SpymasterinChief George Washingtons Wartime Espionage Current Exhibit … George Washington’s Revolutionary War Account Book, 1775-1783. National Archives, General Records of the Department of the Treasury View in the National Archives Catalog George Washington’s Revolutionary War Account Book, 1775-1783. National Archives, General Records of the Department of the Treasury View in the National Archives Catalog During the Revolutionary War, a large network of colonial spies worked in secret to disrupt British …

Road to Revolution Current Exhibit … Road to Revolution  is a rotating exhibition series highlighting National Archives records that document major milestones and critical historical context to the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Annotated Map of the British Colonies in North America with the Roads, Distances, Limits and Extent of the Settlements, ca. 1775. Records of Boundary and Claims Commissions and Arbitrations View in the National …

National Inventors Day Marjorie S Joyner Past Exhibit … Marjorie S. Joyner and her students from Madame Walker Beauty School, 1925 Courtesy of the Chicago Public Library   Among the first African American women to receive a patent, inventor Marjorie Stewart Joyner had an influential career as a teacher and activist. Born in 1896 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Marjorie Stewart moved to Chicago in 1912. Four years later, she was the first African American to graduate from the A. B. Moler Beauty …

Want to hunt for the Yeti Past Exhibit … Government Regulations for Yeti Expeditions in Nepal On November 30, 1959, the American Embassy in Kathmandu issued this memo outlining the regulations for American mountaineering expeditions in Nepal to search for the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman. Believed by some to reside in the Himalayan Mountains, interest in the Yeti spiked during the 1950s. This prompted the government of Nepal to issue regulations for Yeti-hunting parties. The U.S. State Department’s memo …

Behind the MusicalAlexander Hamilton Documents Past Exhibit … Can't get tickets to Hamilton? Come see the original documents from the Founding Father whose life and legacy inspired the musical. To mark the the run of Hamilton: An American Musical at The Kennedy Center, a collection of rare Alexander Hamilton documents related to lyrics from the hip-hop musical sensation will be on display. These historic records relate to Hamilton's service at the Battle of Yorktown, participation in the Constitutional …

20th Amendment A New Inauguration Day Ongoing Exhibit … The 20th Amendment to the Constitution was proposed by Congress in 1932 and ratified by the states on January 23, 1933. Since then, the President’s and Vice President’s terms begin midday on January 20. Congress begins on January 3. The amendment also defines a backup procedure in the event that a President-elect dies or has not been chosen by inauguration day–a statute that Congress has never needed to enact. Joint Resolution Proposing the 20th …

250th Anniversary of the US Army Current Exhibit … America’s first national institution The United States Army is older than the nation it protects and defends. Established more than a year before American independence was declared, the U.S. Army—America’s first national institution—has played a vital role throughout our history.  Whether they fought to secure American independence, to preserve the Union, or to make the world a safer place and defend against the global threat of terrorism, American …

First Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin Past Exhibit … Four years before ratification of the 19th Amendment secured American women’s constitutional right to vote, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress. Political pioneer, suffragist, pacifist Four years before ratification of the 19th Amendment secured American women’s constitutional right to vote, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress. Rankin was sworn in as a representative for Montana on April 2, 1917. She served …

The 50th Anniversary of Title IX Past Exhibit … Sex discrimination in education put Patsy Mink on a path to becoming a legislator. Title IX —an act barring sex discrimination in education— was to be her signature legislative achievement.   Denied entry to medical school because of her sex, Patsy Mink entered law school instead. She went on to become the first Asian American and first woman of color elected to Congress. The educational discrimination Mink faced as a young woman fueled her desire to secure …

The Maker of Pilots Willa B Brown Past Exhibit … Aviator Willa Beatrice Brown (1906–92) achieved numerous “firsts” in her lifetime, many of them earned through her tireless advocacy to integrate aviation programs. Brown began taking flying lessons in 1934, and over the next four years she earned an MBA at Northwestern University, her Master Mechanic Certificate, and her pilot’s license, making her the first Black woman to receive a license in the United States. Determined to give aspiring pilots …