National Museum of American History Totally Explained

Everything about The National Museum Of American History totally explained

The National Museum of American History is a museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution and located in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall.

Background and temporary closure

The museum first opened in 1964 and was called the Museum of History and Technology and adopted its current name in 1980. It was designed by the renowned McKim Mead & White architectural firm and was one of the firm's last structures designed.
The museum temporarily closed on September 5, 2006 for a two-year renovation. During this renovation, some of the artifacts will be on display in the exhibition "Treasures of American History" at the National Air and Space Museum and "Legendary Coins & Currency" at the Smithsonian Castle. The museum was scheduled to reopen in summer 2008, but as of early 2008 the Smithsonian Institution website has pushed back reopening until fall 2008.

Layout

The museum has three exhibition floors, two floors for offices, and one floor (the ground floor) for retail and dining.

First floor

On the first floor, major exhibitions include "America on the Move," detailing the history of transportation in the U.S. from 1876 to the present and housing Southern Railway steam locomotive 1401 as well as automobiles and other forms of transportation. Also on the first floor is a showcase for various props from famous television shows, such as Archie Bunker's chair from All in the Family, Fonzie's leather jacket from Happy Days, Joanne Gardner's apron from Search for Tomorrow, the "Puffy Shirt" from Seinfeld, and Carrie Bradshaw's computer from Sex and the City.

Second floor

The second floor displays the inaugural gowns of First Ladies from Martha Washington to Laura Bush. The gigantic 15-star and 15-stripe American flag which flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" (the American national anthem) is located in a conservation lab on the second floor. It used to hang in the main hall but was removed due to its deteriorating condition. In its place, until the museum closed, was the modern 50-star flag which draped the Pentagon after the September 11, 2001 attacks. When the renovations are complete, the Fort McHenry flag will be displayed in its own dimly lit gallery so it can be seen during every moment the museum is open.

Third floor

Third-floor exhibits include "A Glorious Burden," an exhibit on Presidents of the United States; this voluminous exhibit displays everything from George Washington's Revolutionary War uniform to Bill Clinton's saxophone. Another major highlight is American Popular Culture, which shows popular culture artifacts. It is a changing exhibition, but Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz are a permanent part of the exhibit. The "History of Money and Medals," the museum's oldest exhibit, was on this floor but was recently closed. An exhibit entitled "The Price of Freedom" on U.S. military history opened on November 11, 2004; among its numerous treasures are a sword belonging to George Washington, the chairs that Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant sat in at the Appomattox surrender of the Civil War, and a Vietnam-era helicopter.

Past Exhibits

24 Hours in Cyberspace - unveiled on 23 January 1997, this exhibit celebrated the "the largest one-day online event" (February 8 1996) up to that date, which originally took place on the then-active website, cyber24.com (and is still online at a mirror website maintained by Georgia Tech). 24 Hours in Cyberspace was headed by photographer Rick Smolan. The exhibit featured 70 photos from the project.

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