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The front of the museum
The front of the museum

The National Museum of American History is a museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution and located in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall. A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development open to the public which acquires conserves researches communicates and exhibits the The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The National Mall is an open-area National park in Downtown Washington D

Contents

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. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) It was designed by the renowned McKim Mead & White architectural firm and was one of the firm's last structures designed. McKim Mead and White was a prominent architectural firm in the eastern United States at the turn of the twentieth century

The museum temporarily closed on September 5, 2006 for a two-year renovation. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 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 National Air and Space Museum (NASM of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington D For similar uses and terms see Smithsonian (disambiguation. The Smithsonian Institution Building, located on the National Mall in 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

Under the pre-renovation layout, the museum had 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 included "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. Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The Southern Railway is a former United States Railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined reorganized and recombined beginning A locomotive is a railway Vehicle that provides the motive power for a Train. Also on the first floor was 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. A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is any object held or used on stage by an Actor for use in furthering the plot or story line of a Theatrical A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U } Archibald "Archie" Bunker was a Fictional character in the long-running and top-rated American television Sitcom All in the Family All in the Family is an American Situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12 1971 to April For the similarly named Muppet, see Fozzie. Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli (also The Fonz or simply Fonzie) is a Fictional Happy Days is an American Television sitcom that originally aired from 1974 to 1984 on ABC. Joanne Gardner was the main character on the long-running Soap opera Search for Tomorrow. Search for Tomorrow is a Soap opera which started airing on Monday September 3, 1951 on CBS. "The Puffy Shirt" is the second episode of the American NBC sitcom Seinfeld 's fifth season. Seinfeld is an American Situation comedy, or sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5 1989 to May 14 1998 lasting nine seasons Caroline Marie Bradshaw is the fictional narrator and lead character of the HBO Sitcom / Drama Sex and the City, played by actress Sex and the City was an American Cable television program The original run of the show was broadcast on HBO from 1998 until 2004 for a

Second floor

The second floor displayed the inaugural gowns of First Ladies from Martha Washington to Laura Bush. An inauguration is a ceremony of formal Investiture whereby an individual assumes an office or position of authority or power First Lady is a term used in the United States to describe the wife of an elected male Head of state. Martha Custis Washington (née Dandridge) ( June 2, 1731 &ndash May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4 1946 is the wife of the forty-third and current President of the United States, George W 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) was located in a conservation lab on the second floor. The Star Spangled Banner Flag or the Great Garrison Flag is the garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the Naval Fort McHenry, in Baltimore Maryland, is a star shaped fort best known The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and the British Empire, particularly Great Britain and her North American colonies Francis Scott Key ( August 1, 1779 &ndash January 11, 1843) was an American Lawyer, author and amateur " The Star-Spangled Banner " is the National anthem of the United States of America The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's 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. The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. 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 included "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. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States Another major highlight was American Popular Culture, which showed popular culture artifacts. Popular culture (or pop culture) is the Culture — patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance — It was a changing exhibition, but Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz were a permanent part of the exhibit. The ruby slippers are the magical shoes worn by Dorothy (played by Judy Garland) in the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical - Fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children’s 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 were 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. The military history of the United States spans a period of over two centuries Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Robert Edward Lee (January 19 1807 &ndash October 12 1870 was a career United States Army officer, an Engineer, and among the most celebrated Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially

Archives

The National Museum of American History Archives Center occupies over 12,000 feet of shelving in the National Museum of American History building. The archives are made up of photographs, motion pictures, videotapes, and sound recordings of events in American history. The archives are acquired almost entirely from donations.

Past Exhibits

Notes

  1. ^ Mirror of Official site map
  2. ^ Mirror of Official Site
  3. ^ "24 Hours in Cyberspace" (and more)
  4. ^ The human face of cyberspace, painted in random images

External links

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