Live from the Moon Past Exhibit … Watch telecast footage of the 1968 Apollo 8 Mission, the first manned spacecraft to reach the Moon and safely return. This multimedia presentation features photos of the Moon's surface taken from the spacecraft and an audio recording of the astronauts’ description of the lunar surface. Apollo 8: Live from the Moon - December 24, …

Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Unbought and Unbossed Past Exhibit … "First black woman congressman" In 1969, Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman to serve in Congress, or, as she preferred, the "first black woman congressman." She was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971 and the Congressional Women's Caucus in 1977. Chisholm was also the first woman and the first African American to seek the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1972. During her seven …

Woodstock 1969 Past Exhibit … The 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair featured some of the greatest performers of the time and attracted an audience of 400,000. One of the most famous musical events of the 20th century, Woodstock continues to be a powerful symbol of the 1960s and the counterculture movement. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of this cultural touchstone, a Featured Document exhibit highlighting the history and legacy of three day festival of “Peace & Music” will be on display. Life …

Never Forget Remembering the Holocaust Past Exhibit … 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz On January 27, 1945, Soviet forces liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp complex in German-occupied Poland. Russian soldiers discovered thousands of sick, dying, and dead prisoners when they entered the complex of concentration camps, forced labor camps, and a killing center abandoned by the Nazis. The Schutzstaffel (SS), Hitler's paramilitary organization, had attempted to destroy the camp before …

75th Anniversary of the United Nations Charter Past Exhibit … Cooperating for post-war peace and security As World War II reached its climax, the United Nations Conference on International Organization convened on April 25, 1945, in San Francisco, CA, for the purpose of drafting the United Nations Charter. For two months, delegates from 50 nations representing every race, religion, and creed, worked to turn Allied proposals for the United Nations into a charter that all member nations agreed to. On June …

Black Wall Street 100 Years Since the Tulsa Race Massacre Past Exhibit … “--- were dead. Figures are omitted [because] NO ONE KNOWS.” —Red Cross Report On Memorial Day 1921, a Black shoe shiner named Dick Rowland rode in an elevator with white operator Sarah Page. The next day, Rowland was detained inside the Tulsa, Oklahoma, courthouse for the alleged assault of Page. Meanwhile, Tulsans gathered outside the courthouse to either witness or prevent Rowland’s possible lynching. During this gathering, shots …

An Unofficial Anthem Current Exhibit … The original handwritten chorus of "God Bless America," signed by Irving Berlin, ca. 1938 While the “Star-Spangled Banner” is America’s official national anthem, there are multiple tunes that have risen to unofficial status, including Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.” On view at the National Archives Museum from June 30 - July 5, 2026 are the original handwritten lyrics to “God Bless America,” as composed by Berlin. Handwritten original chorus of "God Bless …

50th Anniversary of Apollo XI Moon Landing Past Exhibit … On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong made one small step that forever changed history. In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo XI moon landing, view National Archives records that detail the carefully choreographed sequence of steps—from lift-off to splash-down—that resulted in the mission’s “giant leap for mankind." Apollo 11 Mission image - Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin walks near the Lunar Module, July 20, 1969. National …

Thanksgiving Historical Perspectives Past Exhibit … A Harvest Celebration During the autumn of 1621, at least 90 Wampanoag joined 52 English people at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, to mark a successful harvest. It is remembered today as the “First Thanksgiving,” although no one back then used that term. In fact, much of the so-called First Thanksgiving story was created decades and centuries later. As a result, many assumptions about the festival at Plymouth and its connection to Thanksgiving …

All American The Power of Sports Past Exhibit … All American: The Power of Sports The power of sports has many applications. Sports unite people, teach values, and inspire hope and pride. In the United States, sports have powered efforts to bring citizens together, shape them, and project a vision of what it means to be American. But sports convey power to athletes too—power to break social barriers and protest injustice. All American explores the power of sports both to embody our national ideals and …