow. It is located on the south side of the National Museum of American History, at Madison Drive, and 12th Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C....

standing 24 feet tall, was dedicated at the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...

 entrance to the museum in 1967. The piece, which was designed by José de Rivera
Jose de Rivera
Jose de Rivera was an American abstract sculptor.-Life:He grew up in New Orleans. He dropped out of high school, but finished at a boarding school. He worked on the plantation, fixing farm machinery.In 1924, he moved to Chicago.He studied drawing with muralist John W. Norton...

 and created by Roy Gussow
Roy Gussow
Roy Gussow was an American abstract sculptor known for his public pieces often crafted from polished stainless steel...

, was one of the first abstract sculptures to be displayed at a major public building in Washington D.C. The sculpture consists of a 16-foot long polished stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....

 ribbon placed atop a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...

 tower.

Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...

's Gwenfritz
Gwenfritz
Gwenfritz is a painted steel abstract stabile, by Alexander Calder.It is located at the National Museum of American History, at 14th Street, and Constitution Avenue, in Washington, D.C....

was installed in a fountain on the west side.

First floor

The exhibitions in the East Wing of the first floor focus on transportation and technology and include "America on the Move" and "Lighting a Revolution." The John Bull locomotive
John Bull (locomotive)
John Bull is a British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States. It was operated for the first time on September 15, 1831, and it became the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operated it in 1981...

 is the signature artifact for this section of the museum.

The exhibitions in the West Wing of the first floor address science and innovation. They include "Science in American Life featuring Robots on the Road" and "Bon Appétit! Julia Child's
Julia Child
Julia Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for introducing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which...

 Kitchen at the Smithsonian
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

" as well as the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation's newest hands-on space, "Spark!Lab." The Vassar Telescope is the signature artifact for this section of the museum.

A café and the main museum store are also located on the first floor.

Third floor

The exhibitions in the east wing on the third floor are focused on American wars and politics and include "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War" and "The Gunboat Philadelphia
USS Philadelphia (1776)
Continental gunboat Philadelphia is the only surviving gunboat built and manned by American Forces during the Revolutionary War. Part of a hastily constructed fleet, she is one of 15 small craft with which General Benedict Arnold fought about 30 British vessels off Valcour Island in Lake Champlain...

." The Clara Barton
Clara Barton
Clarissa Harlowe "Clara" Barton was a pioneer American teacher, patent clerk, nurse, and humanitarian. She is best remembered for organizing the American Red Cross.-Youth, education, and family nursing:...

 Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...

 ambulance is the signature artifact for this section of the museum.

The center of the third floor presents "The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden," an exhibition that explores the personal and public lives of the 43 different men who have held that office.

The exhibitions in the west wing of the third floor are focused on entertainment, sports and music and include "Thanks for the Memories: Music, Sports and Entertainment History," the Hall of Musical Instruments and "The Dolls' House." A Dumbo ride
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (ride)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is a carousel-style ride located in Fantasyland at five Disney parks around the world. The original attraction opened at Disneyland in October of 1955, three months after the park opened...

 car is the signature artifact for this section of the museum.

Lower level

The lower level of the museum displays "Taking America to Lunch" which celebraters the history of American lunch boxes. The lower level is also home to the museum's food court, the Stars and Stripes Café, and ride simulators.

Archives

In support of the museum’s mission, the Archives Center identifies, acquires, and preserves significant archival records in many media and formats to document America’s history and its diverse cultures. Center staff arrange, describe, preserve, and make collections accessible in support of scholarship, exhibitions, publications, and education.

The Archives Center occupies over 12000 feet (3,657.6 m) of shelving in the National Museum of American History building. Subject strengths include the history of radio, television, the telegraph, computing, and other aspects of the history of technology with a special interest in the history of invention; advertising, marketing, and entrepreneurship; commercial visual ephemera (post cards, greeting cards); American music (sheet music, jazz) and musical instruments. These, and a wide range of other subjects, are documented in business records, personal papers, and extensive holdings of motion picture film, video and sound recordings, historical photographs, and oral histories.

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation

The Lemelson Center
Lemelson Foundation
The Lemelson Foundation is a private 501 philanthropy founded in 1993 by Jerome H. Lemelson and his wife Dorothy.-Origins:Lemelson believed invention and innovation were key to American economic success and dynamism, yet he was also deeply concerned that American businesses and society were...

 produces educational programs, popular and academic publications, exhibitions, podcasts and symposia about invention. The mission of the Lemelson Center is to document, interpret and disseminate information about invention and innovation, encourage inventive creativity in young people and foster an appreciation for the central role of invention and innovation in the history of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The Center frequently provides a multi-year focus on some aspect of how invention has influence American society, such as its 2002 "Invention and the Environment" theme. Programs include a yearly symposium, presentations and guest speakers within and outside the National Museum of American History and often the publication of a book detailing aspects of the topical focus. The Center also provides free curricular material to classrooms through the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, organizes traveling museum exhibitions (such as "Invention at Play"), provides research opportunities and fellowships for scholars, and finds, obtains and process archival collections related to invention on behalf of the museum's Archives Center. These collections consist of the papers and materials that document the work of past and current American inventors.

Electronics & data processing

In the science field, some notable personalities who or whose work has been added to the Museum include:
  • Seymour Cray
    Seymour Cray
    Seymour Roger Cray was an American electrical engineer and supercomputer architect who designed a series of computers that were the fastest in the world for decades, and founded Cray Research which would build many of these machines. Called "the father of supercomputing," Cray has been credited...

     (inventor of the Supercomputer
    Supercomputer
    A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...

    )

  • Gordon Moore
    Gordon Moore
    Gordon Earle Moore is the co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Intel Corporation and the author of Moore's Law .-Life and career:...

     (Historical creator of Moore's law
    Moore's Law
    Moore's law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware: the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years....

    , predicting rhythm of progression in electronics and thus computing)

  • Roland Moreno (inventor of the Smart card
    Smart card
    A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...

    )

  • Robert Kahn
    Robert Kahn
    Robert Kahn may refer to:* Robert Kahn , composer and music teacher* Bob Kahn , Internet pioneer* Robert Kahn, more famous as Bob Kane, the creator of the comic book superhero Batman...

     and Sir Tim Berners-Lee (creators of Internet Protocol
    Internet Protocol
    The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...

     and World Wide Web
    World Wide Web
    The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...

    ).

Past Exhibits

  • "24 Hours in Cyberspace
    24 Hours in Cyberspace
    24 Hours in Cyberspace was "the largest one-day online event" up to that date, headed by photographer Rick Smolan. "The project brought together the world's top photographers, editors, programmers, and interactive designers to create a digital time capsule of online life."-Overview:24 Hours in...

    " - unveiled on January 23, 1997, this exhibit celebrated "the largest one-day online event" (February 8, 1996) up to that date, which originally took place on the then-active website, cyber24.com (and is still online at a mirror website
    Mirror (computing)
    In computing, a mirror is an exact copy of a data set. On the Internet, a mirror site is an exact copy of another Internet site.Mirror sites are most commonly used to provide multiple sources of the same information, and are of particular value as a way of providing reliable access to large downloads...

     maintained by Georgia Tech). 24 Hours in Cyberspace was headed by photographer Rick Smolan
    Rick Smolan
    Rick Smolan is an American photographer. He is CEO of Against All Odds Productions.-Background:Smolan is a 1972 graduate of Dickinson College. He has worked for TIME, LIFE and National Geographic...

    . The exhibit featured 70 photos from the project.
  • "Treasures of American History", the National Museum of American History's temporary display at the National Air and Space Museum
    National Air and Space Museum
    The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...

    , closed in April 2008.
  • "A Nation of Nations" was the Smithsonian's Bicentennial salute to the American immigrant experience that included many ionic rooms and examples of the immigrant’s contribution to America.

External links

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