National Museum of American History

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on the National Mall collects the social, political, scientific, military and everyday history of the United States. The modernist marble building by McKim, Mead and White, opened in 1964, was called the National Museum of History and Technology until 1980. The centrepiece is the original Star-Spangled Banner flag that flew over Fort McHenry in September 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key's lyrics; since 2008 it hangs behind glass in a dedicated climate chamber. Other highlights include Dorothy's ruby slippers from the 1939 Wizard of Oz, Julia Child's faithfully reconstructed kitchen, Thomas Edison's first light bulb prototype and Abraham Lincoln's top hat from the evening of his assassination. Families gravitate to the FOOD exhibition on the first floor and the America on the Move gallery with full-size locomotives and cars. Admission is free.