The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History preserves our nation’s collections and tells a full and complex history of the United States.

Devoted to the scientific, cultural, social, technological, and political development of the United States, the museum traces the American experience from colonial times to the present. The American History Museum’s collection contains more than three million historical objects—including ...

Since its founding, more than 175 years ago, the Smithsonian has become the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums, the National Zoo, and nine research facilities.

February 13, 2020 - The bill would create a new Smithsonian museum dedicated to women's history

Learn about the museum’s 2026 summer high school paid internship program for youth ages 15 to 18.

June 30, 2025 - Established originally as the Cheney Cowles Museum in 1916, its evolution reflects a deliberate broadening of scope, embracing not only fine art and regional history but also, crucially, the profound and often overlooked narratives of the Plateau tribes who first called this land home.

Long-overlooked documents housed at London’s Natural History Museum testify to the exchange of information between 18th-century European botanists and their Indigenous counterparts January 8, 2026 · January 13, 2026 · January/February 2026 · More Arts & Culture · Farmer Wilson Bentley was the first to photograph the tiny snow crystals individually, and his collection reveals that each has its own pattern January 9, 2026 · January 6, 2026 · December 23, 2025 · More At the Smithsonian

During his lifetime, John Cheney was known as one of the finest engravers working in America. Between 1820 and 1850, his lithographs appeared in numerous "gift books"---lavishly bound collections of poetry and prose that were published annually.

2 weeks ago - The institute's charter expired in 1838, but its spirit lived on in the National Institution, founded in 1840. With the mission to "promote science and the useful arts, and to establish a national museum of natural history," this organization ...

A national membership group of museum friends who share a love of American art and craft. ... A membership group for young professionals interested in the American art experience. ... John Elliott, William Halsall Cheney, ca. 1917-1925, chalk over photomechanical reproduction on paper, sheet: 29 3⁄4 x 22 in. (75.5 x 55.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Maud Howe Elliott, 1927.8.7

Is it free?The nearly 800,000 square-foot Smithsonian museum presents America’s history in all of its complexity – through research, in-depth exhibits, extensive collections and public outreach – and encourages visitors to be challenged and inspired by the stories they encounter.

February 18, 2020 - A museum dedicated to women's history is one step closer to join the monuments and museums on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly last week to approve a bipartisan bill called the Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act.

The Smithsonian's flagship podcast sneaks you through the side door to learn the stories you won't find anywhere else. ... Sidedoor digs into the family story of a secret message etched inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch. ... We track the lore of this notorious gem through the centuries. ... Conserving the history of Jim Henson's Muppets.

2 weeks ago - The National Museum of American ... Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history....

United States – Religion; United States -- Religion – History; United States -- Church history; Immigrants -- Religious life -- United States; Church buildings; Missions and missionaries--Southwest United States; Christianity and culture -- United States – History. << Previous: Smithsonian Libraries and Archives: National Museum of African American History & Culture Library

3 days ago - The museum’s world class collection of over 1.7 million objects helps tell the complex history of our nation.

10, 1846, established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian. Since its founding, the Smithsonian has become the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, ...

The museum is larger than 18 football fields and is home to the largest natural history collection in the world. Hall of Human Origins; National Fossil Hall, Deep Time; mammals; Ocean Hall; the Hope Diamond; Egyptian mummies; O. Orkin Insect Zoo; Butterfly Pavilion ($). To provide an address for MetroAccess Paratransit, please use 1000 Constitution Avenue, NW. We encourage the use of Metrorail and Metrobus. Metro Station: Smithsonian (Mall exit) or Federal Triangle

The Smithsonian collections contain over 155 million objects, works of art and specimens – from the origins of man at The Natural History Museum which includes objects such as the famed Hope Diamond, to the history of flight and the future of space travel at the Air and Space Museum where you can even see the Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer.

Over 175 years ago, on August 10, 1846, President James K. Polk signed into law an act (ch. 178, 9 Stat. 102) establishing the Smithsonian Institution. As the world’s largest museum and research complex, the Smithsonian Institution is comprised ...