National Museum of American History facts for kids
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Aerial view of the museum in 2010
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| Established | 1964 |
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| Location | 1300 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Type | History museum |
| Visitors | 2.1 million (2023) |
| Architect | McKim Mead & White |
| Public transit access |     at Federal Triangle |
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a special museum in Washington, D.C.. It collects, keeps safe, and shows off the history of the United States. You can learn about social life, politics, culture, science, and military events here. One very famous item on display is the original Star-Spangled Banner flag.
This museum is part of the famous Smithsonian Institution. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In 2023, about 2.1 million people visited the museum. This made it the sixth-most visited museum in the U.S..
Museum History and Changes
The museum first opened in 1964. Back then, it was called the Museum of History and Technology. It was one of the last buildings designed by the well-known architects McKim Mead & White. In 1980, the museum got a new name: the National Museum of American History. This new name better showed its goal. The museum wanted to collect, care for, study, and explain objects that tell the story of American people.
The land where the museum stands used to have two temporary buildings from 1942. These were built during wartime.
Museum Renovations and Updates
The museum closed for a big renovation from September 2006 to November 2008. This project cost $85 million. The company Skidmore, Owings and Merrill helped with the new design.
Some of the main changes included:
- A new, five-story atrium with a glass roof. This area now shows many different items from the museum's collection.
- A grand new staircase connecting the first and second floors.
- A new welcome area for visitors. Six important objects were added to help visitors find their way.
- New exhibit halls, like the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention.
- A special room with controlled air to protect the original Star-Spangled Banner flag.
In 2012, the museum started another renovation. This $37 million project focused on the west wing. It added new exhibit spaces, outdoor areas, and an education center. The renovation also included large windows overlooking the National Mall. These windows are on all three floors. New interactive features were also added to the exhibits. The first floor of the west wing reopened in July 2015. The second and third floors reopened in 2016 and 2017.
Exploring the Museum's Layout
Each part of the museum's three exhibit floors has a special object. This object helps show the main idea of that section. Some of these important items include the John Bull train. You can also see the Greensboro, North Carolina lunch counter. Another unique item is a draft wheel. Older landmark items include an 1865 Vassar Telescope and a George Washington Statue. There is also a Red Cross ambulance. You can even see a car from Disneyland's Dumbo Flying Elephant ride.
Long walls of glass cases, about 275 feet (84 m) long, are found on the first and second floors. These "artifact walls" show items grouped by themes. Themes include arts, popular culture, business, home life, and community. Other themes are land, natural resources, and how people came to America. You can also learn about politics, science, medicine, technology, and the United States' role in the world.
Inside the Museum Building
Lower Level Discoveries
The lower level of the museum features an exhibit called Taking America to Lunch. This exhibit celebrates the history of American lunch boxes. Many of them are decorated with popular culture characters. The museum's food court, the Stars and Stripes Café, is also on this level. You can also find ride simulators here.
First Floor Exhibits
The East Wing of the first floor (called 1 East) has exhibits about transportation and technology. These include America on the Move and Lighting a Revolution. The John Bull train is the most important item here. Other exhibits in America on the Move include the Southern Railway locomotive no. 1401. You can also see the Santa Cruz Railroad no. 3. There is also a model of a Chicago "L" elevated train station. It features a CTA 6000-series railcar.
The West Wing (1 West) has exhibits about science and new ideas. These include Science in American Life featuring Robots on the Road. You can also visit Bon Appétit! Julia Child's Kitchen. Spark!Lab is a hands-on exhibit from the Lemelson Center. It lets you explore invention and new ideas. The Vassar Telescope is the main item in this section.
A café and the main museum store are also on the first floor. This floor also has the Constitution Avenue lobby. There is also a space for temporary exhibits.
Second Floor Highlights
The East Wing of the second floor (2 East) shows American ideals. It includes the Albert Small Documents Gallery, which has changing exhibits. For a short time, an original copy of the Gettysburg Address was on display here. The Greensboro lunch counter is the main item for this part of the museum.
In the middle of the second floor (2 Center) is the original Star Spangled Banner Flag. This flag inspired Francis Scott Key's famous poem. The flag has been carefully preserved. It is shown in a special room with controlled air. An interactive display lets visitors learn more about the flag. You can touch a digital copy of the flag to explore different parts of it.
The George Washington statue is the main item for 2 West. This statue was made by Horatio Greenough. It was first shown in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol.
An entire colonial house from the 1700s is also on the second floor (in 2 West). This house, the Choate-Caldwell House, is part of the "Within These Walls" exhibit.
The second floor also has the museum's new welcome center and another store. The second-floor lobby leads out to Madison Drive and the National Mall.
Third Floor Adventures
Exhibits in the East Wing of the third floor (3 East) focus on military history. These include The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. You can also see the gunboat Philadelphia.
The center of the third floor (3 Center) has The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden. This exhibit explores the lives of the men who have been president. It also features the popular permanent exhibit of First Ladies of America. This exhibit shows their contributions and how their roles have changed. It also displays their dresses, which show changing styles over time.
The West Wing of the third floor (3 West) has exhibits about entertainment, sports, and music. These include Thanks for the Memories: Music, Sports and Entertainment History. You can also find the Hall of Musical Instruments and The Dolls' House. A car from Disneyland's Dumbo Flying Elephant ride is the main item here.
Outdoor Art and Sculptures
In 1967, a 24-foot-tall (7.3 m) abstract sculpture called Infinity was placed at the National Mall entrance. It was designed by José de Rivera. This was one of the first abstract sculptures shown at a major public building in Washington D.C. The sculpture is a 16-foot-long (4.9 m), shiny stainless steel ribbon on top of a granite tower.
Alexander Calder's sculpture Gwenfritz was placed in a fountain on the west side. This steel abstract sculpture was given to the museum in 1969. In 1984, the museum moved it closer to Constitution Avenue. In 2013, it was removed for cleaning and repair. The sculpture returned to its original spot in November 2014. It now sits in a re-created reflecting pool.
Museum Archives and Collections
The Archives Center helps the museum by finding, getting, and keeping important historical records. These records come in many forms, like old papers, photos, and videos. They help tell the story of America's history and its many cultures. The staff organizes and protects these collections. They make them available for researchers, exhibits, and educational programs.
The Archives Center has over 12,000 feet (3,700 m) of shelving space. It holds many records about the history of radio, television, and the telegraph. It also covers computing and other parts of technology, especially inventions. Other topics include advertising, marketing, and business. There are also many old postcards, greeting cards, and American music (like sheet music and jazz). These and many other subjects are found in business records, personal papers, and lots of films, videos, sound recordings, old photos, and oral histories.
Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for Invention
The Lemelson Center creates educational programs, books, exhibits, podcasts, and talks about invention. Its goal is to share information about invention and new ideas. It also wants to encourage young people to be creative. The center helps people understand how important new ideas have been in the history of the United States. The Center often focuses on how invention has changed American society. For example, in 2002, their theme was "Invention and the Environment."
The Center offers free learning materials to classrooms across the United States. It also organizes traveling museum exhibits, like Invention at Play. It provides chances for people to do research. The Center also helps the museum's Archives Center get collections about invention. These collections include papers and materials that show the work of American inventors from the past and present.
Past Special Exhibits
The museum has hosted many interesting exhibits over the years:
- Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty (2012): This was a very important exhibit. It was the first time an exhibit on the National Mall explored a president's connection to slavery. It focused on six main slave families at Monticello.
- 24 Hours in Cyberspace (1997): This exhibit celebrated a huge online event from 1996. It showed 70 photos from that project.
- Treasures of American History (closed 2008): This was a temporary display at the National Air and Space Museum.
- A Nation of Nations: This exhibit was part of America's 200th birthday celebration. It honored the experience of immigrants in America. It showed many famous rooms and examples of how immigrants helped the United States.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Nacional de Historia Estadounidense para niños
- Architecture of Washington, D.C.
