American History Museum

Only one museum on the Mall has a unique collection of over three million historical and cultural artifacts of life in the USA – the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The Museum opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology, and was renamed in 1980 to better reflect its mission—the preservation and display of objects that represent all fields of the experiences of the American people. Located in the heart of the National Mall, adjacent to the Washington Monument, the Museum was renovated in 2008 adding new facilities including a dramatic sky lit central atrium, grand staircase, and state-of-the-art observation gallery protecting the original Star-Spangled Banner.

• See Abe Lincoln's top hat, the ruby slippers Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and much more
• Learn about the diversity of American immigrant cultures
• Come up to the original lunch counter from the 1960 Greensboro sit-in of the Civil Rights Movement
• View artifacts of life from colonial times onward, including period dress and domestic items

For more information, visit the official website at http://americanhistory.si.edu/.