Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop and Turn

June 14, 2010 - September 30, 2011 (new closing date)
1st Floor, West Wing, SI Libraries Gallery
This exhibition on innovative book design highlights movable, pop-up, folding, and multiple-construction books from the year 1570 to the present day. Although today pop-up books are often found in the children's book section, the earliest movable books were tools to educate and document information, such as a calendar, the moon's movements, or the inner workings of the human heart. The show features more than 50 works arranged by construction type in four areas:

• movables (primarily books that have movable parts that do not emerge from the surface of the page)
• pop-ups (book that in variant ways do emerge from the page)
• folding books (accordion forms)
• fantastic forms (that use multiple constructions)

The exhibition also features two interactive videos

Free brochure

Cosmos in Miniature: The Remarkable Star Map of Simeon De Witt (new title)

May 25, 2010 - August 20, 2010 (new opening & closing dates)
Albert Small Documents Gallery, 2nd Floor, East Wing
This exhibition features the oldest surviving Anglo-American star map. Hand-drawn in 1780 by Simeon De Witt (1756-1834), a surveyor for George Washington and the Continental army, the map shows the stars visible from De Witt's post in New Jersey. Drawing such a map, as De Witt himself later said, fostered an appreciation of "the ever shifting scenery of the skies and all the gorgeous drapery of heaven." Also on view are De Witt's drawing instruments and examples of European star maps and astrolabes.

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment

April 23, 2010 - August 29, 2010
2nd Floor, East Wing
The exhibition explores for the first time the rich history and the cultural significance of Harlem's Apollo Theater. It features photographs and artifacts to trace the story of the theater from its origins in 1913 as a whites-only burlesque hall to its starring role at the epicenter of African American entertainment. Highlights include:

• James Brown's cape and jumpsuit
• Michael Jackson's fedora worn at Amateur Night in 1967 with the Jackson 5
• The Supremes' dresses
• Cab Calloway's baton
• Sammy Davis' childhood tap shoes
• Peg Leg Bates' peg leg
• Duke Ellington's score for "Black and Tan Fantasy" (1927)
• Ella Fitzgerald's dress worn at Amateur Night at the age of 17
• Miles Davis' flugelhorn
• LL Cool J's jacket and hat
• Celia Cruz's dress

Introductory film
Video alcoves
Companion book: $35 (cloth)

Organized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The Modern Gown Gallery: A First Lady's Debut

March 10, 2010 - New Permanent
2nd Floor, West, First Ladies at the Smithsonian's new gallery
This new gallery features 11 inaugural gowns from the country's contemporary first ladies, beginning with Mamie Eisenhower to Michelle Obama. It focuses on the public interest and media coverage of the first lady's "debut" during the inauguration, using contemporary accounts to relay first impressions of each woman and the role she might play in the White House. The white chiffon, one-shoulder, floor-length gown that Jason Wu designed for Michelle Obama to wear to the 2009 inaugural balls, along with shoes by Jimmy Choo and the diamond jewelry she wore, is displayed in a case in the center of the gallery. Also on view are watercolor sketches of 14 gowns from the collection. This gallery is an extension of the First Ladies at the Smithsonian exhibition and collectively the two galleries feature a total of 24 dresses and more than 100 other objects.

4-minute video featuring first ladies and designers of the gowns (runs continuously)

YouTube Video: Museum staff members provide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the work involved in conserving the first ladies' dresses and accessories.

For more information on First Ladies at the Smithsonian, see separate listing.

Holidays on Display

November 13, 2009 - Late Sept. 2010 (TBA)
3rd Floor, West Wing, near National Treasures of Popular Culture
This exhibition examines the art, industry, and history of holiday displays across the United States, primarily between the 1920s and the 1960s, at the height of their popularity. On view are photographs, postcards, and illustrations of parade floats and window displays -- featuring Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and Marshall Field and Company's Christmas windows -- as well as objects relating to the early creation of these displays.

Invention Case: Hot Spots of Invention

November 6, 2009 - Summer 2011 (TBA)
1st Floor, West Wing
This case featuring rotating displays complements the Lemelson Hall of Invention exhibit nearby on the first floor and its case on the third floor.

• Hot Spots of Invention
Invention happens everywhere, but sometimes a "hot spot of invention" takes shape when the right mix of creative people, resources, and inspiring surroundings come together. In the 1930s, a hot spot began to form among the industrial labs and universities of New England. As World War II neared, this hot spot matured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This case highlights how three war-era labs at MIT helped transform Cambridge, Massachusetts, into a dynamic place of invention.

Stories on Money

- Indefinitely
1st Floor, East Wing
Through objects from the museum's National Numismatic Collection, this exhibition explores the development and meaning behind American coinage and currency and demonstrates the interplay among people, money, and history from the earliest times to the present.

• "America's Money" shows what money looked like in colonial America and at pivotal times in the nation's history, including the gold rush, the Great Depression, and the current era. It also compares coins from the 19th century with those produced during the renaissance of American coinage in the early 20th century.

• "The Power of Liberty" features an array of coins from the U.S. and around the world depicting Liberty, the feminine personification of freedom, as well as coins featuring real and mythological women.

Interactive stations allow visitors to view enlarged images and learn more about numismatic history.

On the Water: Stories from Maritime America

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing, American Maritime Enterprise
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 traces American maritime history from 18th-century sailing ships, to 19th-century steamboats and fishing craft, to today's huge container ships. Items featured include rigged ship models, patent models, documents, and images from the Smithsonian's National Watercraft Collection. American maritime history is brought to life through the stories of whaling crews, fishermen, shipbuilders, merchant mariners, passengers, and many others who work on the nation's waterways.

Audio and video components
Interactive stations

See September 2009 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 21-22

Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life

January 16, 2009 - Spring 2011 (TBA) (new closing date)
3rd Floor, Center, Rose Gallery, enter from American Presidency
To celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday in 2009, this exhibition explores the life and legacy of our 16th president through objects from the museum's collection, augmented with personal stories told by him and the people who knew him best. It showcases more than 60 historical treasures associated with Lincoln's life -- from an iron wedge he used to split wood in the early 1830s in New Salem, Illinois, to his gold pocket watch and his iconic top hat he wore the night he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre.

Video (runs continuously)

Free American Heritage publication available at both Welcome Desks

Related publication: $12.95 (paper)

See related articles on Lincoln in Smithsonian magazine, September 2008, pp.61-66, and February 2009, pp. 32-38, and a small article on his pocket watch, May 2009, p. 28.

First Ladies at the Smithsonian

- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing
This exhibition highlights the role of the first lady and features in two galleries a total of 24 first ladies' gowns and more than 100 other objects, including portraits, White House china, and personal possessions from the Smithsonian's collection. A section discussing the tradition of the first ladies' inaugural gown answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the gown collection. Another section focuses on the contributions of the first ladies, the country's expectations of them, and the ways in which they have supported the most powerful office in the country.

Gowns on view in the first gallery include those worn by Helen Taft (2), Martha Washington, Mary Todd Lincoln, Lucy Hayes, Frances Cleveland, Florence Harding, Grace Coolidge, Dolley Madison, Julia Grant, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, and Jacqueline Kennedy.

Additions include:
March 10, 2010:
• The Modern Gown Gallery: A First Lady's Debut
This new gallery features 11 inaugural gowns from the country's contemporary first ladies, beginning with Mamie Eisenhower to Michelle Obama. It focuses on the public interest and media coverage of the first lady's "debut" during the inauguration, using contemporary accounts to relay first impressions of each woman and the role she might play in the White House. The white chiffon, one-shoulder, floor-length gown that Jason Wu designed for Michelle Obama to wear to the 2009 inaugural balls, along with shoes by Jimmy Choo and the diamond jewelry she wore, is displayed in a case in the center of the gallery. Also on view in the hallway outside this gallery are watercolor sketches of 14 gowns from the collection.

YouTube Video: Museum staff members provide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the work involved in conserving the first ladies' dresses and accessories.

6-minute video featuring First Lady Michelle Obama's donation of her inaugural gown to the museum, with remarks by designer Jason Wu and Secretary Clough (runs continuously in the exhibition)

Lemelson Center Case: Jerome Lemelson: Toying with Invention

- Indefinitely
3rd Floor, West Wing
This changing exhibition case complements the Lemelson Hall of Invention on the first floor.

• Jerome Lemelson: Toying with Invention

On view in this case are notebooks with sketches of toy ideas and examples of some of the toys Jerome Lemelson invented. Lemelson earned more than 600 patents; some 70 of them describe toys -- inflatable toys, jumping toys, toys with propellers, toys that run on tracks, target games, dolls, and more. In fact, Lemelson's first patent, issued in 1953, was for a new kind of propeller beanie.

The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem

- Permanent
2nd Floor, Center
After undergoing an 8-year conservation period, the nation's flag is the centerpiece of the museum. Soaring above the entrance to the gallery is an architectural representation of a waving flag -- approximately 40 feet long and up to 19 feet high and composed of 960 reflective tiles made of polycarbonate material.

An introductory section in the entry corridor sets the scene for the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Around the corner, the 30-by-34-foot wool-and-cotton flag is on view in a new dramatic display behind a 35-foot-long, floor-to-ceiling glass wall in a climate-controlled gallery that re-creates the dawn's early light, similar to Francis Scott Key's experience the morning of September 14, 1814, when he saw the flag flying over Ft. McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, inspiring him to pen the famous lyrics. The first stanza of the national anthem is projected prominently on the wall above the flag. Sections in the exit corridor trace the flag's history, including its safekeeping by Major George Armistead and his descendants, the Smithsonian's efforts to preserve it for more than 100 years, and how both the flag and the national anthem have come to represent diverse ideas of patriotism and national identity.

Also at the exit are an interactive table with a virtual, life-size image of the flag and a tactile panel with an outline of the flag and a full-size star for visitors who are visually impaired.

No photography permitted

See November 2008 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 68-76

Related publications:
- The Star-Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon: $29.95 (cloth)
- Book of 33 postcards:$7.95

Invention at Play

- Indefinitely
1st Floor, West, Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention
What do the inventors behind Post-it Notes, robotic ants, Kevlar, and the telephone have in common with children? Play! Created especially for families, this exhibition focuses on the similarities between the ways children and adults play and the creative skills and processes used by inventors. Through interactive and engaging activities, it encourages various playful habits of mind that underlie invention: curiosity, imagination, visual thinking, model building, and problem solving. It introduces inventors and innovators through compelling personal stories, photos, and artifacts. It even provides a chance to try learning to windsurf on the Sailboard Simulator, which is based on a design by sailboard inventor Newman Darby. This is the first exhibition in the new Lemelson Hall of Invention.

Free Brochure and Family Guide

See Smithsonian magazine: April 2005, p. 14, and November 2002, p. 46.

Artifact Walls: Mall Entrance Corridor

- Permanent
Madison Dr. Entrance Corridor
On view in floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted walls on both sides of the Mall entrance are objects highlighting the depth and breadth of the museum's permanent collection and our nation's rich and diverse history. The objects are organized around the following themes:

• Arts
• Popular Culture
• Business, Work, and the Economy
• Home and Family
• Community
• Land and Natural Resources
• Peopling America
• Politics and Reform
• Science
• Medicine
• Technology
• America's Role in the World

See November 2008 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 27-30

National Treasures of Popular Culture

- Permanent
3rd Floor, West Wing
This exhibition displays iconic and well-loved artifacts -- Dorothy's ruby slippers, Minnie Pearl's hat, Warner Brothers cartoon animation cells, Jim Henson's Kermit the Frog, Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs -- that mirror the ways music, sports, and entertainment have played major roles in American life, shaping our national memory and often defining what is American to the nation and to the world.

- Rotation of Objects:
Added December 1, 2009:
-- Carol Burnett's "Went with the Wind" dress from her 1970s TV musical comedy show
-- Fonzie's jacket from the 1970s TV show Happy Days
-- Rafiki costume and Simba mask from the Tony Award-winning musical The Lion King

Added February 19, 2010:
-- Olympic objects, including Anastasia "Nastia" Luikin's pink gymnastics leotard worn during the 2008 Beijing games, Brian Boitano's ice skates worn during the 1988 Calgary games, a relay torch from the 1984 LA opening ceremonies, and Apolo Ohno's speed skates worn during the 2002 Salt Lake City games, to name a few

Landmark Object: Vassar Telescope

- Permanent
1st Floor, West Wing Corridor
This landmark object -- the Vassar Telescope -- identifies the science and innovation wing of the museum.

On view is the telescope used by Maria Mitchell (1818-1889), the first professional woman astronomer in the United States. She gained recognition in scientific circles through establishing the orbit of a new comet in 1847. The following year, she became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and from 1865 to 1888 she served as professor of astronomy at Vassar Female College. In 1963, the president of Vassar donated Mitchell's astronomical telescope, built by Henry Fitz, to the Smithsonian.

Artifact Walls: Constitution Ave. Entrance Corridor

- Permanent
Constitution Ave. Entrance Corridor
On view in floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted walls on both sides of the Constitution Avenue entrance are objects highlighting the depth and breadth of the museum's permanent collection and our nation's rich and diverse history. The objects are organized around the following themes:

• Arts
• Popular Culture
• Business, Work, and the Economy
• Home and Family
• Community
• Land and Natural Resources
• Peopling America
• Politics and Reform
• Science
• Medicine
• Technology
• America's Role in the World

On view in floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted walls flanking the grand staircase near the Constitution Avenue entrance are five cases dedicated to the following themes:

• Toys from the Attic
June 1, 2010-TBA
Toys reflect changes in both technology and society. This case examines toys produced in 19th-century America, when childhood began to be seen as a distinct stage of life with its own unique needs. Featured are dolls, kitchen and housewares, hand tools, educational games, and other toys intended to entertain, educate, and prepare children for adult work. The case also explores early toy marketing.

• Celluloid: The First Plastic
early June 2010-TBA
This case examines celluloid, the world's first commercially successful plastic, which was invented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1869. Initially made to imitate natural materials, celluloid was mainly used to manufacture inexpensive yet stylish goods -- ranging from beauty accessories and housewares to postcards and advertising keepsakes -- proving that inexpensive but durable products could be made from plastic. Though celluloid was no longer a popular material by the 1940s, it remains the primary material for Ping-Pong balls.

• Fifty Years of Lasers
March 5, 2010-September 2010 (TBA)
During 1960, scientists in the U.S. invented three different types of lasers. Since then many other lasers have been developed and adopted for a range of uses. This case features objects from the inventors on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this important invention. Also displayed are objects representing both practical and entertaining uses of lasers, including a laser disc player.

• Cameras Before Digital
October 28, 2009-June 2010 (TBA; new closing date)
This case features from the museum's collection 22 cameras -- from daguerreotype and view cameras to 20th-century military, aerial, digital, and promotional models -- that reveal the technological progress made from the camera's invention in 1839 to the advent of digital photography.

• Creating Hawai'i
August 21, 2009-August 2010 (TBA)
Objects from the museum's collection highlight Hawaii's unique culture and the extensive changes in tradition and diversity throughout its history -- from kingdom to republic, and from territory to state. Celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming the 50th state (1959).

See November 2008 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 27-30

Price of Freedom: Americans at War, The

- Permanent
3rd Floor, East Wing, Armed Forces History Hall
This exhibition surveys the history of America's military from the Colonial Era to the present conflict in Iraq, exploring how wars have been defining episodes in American history. Through more than 800 artifacts, images, and interactive stations, the exhibition reveals how Americans have fought to establish the nation's independence, determine its borders, shape its values of freedom and opportunity, and define its role in world affairs. It also explores the social impact of America's wars, presenting the link between military conflict and American political leadership, social values, technological innovation, and personal sacrifice.

The exhibition is arranged chronologically into the following 10 sections:
• Introduction, including the French and Indian War
• Revolutionary War, featuring George Washington's uniform and commission from Congress as commander in chief of the Continental Army.
• Wars of Expansion -- including the Indian Wars, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American War -- featuring the buckskin coat worn by George Custer while he was stationed at frontier Army posts in the West during the Western Indian War.
• Civil War, featuring the chairs Civil War generals Lee and Grant used during the surrender ceremony at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
• World War I, featuring a doughboy uniform, gas mask, and carrier pigeon Cher Ami.
• World War II, featuring a Willys Jeep used for transporting troops and supplies.
• Cold War and Korean War
• Vietnam War, featuring restored UH-1H Huey Helicopter.
• Recent conflicts -- including the 1991 Gulf War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- featuring Colin Powell's uniform from Operation Desert Storm.
• Medal of Honor, featuring videos in which recipients recount their experiences.

Free brochure
Catalogue: $17 (paper)

See November 2004 Smithsonian magazine, p. 14 and pp. 39-42

Satellite Museum Store

Cases: Taking America to Lunch

- Permanent (Reopened July 15, 2009)
Lower Level, near entrance to Stars and Stripes Cafe, south wall
On view are more than 50 children's and workers' illustrated metal lunch boxes and beverage containers dating from the 1890s through the 1980s to celebrate the history and endurance of American lunch boxes. After reaching the height of their popularity at the dawn of the television era, lunch box sales became barometers for what was current in popular culture.

See September 2004 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 43-44

America on the Move

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing, Transportation Hall
This major exhibition examines how transportation -- from 1876 to 1999 -- has shaped our American identity from a mostly rural nation into a major economic power, forged a sense of national unity, delivered consumer abundance, and encouraged a degree of social and economic mobility unlike that of any other nation of the world.

Arranged chronologically and through 19 sections, historical moments explored include the coming of the railroad to a California town in 1876, the role of the streetcar and the automobile in creating suburbs outside of cities, and the transformation of a U.S. port with the introduction of containerized shipping in the 1960s.

Among the 300 objects on view, highlights include:
• The "Jupiter," a steam-powered locomotive built in 1876 for the Santa Cruz Railroad
• the 260-ton "1401" locomotive, which pulled President Franklin Roosevelt's funeral train on part of its journey to Washington, D.C.
• the 1903 Winton was the first car driven across the U.S. -- by H. Nelson Jackson and Sewall Crocker, with Bud the Dog as a passenger
• 1926 Ford Model T Roadster; the Ford Motor Company ceased production of the Model T in 1927
• a 1942 Harley-Davidson motorcycle
• a Chicago Transit Authority "L" mass transit car built in 1959
• a piece of U.S. Route 66, the "People's Highway," that connects Chicago to Los Angeles

Hands-on stations
Videos
Free brochure: America on the Move TripTik
Bilingual (English/Spanish) Family Guide
Companion book: $35 (cloth)

See October 2003 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 14 and 37-38; November 2003, pp. 32-34

Bon Appetit! Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian

- Permanent
1st floor, West Wing
Ms. Child's 14-foot x 20-foot kitchen -- custom-made by her husband -- has been reassembled here exactly as it was in her Cambridge, Massachusetts home. The kitchen, which Child (1912-2004) used as the set of three television shows and as the testing ground for many recipes featured in her cookbooks, is composed of more that 1,200 individual pieces, including everything from her stainless-steel kitchen sink, to her six-burner Garland commercial range, to her personal cookbooks. The kitchen represents Julia Child's extraordinary influence on the way Americans think about their food and its history. When Child moved back to her home state of California in 2001, she donated her kitchen to the museum. The museum staff packed and catalogued the entire kitchen, then reassembled it in the museum exactly as it was in Child's home.

Video (runs continuously)

See February 2002 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 36 and 37

Related books, DVDs, etc. available in the main Museum Store.

Within These Walls...

- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing
This exhibition tells the history of the re-created, 2 1/2-story, Georgian-style house that stood at 16 Elm Street in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and 5 of the many families who occupied it from the mid-1760s through 1945. The exhibition explores some of the important ways ordinary people, in their daily lives, have been part of the great changes and events in American history. Walking around the exterior of the house, visitors can view -- through open walls, windows, and doorways -- settings played out against the backdrop of Colonial America, the American Revolution, the abolitionist movement, the industrial era, and World War II. Near the exit is a list of all the families who lived in the house through the 1960s.

The Victory Garden -- a re-created World War II-era garden (installed by Smithsonian Horticultural Services Division) -- features "heirloom" vegetable varieties related to 1940s strains of popular Victory Garden vegetables, and flowers. The plantings are rotated seasonally spring-fall. The Garden is located outdoors, Lower Level, West Side, outside the Stars and Stripes Cafe.

Free brochure "House Detective: Finding History in Your Home"

See June 2002 Smithsonian magazine, pp.31-32

American Presidency: A Glorious Burden, The

- Permanent
3rd Floor, Center Corridor, Views into the Collection Gallery
More than 900 objects related to the 43 men who have held the nation's highest office are used to explore the public, personal, ceremonial, and executive boundaries of the presidency. Composed of 11 thematic sections, the exhibition addresses such topics as inaugural celebrations, presidential roles, life at the White House, limits of presidential power, assassinations and mourning, the influence of the media, and life after the presidency.

Highlights include the lap desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln's life mask and top hat, Lewis and Clark compass, the horse-drawn carriage that carried Ulysses S. Grant in his second inaugural parade in 1873, a radio microphone used by Franklin D. Roosevelt to give his fireside chats during World War II, an early teddy bear (named after Theodore Roosevelt), and Bill Clinton's saxophone.

Videos, including an introductory video welcoming visitors to the exhibition
Interactive Stations
Catalogue: $50 (cloth); $24.95 (paper)
See November 2000 Smithsonian magazine, p. 75; October 2004, pp. 52-65
See June 2002 Smithsonian magazine for article on LBJ, pp. 98-111
Satellite Museum Store (new location west of exhibition entrance)

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

- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing
This permanent exhibition explores the excitement and dynamism of American life during the 19th century through the experiences of 3 communities: Industrial Era Bridgeport, Connecticut; Jewish Immigrant Community of Cincinnati, Ohio; and African-Americans living in 19th-century Charleston, South Carolina. Major artifacts include a model of an Eli Whitney cotton gin and an Edison light bulb.

• Owners, Mechanics, and Operatives: The Promise of Industrialization looks at the new world of mills and factories through the eyes of owners and workers at the Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Co., a sewing-machine factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
• Jewish Immigrants: The Promise of a New Life considers the experiences of the 200,000 central Eastern European Jews who arrived in the United States between 1820 and 1880, focusing on Cincinnati, Ohio, an important city in the development of American Reform Judaism. Many Jewish immigrants to this area worked as peddlers, merchants, and manufacturers. This section features a fully outfitted late 19th-century peddler's cart.
• African Americans in Slavery and Freedom: Promise Deferred provides insights into the experience of urban and rural slavery and the limits placed on free blacks though the eyes of people who lived in low-country South Carolina in the 1800s. This section features re-creations of an 1840s slave cabin and of the Charleston Market.

Landmark Object: Greensboro Lunch Counter

- Permanent
2nd Floor, East Wing Corridor
This landmark object -- the Greensboro Lunch Counter -- identifies the American ideals wing of the museum.

This section of the Woolworth's lunch counter with 4 stools from Greensboro, North Carolina, represents the February 1, 1960 sit-in that challenged segregated eating places.

On February 1, 1960, four African American students -- Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond -- sat down at this counter and politely asked for service. Their request was refused. When asked to leave, they remained in their seats. They were all enrolled at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. Their "passive sit-down demand" began one of the first sustained sit-ins and ignited a youth-led movement to challenge injustice and racial inequality throughout the South.

On view Jan. 15, 2010-July 2010 (TBA)
-- A banner and timeline of Civil Rights events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sit-in.

See February 2010 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 28-29

Science in American Life

- Permanent
1st Floor, West Wing
Note: The following sections are closed for renovation: Starting at "Mobilization for War" through "Robots on the Road." Reopening date: TBA.

This exhibition examines the interaction between science and society from 1876 to the present. Through artifacts, historical photographs, computer interactives, and multimedia technology, the exhibition brings to life many of the scientific issues, controversies, and achievements that have shaped modern American culture.

Major topics addressed include the founding of a pioneering chemical laboratory in an American university, the use of experimental psychology and intelligence testing, science as a promoter and entertainer at the 1939 World's Fair, industrial science and the invention of nylon, the mobilization of science for World War II and atomic bomb research in the Manhattan Project, the growth of environmental awareness, and the new frontiers of biotechnology.

New to this exhibition is the new Looking Ahead Gallery, which explores how American society reacts to recent research and innovation on mobile robots. The first display in this gallery is:

Robots on the Road: Stanley
Nov. 21, 2008 - Indefinitely

This experimental robot car named "Stanley," a modified Volkswagen Touareg, offers a glimpse into the future of "smart" cars. It can drive itself without a human in the driver's seat or at remote controls; it sees the road ahead through roof-mounted laser sensors, video cameras, radar, and GPS resources and uses sophisticated computers to navigate the environment and avoid obstacles. "Stanley" was the winner of the 2005 Grand Challenge, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Highlights include:
• a re-creation of an 1876 chemical laboratory
• a family fallout shelter
• more than 1,000 scientific instruments
• Stanley, the experimental robot car

Power Machinery

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing
By the late 19th century, America's Industrial Revolution had a full head of steam. This hall follows the development of the increasingly efficient power machinery that helped the United States become a world leader in industrial production during this time. Full-size engines and models illustrate attempts to harness atmospheric force (1660-1700), the early age of steam power (1700-1770), the development of high-pressure and high-speed engines (1800-1920). The exhibition also shows the evolution of steam boilers and the steam turbine and progress in the techniques of harnessing water power. A number of pumps, waterwheels, and historic internal combustion engines are also on view.

Archives Center Cases: Solomon "Sol" Adler: Restless Inventor, 1901-1990

June 2010 - TBA
Albert Small Documents Gallery, 2nd Floor, East Wing
In changing display cases, the Archives Center features items from the museum's archival collection that document America's history and its diverse cultures, ranging from correspondences, diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and sound recordings. The following case is on view:

• Solomon "Sol" Adler: Restless Inventor, 1901-1990 These cases feature drawings and documents related to inventor Solomon "Sol" Adler, who developed the first sewing machine that offered decorative stitches. Also on view are three sewing machine models Adler built between 1939 and 1954 to work through his improvements and a Brother Pacesetter sewing machine with the ""wishing dial" he invented that allowed for 30 different decorative machine stitches.

Note/s: • No photography permitted

• Visitors wishing to use the Archives Center for research are encouraged to call in advance for an appointment: 202-633-3270.
• Archives' Center Web address: americanhistory.si.edu/archives

Gunboat Philadelphia

- Permanent
3rd Floor, East Wing
Built in 1776, the gunboat Philadelphia is the oldest American fighting vessel in existence. She sank on October 11, 1776, in Lake Champlain during the battle of Valcour Island, when an American flotilla commanded by General Benedict Arnold was defeated by a British fleet. The gunboat Philadelphia was raised in 1935 and came to the museum in 1964, complete with the 24-pound ball that sent it to the bottom.

Additions:
mid-December 2009 (tentative):
• Information about the gunboat Philadelphia's recovery in 1935, the history of its display at Lake Champlain, and its early preservation and acquisition by the museum
• Historical video footage of the 1935 raising of the gunboat Philadelphia from Lake Champlain
• New cases featuring artifacts recovered with the gunboat and the crew payroll

Outdoor Sculptures

- Permanent
Outdoors, Mall Entrance and Northwest Grounds
• Gwenfritz, a mammoth stabile by Alexander Calder, is on the northwest museum grounds (installed 1968)
• Infinity, a stainless-steel sculpture by Jose de Rivera, is at the Mall entrance (installed 1967).

Landmark Object: John Bull Locomotive

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing Corridor (outside America on the Move)
This landmark object -- the John Bull Locomotive -- identifies the transportation and technology wing of the museum.

On view is the steam locomotive John Bull and a section of the first iron railroad bridge in America.

The steam locomotive John Bull was built in 1831 and ran for 35 years, pulling trains of passengers and cargo between the two largest cities of the time, Philadelphia and New York. The locomotive propelled trains at 25 to 30 miles per hour. The John Bull, which was ordered from England by Robert Stevens for his railroad company, was named after the mythical gentleman who symbolized England. It was assembled by Isaac Dripps, a young steamboat mechanic who had never seen a locomotive before.

The Miniature World of Faith Bradford: The Dolls' House (new title)

- Permanent
3rd Floor, West Wing (south of original location)
This miniature dollhouse represents a romantic view of the life of a large and affluent American family in the early 1900s. Its 23 rooms contain more than 800 items, including furniture, linens, toys, and other household items. The late Faith Bradford, a records expert at the Library of Congress, spent more than a half century designing and building the miniature furnishings; it was donated to the museum in 1951. Also on view is Ms. Bradford's scrapbook, which shows her methods of creating the house.

Landmark Object: George Washington Sculpture

- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing Corridor
This landmark object -- the George Washington Sculpture -- identifies the American lives wing of the museum.

On view is the marble statue of George Washington commissioned by Congress in 1832 to commemorate the centennial of our first president's birth. The artist, Horatio Greenough, modeled his figure of Washington on a classical Greek statue of Zeus, but the semi-clothed statue attracted controversy and criticism as soon as it arrived in the city in 1841. In 1908, Congress transferred the statue to the Smithsonian, where it went on view in the Castle. Then in 1964, it was moved to the museum for its opening.

Musical Instruments Hall

- Permanent
3rd Floor, West Wing, North Gallery
The Hall of Musical Instruments -- made up of a Concert Hall and north and south galleries -- 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. Some have been carefully restored to playing condition.

Included in the Hall are several instruments made by Antonio Stradivari, universally acknowledged to have been the greatest of all violin makers. The Servais Cello (1701) is considered to be one of the best preserved Stradivarius cellos. Also included is the Herbert R. Axelrod Quartet of Decorated Instruments, also made by Stradivari. Among only 11 rare decorated Stradivarius instruments that survive today, the Axelrod Quartet features the following: Violin, the Ole Bull (1687); Viola, the Axelrod (1695); and Violin, the Greffuhle (1709). While generally on display, these instruments also are used for performances of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society.

Notes:
• Because many of the musical instruments are used during special concerts, some instruments may be off view periodically.
• The south gallery remains under renovation.

Landmark Object: Clara Barton's Red Cross Ambulance

- Permanent
3rd Floor, East Wing Corridor (outside The Price of Freedom)
This landmark object -- Clara Barton's Red Cross Ambulance -- identifies the American wars and politics wing of the museum.

This ambulance is one of eleven vehicles purchased in 1898 by the Central Cuban Relief Committee of New York for use by Clara Barton and the American National Red Cross. Commissioned and sent to Camp Thomas in Georgia right before the outbreak of the Spanish-American war, the ambulance was used to care for U.S. Army soldiers before their deployment to Cuba. Later, Barton used the ambulance at her Maryland home, which served as the Red Cross headquarters, storehouse, and distribution center.

Landmark Object: Disneyland's Dumbo the Flying Elephant

- Permanent
3rd Floor, West Wing Corridor
This landmark object -- Disneyland's Dumbo the Flying Elephant -- identifies the entertainment, sports, and music wing of the museum.

On view is one of the elephants from the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride from the original Disneyland theme park in Los Angeles, California.

Electricity: Lighting a Revolution

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing, Electricity Hall
This exhibition reveals -- through five interwoven stages -- how Thomas Edison's incandescent electric light bulb and other inventions began to transform our world and examines the similarities and differences between the process of invention in Edison's era and today.

Highlights include:
• several of Edison's early light bulbs