National Museum of American History - Washington, D.C. Part 2

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I'm interrupting our 1970s-style tour of Washington, D.C. to introduce you to the National Museum of American History. Of all the Smithsonian museums, this one is my favorite. Here are a few of the national treasures that you can find here:

1. Dumbo car from the Dumbo ride at Disneyland, 1955

2. Ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, 1938

3. George Washington's uniform, 1790s

4. Greensboro Lunch Counter from desegregation sit-in, 1960

5. Civil War draft wheel, 1863

6. The Continental Gunboat Philadelphia, built and sunk in 1776

Can you believe how many amazing pieces of our history are in one building?

The museum also displays beautiful dresses worn by the First Ladies to the Inaugural Balls, relics of scientific history like Thomas Edison's lightbulb from 1879 and the original polio vaccine, modern history pieces like fragments of the Berlin Wall and pop culture items like Michael Jackson's hat. The museum also has a sense of humor, housing Seinfeld's "Puffy Shirt" (1993) and R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars (1982). And the most American of all American symbols, THE Star Spangled Banner!

I could go on and on about this museum. A complete listing of the museum's collections is here. If you're ever in Washington, D.C., the National Museum of American History is a must-see!

We'll be back to our regularly-schedule program (Part 3 of our 1970s-style tour of Washington, D.C.) tomorrow.