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The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. One of our most iconic objects? Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from "The Wizard of Oz."
Maggie Lena Walker was one of the most important African American businesswomen in the nation. Do you know her story? #BecauseOfHerStory
Maggie Lena Walker was one of the most important Black businesswomen in the nation, and today too few people have heard of her.
On this day in 1983, the M*A*S*H finale aired. It remains the most watched scripted television episode of all time.
The M*A*S*H finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” remains the most watched scripted television episode of all time.
Nannie Helen Burroughs devoted her career to preparing African American women for leadership in both professional and public life. Burroughs argued suffrage would help black women secure the "respect and protection" they were often denied.
Here she is pictured with other members of the Women's Convention (WC) Auxiliary to the National Baptist Convention. You can learn more about Burroughs story as well as many other women who fought for women's rights in Creating Icons: How We Remember Woman Suffrage,
a new exhibit opening March 6: https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/creating-icons
Every election season revolves around a set of issues—health care, foreign affairs, the economy. In 1868, at the height of Reconstruction, the pressing issue was African Americans' voting rights.
Every election season in the United States revolves around a set of issues—health care, foreign affairs, the economy. In 1868, at the height of the Reconstruction, the pressing issue was black male suffrage.
In the mid-1900s, it was common practice for Northern schools to keep their African American players on the bench when they played in the South.
In October 1940, 2,000 students took to the streets to demand that their classmate Leonard Bates play in an upcoming football game. Despite the signatures of 4,000 students and the presence of 2,000 students in a picket line, NYU leadership would not let Bates play.
N.Y.U. lost to Missouri, 33-0.
When Margaret Knight submitted this model to apply for a patent, a machine to make flat bottomed paper bags, she discovered a man had seen her design and patented it in his name. She sued … and won. The machine is one of her many patents.
Knight’s patent model (as well as hundreds of other models in the collection) have been designated Open Access. That means you can download, transform, and share them for any purpose, for free. Knight invented the paper bag machine, what will you imagine?
Learn more: si.edu/OpenAccess
Our curators have been travelling the country to collect from the election.
The objects they collect will join the centuries of campaign history documented in our collection. Explore the collection here: https://s.si.edu/32oQoVt
With the Democratic primary in full-swing, Smithsonian curators are hard at work collecting memorabilia for the National Museum of American History.
Smithsonian
The Smithsonian's treasures belong to you. Now you can download, transform and share the Smithsonian’s Open Access content for any purpose, for free, without further permission from the Smithsonian.
We can't wait to see how you get creative with about 2.8 million Smithsonian collection images, 3D models, data and research.
Tune in to our #SmithsonianOpenAccess event tonight at 7:15 p.m. ET at si.edu/OpenAccess.
Tenor saxophonist Lester Young was known for his unique voice, his gentle style of playing, and his signature porkpie hat. That hat, as well as his three surviving instruments, are joining the collection.
“A touchstone figure in jazz history, these artifacts will provide us with new opportunities to engage our visitors in multiple stories about Young’s career, personal life and cultural impact,” explains curator Theodore S. Gonzalves.
Lester Young Jr. donated the objects tonight at a concert where the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra played his father’s music. Find out more about the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, including how to get a FREE copy of this year’s Jazz Appreciation Month poster here: https://s.si.edu/JAMPoster
Support of jazz programming is made possible by the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, The Argus Fund, the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, David C. Frederick and Sophia Lynn, Goldman Sachs and the John Hammond Performance Series Endowment Fund.
Today in 1895, the abolitionist leader and civil rights champion Frederick Douglass dies. Just over a year before, Douglass delivered his "The Lessons of the Hour" before the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in Washington, D.C. Pamphlets like this one shared his words with the wider world.
In the wide-ranging speech, Douglass described the many challenges African Americans faced as the 1800s came to an end—among them institutionalized racism, political repression, economic exploitation, and lynchings—and he assailed commentators who framed these issues as a "Negro problem," rather than a problem for the whole nation.
Douglass also singled out the issue of voting rights, telling listeners that he could not agree with those who thought the United States should enact new, educational qualifications for voting. Instead of making the vote more "exclusive," Douglass argued, the nation should focus on making it "more inclusive. I would not have it embrace merely the elite, but would include the lowly. I would not only include the men, I would gladly include the women, and make our government in reality as in name a government of the people and of the whole people."
You could only bring what you could carry.
When the Watanabe family was forced to relocate to incarceration camps during World War II, they brought this suitcase with them to the Minidoka camp in Idaho. It bears their last name and their identification number: 17703.
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, under which nearly 75,000 American citizens of Japanese ancestry were taken into custody. Another 45,000 Japanese nationals living in the United States were also incarcerated.
Learn more: http://s.si.edu/RightingAWrong
Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and WWII was generously supported by the Terasaki Family Foundation, with additional assistance from the Japanese American Citizens League and AARP.
Educator, journalist, and activist, Mary Church Terrell fought for civil rights and women’s rights.
Fighting for women's suffrage, Terrell protested alongside the "Silent Sentinels" who picketed the White House. Terrell pressed white suffragists to support African American women's right to vote, and she continued the fight to secure black women’s access to the ballot after the ratification of the 19th Amendment. #BecauseOfHerStory
Tomorrow, American History TV will interview our director, Anthea Hartig, about women's suffrage live from the museum. More information: https://s.si.edu/38GJzAX
Who doesn't love the story of a power couple on Valentine's Day?
Lizzie and David Bustill Bowser used their artistic and entrepreneurial skills to make a difference.
In a society opposed to their full inclusion in American life, two African American artists were among Philadelphia's leading philanthropists in the 1800s.
Today we're reflecting on the legacy of Frederick Douglass. Like many of the men and women born into slavery in the United States, Douglass did not know the exact date of his birth; he adopted February 14 as his birthday later in life.
As an abolitionist leader and civil rights champion, one of the focuses of Douglass's public career was ensuring that all Americans enjoyed the full benefits of citizenship. In 1882, he wrote to William F. Gable: "In a composite nation like ours, as before the Law, there should be no rich no poor, no high, no low, no white, no black, but common country, common citizenship, equal rights, and a common destiny."
Douglass's letter is on view in the exhibition, "American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith": s.si.edu/vision-citizenship.
A Valentine's Day mystery!
When one of our curators came across this photograph of Mr. and Mrs. U.S. Ricks in the Scurlock Studio Collection, she wanted to learn more about their love story.
A chance encounter helped her do just that: https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2009/06/a-curators-favorite-from-the-scurlock-studio-collection.html
Scroll no further: This is the Galentine's Day content you're looking for. This article is full of Galentines making a difference together.
Madam C.J. Walker worked with Marjorie Stewart Joyner to make waves in business. Joyner and Mary McLeod Bethune then joined forces to promote the political causes they believed in.
Minnijean Brown Trickey was one of nine African American students who desegregated the Little Rock, Arkansas, high school in 1957—the "Little Rock Nine." At the age of 15, Trickey learned firsthand how hard it can be to stand at frontlines of social change.
After joining Little Rock's high school, Trickey and her fellow African American students were continually singled out and harassed. Trickey fought back. In 1958, she was expelled from the school for calling a student who verbally and physically assaulted her “white trash.” Trickey's parents appealed her expulsion in this letter to the Little Rock school board.
Starting today, you can help the Smithsonian Transcription Center dig deeper into Trickey's story—and the stories of other girls—by transcribing collections from across the Smithsonian connected to the history of girlhood: https://s.si.edu/transcribe-girlhood
During World War II, African Americans fought for both victory against enemies abroad and against discrimination at home—a “Double V.” The “Double V” campaign swept the country, where African Americans faced separate and unequal treatment and facilities, including in the Army itself.
Known as "The Double V Song," this 1942 number by Andy Razaf and J.C. Johnson praised the service and patriotism of African American soldiers with witty lyrics like “His color doesn’t run.”
Learn more: https://americanhistory.si.edu/many-voices-exhibition/military
These striped "pajamas" were worn by U.S. Navy Commander Allan "Al" Carpenter while he was held as a prisoner of war for more than six years in North Vietnam. Today, they help us tell the story of the hundreds of Americans who were captured and held as POWs during the Vietnam War.
We're honored to be stewards of this object from Commander Carpenter's experience as a prisoner of war. Visitors can see them on display in our exhibition, "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War." Our military history curator, Frank Blazich, contributed to this segment on the TODAY show.
Kicking off a new series of reports on the treasures in “America’s attic,” the Smithsonian, Harry Smith profiles retired U.S. Navy Commander Al Carpenter, for whom one particular exhibit holds powerful memories: the clothes he wore during his more than six years of captivity in Vietnam.
This Bible Quilt was the creation of Harriet Powers, a resident of Clarke County, Georgia. In 1886, Powers exhibited the quilt at the Athens Cotton Fair. There, it captured the imagination of the artist Jennie Smith, a young artist, who later wrote: "I have spent my whole life in the South, and am perfectly familiar with thirty patterns of quilts, but I had never seen an original design, and never a living creature portrayed in patchwork, until the year 1886. . .The scenes on the quilt were biblical and I was fascinated." Powers initially rebuffed Smith's offer to buy the quilt, but a later financial hardship forced her to reconsider. She agreed to sell the quilt, but only after carefully describing each of its eleven panels.
Harriet Powers was born enslaved near Athens, Georgia on October 29, 1837. At a young age, she married Armstead Powers. Together, they had at least nine children. Learn more about Powers and her quilt here: s.si.edu/powers-quilt
This Medal of Honor was awarded to Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood, 4th U.S. Colored Troops, for heroism on the field of battle at Chaffin’s Farm on September 29, 1864. Fleetwood carried the unit's colors after two color bearers had been shot down. He was 23 years old.
In the wake of the Emancipation Proclamation, the U.S. military formed the United States Colored Troops. By the end of the war, more than 186,000 African Americans joined the U.S. armed forces. Of these, an estimated 93,542 black soldiers were formerly enslaved and understood firsthand the nation’s fight for freedom.
Even as black soldiers fought and died, their citizenship status remained uncertain. Racist policies limited opportunities for black soldiers to become line officers and paid them lower wages than their white counterparts.
Five years after the end of the Civil War, the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified. It prohibits federal and state governments from placing restrictions on voting based on race. However, many state governments throughout the South had adopted new laws and regulations that did not directly reference race but still barred African American men from the ballot box. Literacy tests, poll taxes, elaborate registration systems, intimidation, and violence—including violent assaults and lynchings—were all used to silence African American voters and exclude them from the polls. More about the Fifteenth Amendment: https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/right-to-vote
Elizabeth Keckley used needle and thread to make a difference. Discover her story. http://s.si.edu/Keckley #BecauseOfHerStory
This month, we've been exploring how American women made their place in the marketplace by participating in business and consumption. Recently, we shared the story of Brownie Wise, the woman who spearheaded Tupperware's now famous home-sales model. Wise's work gave generations of Americans (many of....
150 years ago today, Iowa approves the 15th Amendment, becoming the 28th and final state needed for the amendment's ratification.
This year, we're exploring voting rights—from the 15th Amendment to the 19th amendment and beyond. Our first question: does an amendment give you the right to vote?
In 2020, the Fifteenth Amendment—the first voting rights amendment added to the U.S. Constitution—celebrates its 150th anniversary. You’ve likely heard, perhaps on the news or in the classroom, that the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave or granted African American men the right...
Sixty years ago on this day, Jibreel Khazan, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, and David Richmond sat down at a lunchcounter in Greensboro, North Carolina—an act that helped ignite a youth-led movement to challenge racial inequality.
Civil Rights activists Joseph McNeil, Diane Nash, and John Lewis reflect on the history and legacy of the lunch counter from the F. W. Woolworth department s...
Jibreel Khazan remembered his collar feeling tighter around his neck and his temperature rise as he, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, and David Richmond approached the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
When the four African American college students sat down at this lunch counter on this day in 1960, they helped change America. Sixty years ago today, the Greensboro Four sat at this "whites only" lunch counter at the Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and politely asked for service. Their request was refused. When they were asked to leave, the students remained in their seats in protest.
For the six months that followed, hundreds of students, civil rights organizations, churches, and members of the community joined the protest and boycotted the store. The sit-in inspired others across the country.
Learn more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/lessons-worth-learning-moment-greensboro-four-sat-down-lunch-counter-180974087/
Curator Jon Grinspan explains, “Every impeachment is a microcosm of a larger cultural conflict.”
When President Johnson's impeachment trial began in 1868, it reflected national debates about Reconstruction and the future of the country after the Civil War. Learn more: https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/impeachment
Our political history curators, including Grinspan, are following the current impeachment trial and, as Peggy McGlone explains, will work "to compile a group of items that will help the museum chronicle this highly charged moment in a nonpartisan way.
Curators at the National Museum of American History are compiling objects to illustrate the latest chapter of the Trump presidency.
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How Americans have given (and thought about giving) has changed over time. On #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving, join us for a deep dive into philanthropy history. The Philanthropy Initiative is made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and David M. Rubenstein, with additional support by the Fidelity Charitable Trustees' Initiative, a grantmaking program of Fidelity Charitable. #AmericanGiving #philanthropy
"She was one of the first Latina pioneers on Broadway. She was a triple threat." John Leguizamo talks about Chita Rivera's role in American history and takes a look at her costume from "Kiss of the Spider Woman."
¡Azúcar! Join John Leguizamo behind the scenes in our collections room to take a closer look at Celia Cruz’s shoes. “Queen of Salsa” became known for her strong voice, personality and colorful costumes.
Before #HispanicHeritageMonth ends, we're going behind the scenes with John Leguizamo to take a closer look at some of the Latino history in our collections. First up: Cantinflas! Stay tuned for more!
Las Cafeteras goes behind the scenes in our collections room, exploring some musical history and sharing a song of their own.
What is hip-hop? What does it mean to you? DJ Ayes Cold shares her answer to that question at our America Now! event in June 2019. Sign up for our eNews to learn more about events like this: http://s.si.edu/Newsletter Find out about more events at the museum here: https://americanhistory.si.edu/events America Now! is a three-museum collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of American History, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and is made possible by the generous support of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation. The Washington Post is the media sponsor of America Now! This year’s America Now! is part of the Smithsonian-wide initiatives Solstice Saturday and the Year of Music 2019.
We are proud to present our signature honor, the Great Americans Medal, to musician, songwriter, philanthropist, and humanitarian Paul Simon. The Great Americans Medal honors individuals who have not only made a lasting impact in their fields, and whose philanthropic and humanitarian endeavors set them apart. Simon is the sixth recipient of the medal, and first musician. An accomplished musician and songwriter, Simon also supports youth and environmental organizations. The Great Americans Medal presentation is supported by David M. Rubenstein, chair of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents. The medal is made possible by Museum board member Jeff Garrett.
In honor of Labor Day, we're sharing the stories of labor leaders. Mary Harris Jones, "Mother Jones," fought for the rights of child laborers. #BecauseOfHerStory
What are you doing this weekend? The Smithsonian's Lemelson Center team is in London for the seventh Innoskate—exploring skate culture’s creative spirit and history of innovation. Here, Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham shows off his moves. Innoskate is made possible with the generous support of Autodesk, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy, London.
Welcome to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History—thanks for joining us for the National Youth Summit on Woman Suffrage: The Ballot and Beyond! From 1-2 p.m. EDT, May 21, you and thousands of students, teachers, and history fans will have the opportunity to examine the strategies used in the woman suffrage movement and explore how this history can inform our actions in the present and future. Smithsonian experts and our speakers—Dolores Huerta, Naomi Wadler, Page Harrington, and Caty Borum Chattoo—will be answering questions and leading our hour-long discussion. You can learn more about the 2019 summit program here: https://s.si.edu/nys The National Youth Summit brings middle and high school students together with scholars, teachers, policy experts, and activists in a national conversation about important events in America’s past that have relevance to the nation’s present and future. The National Youth Summit is made possible by a generous grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation. This project also received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.
Are the tactics used by suffragists still effective? Join us on May 21, 1-2pm EDT as we explore this and other questions at the National Youth Summit! The summit is a free, online program that puts middle and high school students in conversation with scholars, activists, and history makers. Learn more and register for the summit today: s.si.edu/nys The National Youth Summit is made possible by a generous grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation. This project also received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.
In the early to mid-1900s, increasingly severe polio outbreaks in the United States alarmed many. The March of Dimes, originally called the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which raised money for polio patients. For Amanda Moniz, the David M. Rubenstein Curator of Philanthropy, the March of Dimes can that will be on display in Giving in America has both personal and national significance. Polio was eliminated in America in 1979, but continued elsewhere. Since 1985, members of the service organization Rotary International have volunteered their time and raised money for public-private efforts to end polio abroad. You can learn more about medical philanthropy in our Giving in America exhibit: http://s.si.edu/GivingHealth You can learn more about polio in this online resource: http://s.si.edu/2lpsLu4
The National Museum of American History welcomes ALL visitors to the museum. More information about the accessibility resources we offer to make your visit as rich as possible can be found here: https://s.si.edu/Access Today, we’re excited to announce that we're offering a new resource for visitors who are blind or have low vision. The Smithsonian now offers free access to Aira, a service that connects visitors with trained agents who deliver objective visual information using their smartphone. Free Aira access is available at all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo.
The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra presents Jazz Beyond Borders, a ten-stop international tour celebrating the global influences and evolution of this national treasure. #SmithsonianMusic
“Through the remarkable collection of the National Museum of American History we do explore what it means to be American.” Go behind the scenes with Dr. Anthea M. Hartig, the new Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the National Museum of American History, and explore our objects and exhibits, and learn more about her passion for history and her vision for the museum: https://s.si.edu/HartigWelcome
Join us in welcoming Dr. Anthea M. Hartig, the Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. She starts today as the museum’s 10th director and the first woman to hold the position. Inspired by James Baldwin’s words, “American history is longer, larger, more varied, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever written about it,” Dr. Hartig has a great passion for history and an inclusive vision for the future.
Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" are back on display after 200 hours of conservation. What was Objects Conservator Dawn Wallace doing all that time? Well, it involved a tiny, tiny vacuum...
During World War I, the Crispus Attucks Circle raised money to help support wounded African American soldiers. However, the inspiration for their name dates back to the American Revolution.
Can young people change the world? They have in the past! Participate in your democracy, just like these young people in American history. Educators, use our discussion guide for grades 6-12: https://s.si.edu/youthparticipate
Do you enjoy your music or podcasts with a loud HISSSSSS? Nope! Meet the machine that helped cut down on hiss. See it and other audio tech in our "America's Listening" display in the new Ray Dolby Gateway to Culture, opening Friday, October 19.
Zero voicemails would be FINE with us. But in a world without recorded sound, we'd miss our podcasts 🎧, playlists 🎷, the play-by-play on sports radio ⚽, and the "ping!" of new text messages 📱. When people heard this device play recorded sound in the 1870s, they were ASTONISHED. It's Thomas Edison's Tinfoil Phonograph and it's the earliest machine for recording and playing back sound. See this an other audio objects in our "America's Listening" display, opening Friday, October 19 in the Ray Dolby Gateway to Culture.
Right now, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" are in this custom-made box in our Conservation Lab while we prepare their case, lighting, and new gallery on our third floor. The shoes return to display on Friday, October 19. We hope to see you there in your red shoes! Dawn Wallace, our good witch of object conservation, spent over 200 hours cleaning each sequin, securing threads, and stabilizing the shoes so they can be on display for generations to come. We're somewhere over the rainbow to be able to put them back on display.
Just in time for Labor Day, we're taking a look at labor leaders in American history. At age 20, Emma Tenayuca lead the 1938 Pecan Shellers' Strike in Texas.
Just in time for Labor Day, we're taking a look at labor leaders in American history. Labor leader and Civil Rights activist A. Philip Randolph founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925, created the National Negro Congress in 1936, served as vice president of the AFL-CIO in the 1950s, and organized the Negro American Labor Council in 1959. Learn More: https://s.si.edu/2wymEpG
These tiny school desks aren't for dolls. They're patent models. https://s.si.edu/olddesks 🍎
Four musicians spent the summer at the museum exploring American history through music. Four pieces of the past that intrigued them: https://s.si.edu/4objects
In this 1840s anti-slavery song, freedom is a chugging train crossing the nation and everyone who would stand in its way is told to "Get off the track!" Our Making American Music interns brought new energy to this song after spotting the sheet music on display in the museum. With artist-in-residence and mentor Grammy-award winning Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Dom Flemons keeping the beat, their version of the song honors the proud tradition of social protest and makes it resonate for current audiences. Why they found the song so powerful: https://s.si.edu/abolition_song Making American Music is supported by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation and the John Hammond Performance Series Endowment Fund.
When Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. visited the museum recently, he shared the different ways he gives back to his community. Join us, baseball history makers, and baseball historians for Giving and the Game, a conversation about the connections between baseball and philanthropy on Friday July 13. Part of our All-Star Baseball Film Festival, this special reception will knock it out of the park with great conversations, a delicious baseball themed menu, and the opportunity to see rarely viewed objects from our incredible baseball history collection! Get your tickets now: http://s.si.edu/AllStarFilmFest#givinggame The program is made possible by the Fidelity Charitable Trustees’ Initiative, a grantmaking program of Fidelity Charitable, through the museum’s Philanthropy Initiative. The Initiative is also made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and David M. Rubenstein. In addition, Giving and the Game is supported through a gift from Cordoba Corporation and a partnership with the Smithsonian Latino Center and La Vida Baseball.
What's on your Independence Day playlist? The tunes we're cranking: https://s.si.edu/anthems
Today in 2007: The Apple iPhone goes on sale. More mobile tech in our #BusinessHistory exhibition: http://s.si.edu/GoingMobile
How can you make your voice heard in a democracy? If anyone should know, it’s Mark Segal. As a publisher, journalist, and civil rights pioneer, Segal's career in LGTBQ activism stretches back almost 50 years. In June 1969, a teenage Segal traveled from his home in Philadelphia to New York City, and within weeks found himself in the middle of the Stonewall uprising—a historic series of confrontations between the city's gay community and police. Moved by that experience, Segal helped organize the first New York Pride March in 1970 and devoted his life to activism. As a protester, Segal understood the power of media. (He once leapt in front of Walter Cronkite on the CBS Evening News with a sign that said “Gays Protest CBS Prejudice”). During a ceremony last month, Segal donated a range variety of objects and records that will help the museum document LGTBQ history from Stonewall to today. More about Segal’s donation and career: s.si.edu/segal-donation
How can knowing philanthropy history help us work towards a more humane future? How has arts and culture impacted philanthropy—and how has philanthropy affected arts and culture? We gathered leaders in the field of philanthropy to explore those questions. Here's what they had to say: https://s.si.edu/2LgUgOg
As the curtain rises on "Hamilton: An American Musical" in Washington, D.C. we're telling Eliza Schuyler Hamilton's story. Learn more: s.si.edu/Hamilton
Why is baseball an important part of American history? If anyone should know, it’s Cal Ripken Jr. The Hall of Famer stopped by the museum we asked him this question. Ripken is the latest recipient of the Great Americans medal, in recognition of lifetime contributions that embody American ideals and ideas. He spent 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, and is known for redefining the position of shortstop and breaking Lou Gehrig’s record of longest consecutive games played. After retiring, Ripken created the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation to help children living in some of America’s most distressed communities. He has also served as commissioner for the White House Tee Ball Initiative to promote teamwork and volunteerism. In 2007, Ripken was named Special Public Diplomacy Envoy to the U.S. State Department and in 2015, he was named Special Adviser to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on youth programs and outreach. You can learn more about Ripken's career and the"Great Americans medal here: https://s.si.edu/ripken-award
Today in 1906: Pioneering computer scientist Grace Hopper is born.
Today in 1858: Theodore Roosevelt is born. Our neighbor, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has his... rodent. Yes, rodent.
78 years ago today: "The Wizard of Oz" is in movie theaters around the U.S. We were curious what it was like on set so we asked historian John Fricke.
The National Museum of American History collects and preserves more than 1.8 million artifacts—all true national treasures. We take care of everything from the original Star-Spangled Banner and Abraham Lincoln’s top hat to Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet and Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz (returning to display in 2018, stay tuned). Our collections form a fascinating mosaic of American life and comprise the greatest single collection of American history.
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research, and dynamic public outreach, we explore the infinite richness and complexity of American history. We help people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future.
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