O Say Can You See?

Eureka! A sneak peek at Spark!Lab

You know that moment when an idea suddenly strikes and—BOOM—there’s a new invention ready to change the world? No? Well, the museum’s newest hands-on space just might give you a chance to experience it. Spark!Lab aims to show the real story behind an inventor’s work by giving you a chance to play games, try out science experiments, and become an inventor yourself. In the following video, Spark!Lab’s Steve Madewell gives a sneak peek into the new space and demonstrates some of the fun activities awaiting visitors when the museum reopens on November 21.

If you’re a sucker for experiments involving flames (like I am), you’ll be interested in a demonstration designed to explain some of the science behind the conservation of the Star-Spangled Banner. If you were working to conserve an object, a burn test on a small sample of fabric might help you determine whether the artifact you’re caring for is made of wool or cotton (apparently, they give off quite different scents whilst burning). If lightning is more your speed, you’ll get a kick out of Benjamin Franklin’s lightning bell. With a new area for children under 5, experiments with dry ice, and a light bulb that glows without being plugged in—there’s something eye-opening for everyone to experience and get your hands on. 

Dana Allen-Greil is the new media project manager at the National Museum of American History. She can be seen making faces at the burnt smells of cotton and wool in the aforementioned video.

Sneak peek at the new Star-Spangled Banner gallery

A little over a month ago we shared video of the Star-Spangled Banner—the flag that inspired the national anthem—moving from the conservation lab to its new permanent home. With just a few weeks to go before the museum reopens, we’re back with a new video tour of the exhibition gallery taking shape around the flag chamber.

Please pardon our dust—and the construction noise in the background!—as project manager Jeffrey Brodie and education specialist Megan Smith take us behind the scenes into the exhibition as it is being installed. Upon entering the space, we’re taken to the time when Francis Scott Key was inspired to write his famous lyrics during the Battle of Baltimore. After viewing the state-of-the-art flag chamber, we take a look at the interactive table Megan wrote about in October, which allows us to investigate key details of the flag and how it was made. Finally, we get an insider’s take on the flag as a family keepsake in the 19th century, the Smithsonian’s efforts to preserve the artifact since 1907, and how Americans have used the Star-Spangled Banner—both the flag and the song—to express diverse ideas of patriotism and national identity.

Dana Allen-Greil is the museum’s new media project manager. She thinks our new media intern, Anna Bethel, did a fabulous job producing this video piece to share with you.

Collecting the presidential campaigns

Political history curators Harry Rubenstein and Larry Bird have been traveling to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions since the late 1980s. At each convention they collect campaign memorabilia for the museum’s political history collection—a whopping 150,000 objects and counting. In the following video, Harry and Larry give a “show and tell” of some of the artifacts they collected from the 2008 campaigns. In addition to everyday campaign materials such as signs and buttons, the two curators brought back some colorful artifacts—like a McCain “terrible towel” and an Obama action figure. What are some of the most interesting presidential items you’ve seen in elections past?

Dana Allen-Greil is the museum’s new media project manager. In her neighborhood, jack-o-lanterns bedecked with depictions of the candidates were quite popular this election season and, unfortunately, too perishable for the museum’s collections.