Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Join us for the education event of the summer! 🎉 The 2024 Smithsonian National Education Summit is a free three-day conference unlike any other, featuring Smithsonian educators from over 22 museums, research centers, and the National Zoo, in an exciting session line-up. Free registration: https://lnkd.in/guYWJppM

In 1965, the Aerosol Corporation of America, a division of Shulton, Inc. since 1961, launched the “Crazy Foam” line of aerosol children’s bath soaps. The soap was dispensed in shaving cream-style aerosol cans with specially designed plastic caps depicting cartoon-like heads of animals and other figures. With the push of a button, soap would foam out of the beak of a duck, a parrot, or, in this case, a shark! As promised on the can, “Crazy Foam is Crazy! It’s a wonderful foamy soap that bounces, molds, decorates, floats... and “Cleans like Crazy” while you play!” #SharkWeek

This fiberglass helmet, designed to look like a shark, was worn by George Orton during his street luge career. Orton began skateboarding in the early 1970s and is credited with assisting Tony Alva in creating the front-side air, the first vertical aerial move in pool skating. This innovation helped pave the way for new tricks to develop above the coping ledge of the pool. Orton had a successful career as a pool and half-pipe skater and retired in the 1980s. He returned in the late 1990s to begin his career as a street luge and downhill skater. Since his entrance into luge and downhill, he made a name for himself by wearing colorful helmets like the one pictured here. He competed in the 1997 X-Games in San Diego and won medals at the 2000 Gravity Games, the 1999 St. George Grand Prix, and the 2000 Grand Prix X-Mass Luge. #SharkWeek #SportsHistory #Skateboarding #StreetLuge

Important announcement! **UPDATED** Due to NATO Summit events in the area, please note the following: On Tuesday, July 9, the Museum will be closed to the public. On Wednesday, July 10, the Museum will have rolling opening and exhibition closures throughout the building due to a special event. Please visit our information desk for the most up-to-date information. If arriving before noon, please use the Madison Drive entrance on the National Mall. As always, you may enjoy our digital collection, available 24/7: https://lnkd.in/dtguVe6 Plan your visit: https://lnkd.in/eFW2dbS8

Happy Independence Day! Huge, vibrant, and rich in history, the Star-Spangled Banner is one of the most recognizable icons of the United States. Most Americans are familiar with its story, too: it flew over Fort McHenry after the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812 inspiring Francis Scott Key to write what would become the national anthem. However, there are some lesser-known facts about this iconic flag. Learn more in our blog: https://s.si.edu/3LaFVUB

The Civil Rights Act turns 60 on July 2, 2024. This landmark legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. Where can you learn more about the history of civil rights and the pursuit of equality? Explore sites from National Park Service and objects from Smithsonian Institution and Smithsonian National Museum of American History   #CivicSeason is a new American tradition between Juneteenth and July 4, co-created by Gen Z and 500+ history museums and historic sites, to celebrate who we are as a nation, how we got here and where we want to go next. Get started at TheCivicSeason.com.   Photo Credits:  Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C., Warren K. Leffler, 1963. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress.   President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act as Martin Luther King, Jr., and others look on, Washington, D.C., July 2, 1964. Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum; photograph, Cecil Stoughton.    Portrait of Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley, 1954. NAACP Records, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

If we hooked you up to this 103-year-old “lie detector,” would we be able to tell if you were telling the truth? The answer might surprise you. This instrument, called the cardio-pneumo-psychogram, was created by John Larson in 1921 and was designed to simultaneously record a suspect’s pulse, blood pressure, and respiration while being questioned about a crime. Spikes and dips in the resulting tracings scratched in soot-covered paper were supposed to show when a question elicited an emotional response. Did it work? Well, that depended on numerous variables. Interestingly, it worked best if you believed it worked. Scared that the instrument will reveal what you are hiding? Your breath and heart might respond accordingly. Despite his initial excitement, Larson eventually became disenchanted with this instrument and infuriated with many of the people who pushed for subsequent designs to become popular not just with police, but government agencies and businesses. A device that could be used as a “lie detector” ignited public fascination as well, from movies to comic books. How would you have responded to being strapped to it and questioned? When should we put our faith in something that can be influenced by personal belief? If these questions sparked your interest, we hope you'll plan a visit to our museum to see our newest exhibition, "Forensic Science on Trial," opening today! Featuring objects and stories that span nearly 150 years of historic cases and a dozen different forensic techniques, the exhibition explores the way people influence the development, interpretation, and presentation of forensic science.

The Folklife Festival is here! Tomorrow, museum staff will be on hand at the Foodways demonstration kitchen. Come by and say hello! The Smithsonian Folklife Festival Foodways programs on June 28th are sponsored in collaboration with the Smithsonian Food History Project, based at the National Museum of American History. The project explores American history through the lens of food and drink and invites individuals and communities to gather on-site and online for conversations and experiences that link the past, present, and future of food. The food history team is honored to join Smithsonian colleagues in celebrating of the National Museum of the American Indian through Festival programming focused on traditional systems of knowledge and featuring Indigenous chefs and food cultures. Check out the full schedule here: https://s.si.edu/4eI8wy5 📸: Cooking demonstration in the Foodways demonstration kitchen featuring Antonia Gonsalves da Silva (Pataxó), left, from Brazil preparing peixe na patioba.

The iconic Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable figures in the world. She has long been a symbol of freedom and hope to Americans and past immigrants. But what does Lady Liberty mean to today's immigrants who aspire to become naturalized U.S. citizens? Learn more in our blog: https://lnkd.in/eT6XAvQB #CivicSeason

Rhett and Link are joining the Smithsonian's collections?! Let's talk about that! This desk microphone and two blindfolds used by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal on their YouTube series “Good Mythical Morning” have recently been acquired by the museum. The series, launched in 2012, explores different topics through trivia, taste tests, skill challenges, product reviews, and games, and features special guests. Some of the duo’s most popular videos document them testing unique products or trying extreme foods, such as the world’s hottest pepper or unusual deep-fried foods. Wearing their trademark custom blindfolds, Link was known to introduce these segments “As you can see, we can’t.” The donated items join the museum’s entertainment collection, which documents how television, film, theater, and streaming media performances shape the nation’s history and culture. Social media sites have reshaped the entertainment industry by allowing users to upload self-generated content and connect directly with viewers. YouTube, in particular, has become fertile ground for self-expression and community formation, with YouTubers (content creators) building massive followings and sometimes lucrative businesses through their posts. Rhett & Link are among the most popular and influential entertainers to have built their careers on YouTube. The duo calls themselves “Intertainers,” and through their 15-year career producing content, have earned millions of followers and dollars all while building a profitable media company, Mythical Entertainment. The company operates YouTube channels with 33 million subscribers and 12 billion lifetime views. Learn more here: https://s.si.edu/4cxLA2E