Past Exhibits

Featured Document Display: First Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin
Fri, 03/19/2021 - Fri, 04/02/2021
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.

Featured Document Display: 150 Years of the Surgeon General
Thu, 01/14/2021 - Wed, 03/31/2021
To many Americans, the Surgeon General of the United States is the “nation’s doctor,” but it was a very different job 150 years ago.

Featured Document Display: George Washington's First Inaugural Address
Mon, 01/04/2021 - Thu, 01/14/2021
George Washington set many precedents as the first President of the United States, beginning on the day he took office.

Featured Document Display: 250 Years of Beethoven
Mon, 11/16/2020 - Wed, 01/13/2021
In honor of Beethoven's 250th birthday, we share this record from the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.

Featured Document: Want to hunt for the Yeti?
Mon, 10/26/2020 - Fri, 11/06/2020
A State Department memo reminds us that there are policies for everything - even Yeti-hunting in the Himalayas.

Featured Document Display: Victory in Japan: 75th Anniversary of the End of WWII
Tue, 08/25/2020 - Wed, 11/11/2020
World War II Finally came to an end on September 2, 1945, when Japan formally surrendered on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Featured Document Display: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Thu, 07/23/2020 - Wed, 08/26/2020
World War II marked the first—and only—wartime use of atomic weapons. The U.S. bombing of Japan helped to bring an end to the deadliest war in history, but resulted in many more civilian deaths.

Featured Document Display: 75th Anniversary of the United Nations Charter
Fri, 06/12/2020 - Wed, 07/22/2020
The United Nations was established after World War II in an attempt to maintain international peace and security and to achieve cooperation among nations on economic, social and humanitarian problems.

Featured Document Display: 75th Anniversary of V-E Day: End of WWII in Europe
Thu, 04/30/2020 - Wed, 06/24/2020
In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, the National Archives features the English and German surrender documents signed at Berlin on V-E Day.

Featured Document Display: Earth Day: 50th Anniversary
Fri, 04/17/2020 - Wed, 04/29/2020
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with artist Robert Rauschenberg's iconic Earth Day poster.