Past Exhibitions

"Star-Spangled Banner" Manuscript

See Francis Scott Key’s original manuscript of the "Star-Spangled Banner" to celebrate the song's 200th anniversary.

June 14, 2014 – July 6, 2014

American History Museum
American Heroes

Despite the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, more than 33,000 nisei (second generation) volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army. Many served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service. On view is the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to those units in 2010.

February 19, 2014 – June 2, 2014

American History Museum
Camilla's Purse

See what Holocaust survivor Camilla (Mia) Klaber Gottlieb carried in her purse to preserve her memories before, during, and after World War II.

January 24, 2014 – May 4, 2014

American History Museum
Girl Scouts 1912-2012

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts by learning about the organization's history.

June 1, 2012 – April 20, 2014

American History Museum
Invention and the Patent Model

Some 20 patent models from the museum's collections, submitted between 1790 and 1880, reveal technological innovations and changing social roles during the period.

June 20, 2013 – April 20, 2014

American History Museum
The Birth of Biotech

Explore the birth of the biotech industry and the science and industry behind the first major product of the biotech boom: recombinant human insulin.

October 24, 2013 – April 20, 2014

American History Museum
Puppetry in America

Meet the original Howdy Doody, Charlie McCarthy, and some of their puppet cousins and learn about their role in American culture.

December 13, 2013 – April 13, 2014

American History Museum
Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas

See objects related to Olympic gymnast Gabrielle Douglas.

February 1, 2013 – April 2, 2014

American History Museum
Little Golden Books

Learn how Little Golden Books made children's literature more widely available and transformed children's reading habits.

June 28, 2013 – January 12, 2014

American History Museum
The National Woman Suffrage Parade, 1913

Learn about the impact of the 1913 women's suffrage march in Washington, DC, the first civil rights parade to use the nation's capital as a backdrop.

February 28, 2013 – December 2, 2013

American History Museum
Snowboarding

Learn about the history of snowboarding and see the Snurfer, one of the earliest snowboard prototypes.

February 20, 2012 – October 20, 2013

American History Museum
I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story

Learn about the diverse cultures and complex history of Asian Pacific Americans from the first immigrants centuries ago to the challenges they face today. Note: Off view July 23 and 24, 2013.

May 1, 2013 – August 25, 2013

American History Museum
Celluloid: The First Plastic

A range of objects made from celluloid, the world's first commercially successful plastic, are highlighted in this case.

June 1, 2010 – June 13, 2013

American History Museum
Not Lost in Translation: The Life of Clotilde Arias

Learn about the life and times of Clotilde Arias, who was commissioned by the US State Department to compose an official Spanish-language translation of the national anthem.

September 27, 2012 – May 12, 2013

American History Museum
The Mexican Revolution! American Legacy

Objects in this case reveal how U.S. involvement in the Mexican Revolution affected politics and society on both sides of the border.

September 16, 2010 – February 11, 2013

American History Museum
Sweet & Sour

Learn about the evolution of Chinese food in the U.S. and the long history of Chinese immigration in this case.

March 17, 2011 – February 11, 2013

American History Museum
COBOL

Learn about COBOL, or Common Business Oriented Language, one of the first computer-programming languages to run successfully on different brands of computers, in this case.

March 17, 2011 – February 11, 2013

American History Museum
Julia Child's Kitchen

See Julia Child's kitchen, which contains hundreds of tools, appliances, and furnishings arranged exactly as they were when she donated the kitchen to the museum in 2001.

August 15, 2012 – November 19, 2012

American History Museum
Pause and Play: A Pop-Up Gallery

See popular culture items from the 1950s and early 1960s.

May 1, 2012 – October 25, 2012

American History Museum
Invention Case: Hot Spot of Invention

This case highlights how MIT became a "hot spot of invention" as World War II neared.

November 6, 2009 – October 21, 2012

American History Museum
Musical Instruments Gallery

The Musical Instruments Gallery presents samples of instruments and music relating to the history, performance styles and techniques of European and American music and the development of musical instruments dating from the 17th century.

January 1, 1964 – October 21, 2012

American History Museum
Decorated Musical Instruments

See decorated musical instruments from the museum's collection.

August 9, 2012 – October 21, 2012

American History Museum
1939

This small exhibition reveals how Americans used entertainment to distract themselves during a turbulent year when the country was recovering from the Great Depression and World War II loomed -- 1939.

November 24, 2010 – October 21, 2012

American History Museum
Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty

Learn about slavery in America through the lives of six slave families living at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello plantation.

January 27, 2012 – October 14, 2012

American History Museum
Communities in a Changing Nation: The Promise of 19th-Century America

Explore the excitement and dynamism of American life during the 19th century through the experiences of three communities.

February 12, 1999 – September 3, 2012

American History Museum

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