National Museum of American History

01/10/2024

Ray Bolger, born on this day in 1904, wore this iconic hat as part of the Scarecrow ensemble in the 1939 “Wizard of Oz” film.

The costume was designed by Gilbert Adrian, MGM’s chief costume designer and was made to fit loosely enough so that Bolger could perform his comedic dance number, "If I Only Had a Brain."

In a 2016 blog, Entertainment Curator Ryan Lintelman noted that for the costume, Adrian “drew inspiration from old-fashioned scarecrows—loose, rag-like cloth, old work gloves, and straw sticking out at silly angles.” Lintelman added, “Of course the costume is only part of any great performance—Bolger was perfect in the role because of his talent as an entertainer!”

01/08/2024

Elvis Presley, born on this day in 1935, is one of the best-known and most influential figures in popular music. Throughout his career, Elvis incorporated pop, gospel, country, and blues elements into creating his trademark style and earning his mainstream success.

This recording is the first of many albums he made for RCA. The company took a major risk in releasing a full album from this new "rock and roll" artist, as teenagers were more likely to buy 45 rpm singles than a full LP. The Elvis Presley album included recording sessions Elvis did for RCA and five previously unissued songs recorded earlier with Sun Records. After the album's release in March 1956, Elvis Presley eventually went on to become the first rock & roll album to reach number one on national record sales charts, and RCA's first million-dollar-earning pop album.

01/05/2024

On January 5, 1949, President Harry S. Truman used his State of the Union address to lay out his “Fair Deal” plan.

Truman submitted 21 proposed measures as part of the plan, to include housing and labor programs, civil rights legislation, and a proposal for a national health care system, to name a few.

However, this wasn’t the first time Truman (or his predecessors) were talking about reforms in this manner. In 1945, early in his administration, Truman began to promote “fair dealing” domestically for farmers, labor, and businesses. Framing the reforms as part of a “deal” reminded voters of earlier presidential visions—the Square Deal (Theodore Roosevelt) and the New Deal (Franklin D. Roosevelt).

Even though Truman’s policy programs wouldn’t officially become known as the “Fair Deal” until after the election, the phrase became part of his 1948 campaign, as seen in this button.

While many of Truman’s “Fair Deals” did not get through Congress, three that passed were the Housing Act of 1949, the establishment of the National Science Foundation, and the Social Security Act Amendments of 1950.

01/03/2024

Today in 1793: Abolitionist and reformer Lucretia Mott was born. She had a particular way of celebrating birthdays.

Discover the story:

Mott's passion for the causes she cared about touched every aspect of her life.

12/31/2023

And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Our *most* popular blog of the year was… Betty White’s Shoulder Bag from WWII!

Written by Frank Blazich, a curator in the Division of Political and Military History, the blog provides insight into White’s experience during WWII through the pins and insignia that adorned the outside of the bag, along with the mementos tucked within.

This story is one you’ll want to read!

On December 31, 2021, the beloved actress Betty Marion White Ludden (1922–2021) passed away at 99 years old, weeks shy of her hundredth birthday. Countless tributes and condolences from around the country poured in, honoring her and remembering her vast legacy. Even the U.S. Army tweeted about her...

12/30/2023

In continuing our countdown of the most popular blogs of the year, the second most popular offered an insight into the history behind Julian “Cannonball” Adderley’s saxophone.

Authored by curator Dr. Theodore S. Gonzalves, the blog provides a behind-the-scenes peek into finding the sax, uncovering its history, and bringing it into the collection.

If you missed this blog earlier in the year, now is the perfect opportunity to check it out!

The artist behind that solo was Julian “Cannonball” Adderley (1928-1975), one of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century.

12/29/2023

As we approach the new year, we’re reflecting on just one of our digital offerings – the blog!

In 2023, a diverse group of authors created 21 new blog posts covering an array of topics including Lincoln’s tie, immigration, holidays, the Entertainment Nation exhibit, and more!

Starting today and through Sunday, we’ll be highlighting the three most popular blogs of the year, beginning with this one!

Last January, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden donated her inaugural ensemble to the museum, a tradition started in 1912 with First Lady Helen Taft. The ensemble went on immediate display alongside more than two dozen gowns also on display from the Smithsonian’s First Ladies Collection.

Lisa Kathleen Graddy, a curator in the museum's Division of Political and Military History, authored this blog about the donation. Follow the link in our bio to check it out!

Today first lady Jill Biden came to our museum to present her inaugural ensembles to the national collection and see them placed on exhibition. The addition of these dresses to the national collection is part of an ongoing tradition—one that millions of people experience every year in our exhibiti...

12/25/2023

Merry Christmas!

When it comes to holiday traditions, the classic exchange of greeting cards is a popular way to spread holiday joy & cheer.

These Christmas cards were created by Les Leverett, a well-known photographer who spent over 30 years documenting country music at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

These creative, fun cards provide a visual journey documenting the growth of the Leverett family, including the addition of a daughter, while capturing the essence of the season.

The cards were donated to the museum by Leverett and are now part of our Photographic History Collection.

What kind of holiday traditions does your family have? Let us know in the comments!

📷: Leverett family Christmas cards from 1951, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1963, and 1965.

12/22/2023

From Fourth of July fireworks to Halloween jack-o-lanterns, special lights are an essential part of the holidays. On the blog, our curator illuminates how candlelight connects winter holiday traditions.

Have you ever noticed that lighting is often central when celebrating a special event?

12/20/2023

In the Dec. 22, 1958, edition of “LIFE” magazine, Richard Avedon produced five costumed and staged photographs of Marilyn Monroe recreating “Fabled Enchantresses.” The portraits featured Monroe as earlier s*x symbols, paying homage to iconic entertainers Lillian Russell, Theda Bara, Clara Bow, Marlene Dietrich, and Jean Harlow.

Following the photo spread, Richard Avedon’s relaxed portrait of Monroe with then-husband Arthur Miller accompanied Miller’s self-penned feature “My Wife Marilyn.”

Miller wrote “For in anything she does she is ‘herself,’ whether playing with the dog, redoing the cleaning woman’s hair, emerging from the ocean after a swim, or bursting into the house full of news. Her beauty shines because her spirit is forever showing itself.”

This portrait is now on display in “(re) Framing Conversations: Photographs by Richard Avedon, 1946–1965.” It is featured alongside other Avedon photographs of women also projecting their sense of self. The exhibit is on display through November 2024.
Photography by Richard Avedon.

The exhibition was made possible by generous support from Judy and Leonard Lauder, with additional funding from Marcia and Frank Carlucci and the William Talbott Hillman Foundation.

12/15/2023

This weekend is the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, American colonists donned crude Native American disguises, boarded ships, and tossed hundreds of chests packed with tea into Boston Harbor.

David Kennison helped transform this colonial protest—one of many in the 1770s— into a foundational moment of the American Revolution. In the 1840s, Kennison told visitors to Mr. Mooney’s “Chicago Museum” that he was the last living participant of the Boston Tea Party, regaling them with stories about the nation's war for independence.

But was Kennison *really* a century-old revolutionary? On the blog, our curator digs into Kennison's personal history, as well as the larger story of how the Boston Tea Party became such a prominent part of our nation's founding story.

If you had visited Mr. Mooney’s “Chicago Museum” in 1848, you would have encountered an elderly man named David Kennison. Kennison wasn’t a member of staff; he was the star attraction. Claiming to be 112 years old, he regaled visitors with stories of his long life and solicited donations to ...

12/15/2023

“With a golden ticket, it’s a golden day!”

This Golden Ticket was featured in the 2005 film, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” directed by Tim Burton. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl, the story follows a little boy, Charlie Bucket, who wins the coveted golden ticket. It not only grants admission to W***y Wonka's chocolate factory, but a lifetime supply of chocolate. Along with his formerly bedridden Grandpa Joe, Charlie seizes his opportunity to explore the most secretive chocolate factory in the world. Things go awry when not everything in Wonka’s factory of “pure imagination” is what it seems.

Our golden ticket is in our National Museum of American History. Gift from Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

12/14/2023

Whatever happens this holiday season, we're hoping to meet it with a sense of humor. Our inspiration: the artist Beatrice Wood. Wood titled this print "The Joy of Living"—a nod to the everyday hardships that come with life.

Follow the link to learn more about Wood's artistic career, as well as the careers of other women printmakers whose work is preserved in our Graphics Arts Collection.

https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/kistler-collection

12/11/2023

Yes, before you comment, you are THAT old. And you should probably go feed your Tamagotchi.

The Tamagotchi was the most sought-after holiday gift in 1997 and was known for being very needy. These digital pets needed to be fed and cared for, just like the real thing. Unlike a real pet, you could take your Tamagotchi anywhere on its keychain. Like a real pet, you had to clean up after it. Ours is in the collection of our National Museum of American History.

Did you have a Tamagotchi or other digital pets?

12/08/2023

Tomorrow, the Army Black Knights of West Point and the Navy Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy will meet again on the gridiron.

This longstanding football rivalry between the teams embodies the interservice rivalry among military branches in the U.S.

Throughout the year, and with a notable increase in intensity as game day approaches, the two academies develop jingles, slogans, and songs designed to taunt each other. While there’s mutual respect for their impending entry into active duty, game day is an opportunity to display pride in their service in an over-the-top fashion.

Since the first game in 1890 (in which the midshipmen won 24-0), the two teams have met each year with few exceptions. The Navy leads the series with 61 wins, 54 losses, and 7 ties. Currently, the Army has a one-game winning streak.

Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach wore this jersey during his final college football game, the 1964 Army-Navy game. After graduation, Staubach did a year-long tour in Vietnam before returning to the U.S. to complete his service requirement. He went on to play professional football for the Dallas Cowboys in 1969.

You can learn more about this matchup on our blog, where curator Jane Rogers reflects on the memories of watching the game while growing up in a family with a strong military tradition: https://s.si.edu/3GAKfug

While the museum supports all branches of the military equally, this social media manager would like to say

12/08/2023

Tens of thousands of people have visited “Entertainment Nation” since the exhibition opened last December. For the blog, our volunteer interviewed our visitors, asking them to talk about their favorite objects from the history of sports, television, theater, music, and films.

Spoiler: people ❤️ The Muppets.

Have *you* visited “Entertainment Nation” yet?

Check out the blog here: https://s.si.edu/3Nk8vnU

12/07/2023

On December 7, 1941, a "date which will live in infamy," Japanese warplanes attacked the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor.

Serving aboard USS West Virginia (BB 48), Mess Attendant Doris “Dorie” Miller was collecting laundry when the attack began. With his battle station damaged by a torpedo, Miller headed to help elsewhere. He first helped to carry injured shipmates to safety, and later operated a machine gun until it ran out of ammunition. For his actions that day, Miller was presented with the Navy Cross. This coin, part of our National Numismatic Collection, commemorates Miller and his actions that day.

Miller’s Navy Cross citation reads: “For distinguished devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. While at the side of his Captain on the bridge, Miller, despite enemy strafing and bombing and in the face of a serious fire, assisted in moving his Captain, who had been mortally wounded, to a place of greater safety, and later manned and operated a machine gun directed at enemy Japanese attacking aircraft until ordered to leave the bridge."

On January 20, 2020, the U.S. Navy announced the service would name an aircraft carrier after him, USS Doris Miller (CVN 81), which will be the first aircraft carrier named for an enlisted Sailor and the first named for an African American.

📷: Bust of Dorie Miller with text “Dorie Miller, 1919-1943”
📷: Engraving of Navy Cross with text “Awarded the Navy Cross for Heroism at Pearl Harbor, May 27, 1942

12/06/2023

Today, we join in remembering screenwriter and producer Norman Lear, who changed the face of American television.

Recognizing the power of the medium to provoke conversations about political issues, social change, and identity, he used his television programs to hold a mirror to American life. He got us thinking and talking about our prejudices, values, and most strongly held beliefs.

Lear created some of the most indelible characters in television history, such as Archie and Edith Bunker to George and Louise Jefferson and Maude Findlay. These authentic, flawed, and ultimately iconic characters were types never before seen on the small screen: Archie a prejudiced, cantankerous, blue-collar husband and father; the Jeffersons upwardly-mobile Black Manhattanites; and Maude a stridently progressive, nontraditional middle-aged woman. Running counter to the predominant television depictions of perfect suburban families and unbelievable domestic fantasies, these more diverse and realistic representations of American life resonated with viewers, and Lear’s success allowed him to push the boundaries of network censorship and norms with episodes that tackled big social issues including women’s liberation, the Vietnam War, racism, domestic violence, s*xuality, and abortion.

In his long and influential career shaping what Americans watched, Norman Lear asked us to think about ourselves, what we believe and hold dear, and what it means to be an American.

In this photo, Lear (center) joins the cast of “All in the Family” including Jean Stapleton (left, who played Edith Bunker), Sally Struthers (right of Lear, who played Gloria Stivic, daughter of Archie and Edith), and Rob Reiner (far right, who played Michael “Meathead” Stivic) as they view into the case where the Archie and Edith Bunker’s chairs were on display (one of the chairs is visible in the lower left corner).

12/05/2023

When Maggie Kuhn was forced to retire from the job she loved at age 65, her colleagues gave her a sewing machine as a parting gift. Outraged, she shut the sewing machine in a closet and, instead, stitched together the first-ever movement against ageism in the U.S. The Gray Panthers would galvanize gray haired citizenry and youth alike to challenge the way Americans think about aging.

NMAH curator and historian Katherine Ott joins additional guests in this episode from Sidedoor.

Hear about the U.S. movement against ageism started by Maggie Kuhn in the 1970s.

12/01/2023

Today we’re reflecting on the life and work of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

The first woman to serve on the Supreme Court after 101 men, O’Connor took her role as “the first” seriously. She opened the final branch of the federal government to women with her appointment in 1981, and she believed that her performance would facilitate the appointment of more women to the nation’s highest court. In her 25 years on the bench, O'Connor earned a reputation as a pragmatic centrist voice and powerful swing vote, deciding cases concerning reproductive rights, affirmative action, privacy rights, campaign finance, and the line between church and state.

When she graduated from Stanford Law in 1952, O’Connor couldn’t find a law firm in Arizona that would hire a woman attorney. Undeterred, she worked for free for the county attorney of San Mateo and eventually became a deputy county attorney. O’Connor’s talent didn’t go unnoticed for long. After serving as the assistant attorney general of Arizona, she became an Arizona state senator and the majority leader of the Arizona State Senate. In 1975 she won a seat on the Superior Court of Maricopa County and was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court of Appeals four years later. She made history in 1981 when she was unanimously approved by the Senate as the first woman Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. After her retirement in 2006, O’Connor became a "circuit rider" for SCOTUS, serving as a visiting judge and hearing cases in federal district courts and courts of appeals. In 2009 she founded iCivics, to provide civics education and encourage young people to be active participants in American democracy.

In 1981 the museum asked O’Connor to donate the robe she wore when she was sworn in. She wrote in Smithsonian Magazine about her fondness of the robe’s traditional symbolism. “It shows that all of us judges are engaged in upholding the Constitution and the role of the law,” she said. “We have a common responsibility.” Her robe also had a difference: it’s shorter than the other justice’s robes, hemmed to fall to the length of a skirt. Museum objects always tell a story.

📷: O'Connor's robe

11/30/2023

Today in 1835, author Mark Twain was born.

This issue of Classic Comics, published in 1945, contained an adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Evelyn Goodman wrote the novel’s adaptation and Louis Zansky designed the cover. The cover depicts Huck Finn and Jim escaping from a steamboat rafting down the Mississippi River.

Classic Comics was a series of comic book adaptations published from 1941 until 1971 designed to expose young people to classic literature.

11/30/2023

Diplomat Henry Kissinger has died at age 100. His counsel guided the divisive and often consequential decisions of several presidents throughout a decades-long career in foreign policy that will influence U.S. and global communities for generations to come.

Photographer Fred Maroon had worked in fashion, architecture, landscapes, and photojournalism before proposing a book on the presidency of Richard Nixon. After the publication of "Courage and Hesitation," Maroon was invited to photograph Nixon's reelection campaign and he kept snapping photos as the Watergate controversy unfolded. Recording history as it was made, Maroon captured this photo of Kissinger in conversation with Nixon, framed by a White House door in February 1971.

This photo is in the collection of our National Museum of American History. Copyright Fred J. Maroon.

11/28/2023

Today is Giving Tuesday, an opportunity to give back to the organizations you value most! Did you know that the National Museum of American History needs the support of curious, caring people like you to make our work possible?

Your gift today can help to ensure many more generations can learn about and enjoy the objects in our collection! Together, we can preserve our nation’s treasures and inspire lifelong learners everywhere.

Donate here: https://americanhistory.si.edu/support/donate

11/23/2023

It’s that time of year again!

Among the museum’s collection of Thanksgiving objects, the iconic 1960s CorningWare casserole dish is a favorite with our online community.

While this actual dish is in our museum, the popularity of this cookware remains strong. We bet some of you are using one to cook with today.

Each year that we’ve shared this object, many of you have left comments about how this object evokes special memories for you. We very much enjoy reading all of them, and eagerly await what you’ll share this year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

📷: CorningWare casserole dish, donated to the museum by Mrs. Anne L. Bernat, who received a set of CorningWare dishes as a wedding present in 1967. At the time of the donation in 2011, she was still using them.

11/22/2023

Starting today, “(re) Framing Conversations: Photographs by Richard Avedon, 1946–1965” is displaying new portraits in this acclaimed photography exhibition.

Located in the museum’s culture wing, one of the sections explores how the implementation of the Hays Code in Hollywood from 1934 to 1968, in part, guided the portrayal of married couples on-screen, and how women navigated different relationships with s*xuality.

In Avedon’s fashion photography, the portraiture often represented the public perception of beauty, glamor, and s*x appeal. In this set of photographs, the women Avedon photographed projected their sense of self.

In this portrait, Mae West touches the muscular arm of a younger and shirtless Mr. America 1954, Richard DuBois. West’s forthright attitude exudes a sense of empowerment and nods toward the ways she challenged some of the social conventions of her time.

As always, we’re open every day except Christmas Day, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Come take a look!

Photography by Richard Avedon.

The exhibition was made possible by generous support from Judy and Leonard Lauder, with additional funding from Marcia and Frank Carlucci and the William Talbott Hillman Foundation.

11/21/2023

This 1918 Thanksgiving menu from USS Georgia (BB-15) serves up a unique blend of the familiar and unexpected.

In 1918, bananas were still considered to be an exotic fruit in the United States, and ci**rs, a luxury item typically reserved for officers, were served to the entire crew. The inclusion of these items on the Thanksgiving menu serves to illustrate the special nature of the meal.

Interestingly, just 12 days after the Thanksgiving meal, USS Georgia and the crew began a series of voyages from Virginia to France, aiding in the effort to bring American troops home. Between December 1918 and June 1919, the ship played a vital role in reuniting nearly 6,000 soldiers with their families back in the U.S.

Take a look at how more Thanksgiving meals were celebrated on military bases and aboard Navy ships in our blog: https://s.si.edu/4a0q7PN

11/19/2023

We’re reflecting on the life and work of First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

Having been Jimmy Carter’s partner in marriage, business, philanthropy, and politics for thirty years, Rosalynn Carter intended to continue their partnership when they entered the White House. The new president called his wife his “best friend and chief advisor.”

The Carters’s White House partnership included weekly working lunches and Rosalynn attending cabinet meetings. The first lady’s office included Projects and Community Liaison staff working on social policy issues. She served as the honorary but active chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health, making passage and implementation of its recommendations her highest priority. Mrs. Carter traveled as the president’s representative for talks with Latin American leaders, provided support during the 1978 Camp David peace talks, and actively campaigned in the 1980 election. Her activity reignited the debate about the political involvement of first ladies.

After leaving the White House, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter founded the Carter Center in Atlanta. The center's activities include worldwide health and agricultural projects and programs to promote peace, cultivate democracy, and protect human rights. Through the Carter Center, Rosalynn Carter continued her work as an advocate for mental health awareness. In 1984 she became a member of the board of advisers, and frequent builder, for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing. Their commitment to the well-being of all Americans made the Carters the respected “elder states couple” of national politics.

Rosalynn Carter’s decision to wear the same dress she wore to Jimmy’s 1971 Georgia governor’s inaugural ball to the 1977 presidential inaugural “parties” generated public discussion about the first lady’s responsibility to promote the American fashion industry and how formal the White House should be. When she donated her gown to the museum in 1978, Mrs. Carter asked that the presentation (pictured here) take place on the museum’s terrace for the public. The dress is currently on exhibit indoors in The First Ladies.

11/15/2023

In celebration of , check out these interesting copies of “Clifford The Big Red Dog,” part of our collection.

First published in 1963, Clifford became an international favorite for young readers when Scholastic began publishing these stories in 13 languages and marketing to over 30 countries. The museum has several copies of the book, including a copy that was published in 1963, bilingual copies, an experimental phonetically spelled version, and more. As one of the most popular books for children who are learning to read, Clifford is an internationally beloved character among preschoolers and parents!



Learn more about Clifford at the Smithsonian: https://s.si.edu/46d29xn

📷: "Clifford the Big Red Dog," published by Scholastic, Inc., in 1963
📷: "Clifford the Big Red Dog Board Book,” Arabic and English
📷: “Las buenas acciones de Clifford”
📷: “Clifford at the Circus,” Greek
📷: “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” phonic version

11/14/2023

This stoneware jar was made in 1862 by David Drake, an enslaved Black potter working on Lewis Miles’ plantation pottery in the Edgefield District of South Carolina. In a state that outlawed literacy among people who were enslaved, Dave defiantly proclaimed his ability to read and write by signing his name and sometimes inscribing poetry on the stoneware vessels he made.

Learn more about the jar and David Drake here: https://s.si.edu/3FZZVqI

This is one of 25 Smithsonian objects now available to explore in 3D, revealing stories to help us learn more about the complicated history and legacy of race and racism. Explore more: https://oursharedfuture.si.edu/3d-digital-collections Thanks to Verizon for support of this project.