Technology & Innovation

Marine transportation and waterborne commerce underlie American history like a strong and steady ocean current. Maritime trade established major cities, created connections between people and places, and opened the continent. This exhibition .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Large, iconic artifacts in the main corridor of each wing highlight the wing's key exhibition themes: Ralph Baer’s Inventor’s Workshop (1st Floor, West Wing) Visitors can view the home workshop of Ralph Baer, known as the inventor of the home .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

The nation's flag, which underwent an 8-year conservation period from 1998 to 2006, is today the centerpiece of the museum. Soaring above the entrance to the gallery is an architectural representation of a waving flag—approximately 40 feet long.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

This exhibition surveys the history of America's military from the Colonial Era to the present day, exploring how wars have been defining episodes in American history. Through more than 800 artifacts, images, and interactive stations, the .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Human spaceflight is one of the great achievements of the modern age. Not content to master flight in the atmosphere, inventors, engineers, scientists, and visionaries pressed ahead to explore space and developed the technology for human .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

From the beginning of the Space Age, people recognized that Earth-orbiting satellites—able to see and communicate across vast distances—promised unique benefits. In the tense years of the Cold War, such spacecraft (known as applications .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

Space science is performed in Earth's upper atmosphere or beyond and covers disciplines from meteorology and geology to lunar, solar, and planetary science; astronomy and astrophysics; and life sciences. The objects on view include vehicles (.... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.

This display case celebrates the history and endurance of American lunch boxes. Reaching the height of their popularity at the dawn of the television era, lunch box sales became barometers for what was hip in popular culture at any point in .... Shortened snippet. View full page for more details.