The National
Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects,
preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of
social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items
on display is the original Star-Spangled Banner.
The museum opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. In 1980, the museum was renamed
the National Museum of American History
to represent its mission of the collection, care, study, and interpretation of
objects that reflect the experience of the American people.
Each wing of the museum's three exhibition floors is
anchored by a landmark object to highlight the theme of that wing. These
include the John Bull locomotive, the Greensboro, North Carolina lunch counter,
and a one of a kind draft wheel. Landmarks from pre-existing exhibits include
the 1865 Vassar Telescope, a George Washington Statue, a Red Cross ambulance,
and a car from Disneyland's Dumbo Flying Elephant ride.
Artifact walls, 275 feet of glass-fronted cases, line the
first and second floor center core. The artifact walls are organized around
themes including arts; popular culture; business, work and economy; home and
family; community; land and natural resources; peopling America; politics and
reform; science; medicine; technology; and the United States' role in the
world.
