National Museum of American History

09/02/2026

Who’s excited for football to be back? 🙋

To celebrate the start of the 2026/27 NFL Season next week, here's a portrait of football legend Joe Namath. The former Alabama star quarterback launched his professional football career in 1965 by sparking a bidding war between teams in the upstart American Football League and the National Football League. When the AFL's struggling New York Jets won Namath with a three-year, $427,000 contract, many questioned whether any player was worth that much. By mid-season, however, the brash young man with the "bazooka arm" and the lightning-quick release was the Jets' starting quarterback.

His greatest success came in 1969 when, after declaring he could "guarantee" victory, Namath led the underdog New York Jets to a stunning Super Bowl upset of the NFL's Baltimore Colts. By combining gridiron dazzle with plenty of off-the-field flash, "Broadway Joe" became pro football's first mega-celebrity quarterback. 🏈

📸: Joe Namath by Ben Ross, 1965. Gelatin silver print. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Ben Ross.
🖼️: National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

09/01/2026

This month, in addition to our 250th anniversary programming, the museum will commemorate the 25th anniversary of September 11 through special programs, including objects out of storage, film screenings, and a concert by Kronos Quartet. Alongside free daily activities, concerts, and our newest exhibition, “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness,” we invite you to join us this September.

Looking for more information? Visit our Events page:
➡️ https://s.si.edu/4ucnpzs

Ongoing support of the Museum's commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary is made possible by the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation, Lilly Endowment Inc., Americana Corner, Julie and Greg Flynn, Enrique and Alejandra Segura, Tom and Karen Rutledge, and the Honorable Barbara H. Franklin, with additional support from many other generous donors. This project received funding from Smithsonian "Our Shared Future: 250."

08/28/2026

On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators to the nation’s capital to peacefully protest racial discrimination and show support for civil rights legislation pending in Congress. The march helped mark the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation and reminded Americans of the nation’s long pursuit to fulfill its founding principles of liberty and equality for all.

Traveling from every state, 250,000 people made their way onto the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial to carry signs, sing civil rights anthems, and listen to speeches from leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. Washington, D.C. had never seen a demonstration of this magnitude, and the crowd on the National Mall was as powerful a statement as any delivered on the podium.

The legacy of that day endured and increased popular support for the civil rights movement. At the conclusion of the day's events, President Kennedy invited the march leaders to come to the White House, and in the months and years that followed, the march helped sustain and strengthen the work of those who continued to commit themselves to the ongoing struggle for social justice.

Learn more about the March on Washington and the National Museum of American History’s collection here: https://s.si.edu/45XgGj8

08/28/2026

Today we remember the life of Emmett Till.

In the summer of 1955, Till, just 14 years old, took a train from Chicago to Money, Mississippi, to visit relatives. Within days of his arrival, Till was brutally lynched in an act of racial violence.

The murder of the young boy from the Midwest sparked outrage across the nation and galvanized the Civil Rights Movement.

One hundred days after Till’s murder, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery city bus and was arrested for violating Alabama's bus segregation laws. Reverend Jesse Jackson told Vanity Fair (1988) that “Rosa said she thought about going to the back of the bus. But then she thought about Emmett Till, and she couldn’t do it.”

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture reflects on the movement inspired by Till’s tragic murder in this blog: https://s.si.edu/4gtITCT

As part of our “Reckoning with Remembrance: History, Injustice and the Murder of Emmett Till” exhibition, our curators interviewed Rev. Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s cousin and an eyewitness to the events that led to his tragic death. Although the physical exhibition is no longer open, the online exhibition can be found here: https://s.si.edu/4gDuG6x

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day! 🐶 Today we are sharing the story of Bud, who ventured on the first cross-country road trip in America in 1903, while capturing the hearts of many.

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

The event video for “Roots to Pop: Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell on the Craft of Country Music” is now available!

In the fifth installment of the Roots to Pop series, legendary singer-songwriters Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell join curator Krystal Klingenberg for a wide-ranging conversation about the craft, history, and evolution of Country music—and its deep connections to Folk and Americana.

Their musical collaboration stretches back decades, beginning when Crowell joined Harris’s Hot Band in the 1970s and continuing through their acclaimed work together. The conversation and performance arrive during the 50th anniversary year of Harris’s landmark album Luxury Liner, offering a timely reflection on the songs, influences, and creative partnerships that have shaped their extraordinary careers.

Check out the full video here: https://s.si.edu/4qyMbtp

The Roots to Pop series is made possible in collaboration with Americana Music Association Foundation.

08/21/2026

Visiting Washington, D.C. for the Grand Prix this weekend? Join us to explore the museum’s collection of lowriding culture as part of the exhibition “Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture.” Telling the 80-year history of lowriding, learn how it combines artistic expression, technological innovations, and storytelling that reflects Mexican American and Chicano culture and identity.

The exhibition includes two classic Chevy Impalas, 1963 “El Rey” and 1964 “Gypsy Rose,” as well as the Smithsonian’s collection of newly acquired photos and posters from Latina/o photographers.

Plan your visit: https://americanhistory.si.edu/visit

📸: 1964 Chevy Impala “Gypsy Rose” on loan from the Gypsy Rose Lowrider, LLC
📸: 1963 Chevy Impala “El Rey” on loan from Albert De Alba

Corazón y vida: Lowriding Culture is made possible by Marcia and Frank Carlucci, Pendleton Woolen Mills and Lowrider Magazine Events. The exhibition and acquisitions received federal support from the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, National Museum of the American Latino. This project received federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

08/21/2026

The Founding Fathers heralded freedom from Great Britain with more than just the Declaration of Independence. Pamphlets, speeches, and even paper money proclaimed an independent nation.

This 1/2 dollar note, which features designs by Benjamin Franklin, was printed in Philadelphia in 1776. The Second Continental Congress passed a resolution on February 17, 1776, that allowed for the printing of notes that were used for financial transactions during the Revolutionary War. In their use and in their design, these notes signaled the growing desire for independence from Great Britain. On the reverse of the note, an image of thirteen interlocking rings with the message “WE ARE ONE” in the middle, with the names of each of the colonies printed on the rings and the words “AMERICAN CONGRESS” reflects the growing political unity of the period.

This 1776 note, on display in “The Value of Money,” is featured in the museum-wide “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness,” which celebrates 250 years of American history.

Ongoing support of the Museum’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary is made possible by the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation, Lilly Endowment Inc., Americana Corner, Julie and Greg Flynn, Enrique and Alejandra Segura, Tom and Karen Rutledge, and the Honorable Barbara H. Franklin, with additional support from many other generous donors. This project received funding from Smithsonian "Our Shared Future: 250."