Videos

The National Museum of American History hosted a discussion on maintaining the historical legacy of Emmett Till. This program features Reverend Wheeler Parker, who is Till’s cousin, U.S.…

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright received the “Great Americans” award from the National Museum of American History. She talked with philanthropist David Rubenstein about…

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor shared stories about the Supreme Court’s food traditions, including the justices' food preferences and topics of conversation at shared…

Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-California) became the first woman speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. In a ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Ms.…

Journalist Tom Brokaw received the “Great Americans” award from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. He talked with philanthropist David Rubenstein about reporting historical events,…

John Gray gave a tour the Innovation wing of the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. He showed some of his favorite objects, including a 1896 bicycle embellished with…

Ric Burns talked about how the public learns about history through film. Mr. Burns suggested that historical films can be powerful and compelling, but also limited in their portrayal of…

David Schwartz presented numerous selections from his online exhibit, “The Living Room Candidate,” which features more than 300 television commercials from every presidential election since 1952. He examined the…

We take you behind-the-scenes at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for a look at presidential campaign memorabilia dating from the time of George Washington’s…

Jon Grinspan and Zephyr Teachout talked about the tactics used by political parties in the late 19th century to secure votes, with public rallies, newspapers and even bars playing a…

Vanderbilt University history professor Sarah Igo, and Washington Post polling director Jon Cohen talked about the history of political polling in America at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.…

Duke University History Professor Thavolia Glymph and University of Richmond President Edward Ayers were among the historians who explored the circumstances, outcomes, and ongoing considerations…

In December, 2001, Congress designated the Smithsonian American History Museum as the national repository of September 11 collections. The exhibit “September 11: Remembrance and Reflection”…

In the early 1960s more than 14,000 Cuban children arrived alone in the United States in the movement now known as Operation Pedro Pan. Dick Lobo moderated a roundtable discussion with scholars and Operation…

President Bush spoke at a ceremony marking the re-opening of the National Museum of American History, which had been closed for renovations since September 5, 2006. The museum would be open…

Members of a President’s Day panel talked about the presidential biographies they wrote for Times Books' American Presidents series. Arthur Schlesinger, the general editor of the series,…

Ms. Jardine talked about her book The Curious Life of Robert Hooke: The Man Who Measured London, published by HarperCollins. It is a biography of scientist, inventor, architect, surveyor, and…

Professor Kagan talked about his book, The Peloponnesian War, published by Viking. In this lecture, he explored the modern lessons that could be drawn from this conflict between the Greek…

Author Lynne Cheney spoke at an event marking the publication of her new children’s book, America: A Patriotic Primer. The book is a history of the United States told through the stories of…