In 1980, Namco released Pac-Man, an extremely popular video game designed by Toru Iwatani and distributed in North America by Bally/Midway. It was the first video game to spawn a marketing phenomenon, including licensed books, clocks, radios, a Saturday morning cartoon, and gadgets like this comb

The Spaniards who invaded Mexico brought to North America a well-developed equestrian tradition. Over the centuries, horses, saddles, and other riding paraphernalia were altered by the landscape and the lifestyles of both Spanish and indigenous riders. Accompanied by mariachi music, la charrería

Search over 7.4 million records with 568,100 images, video and sound files, electronic journals and other resources from the Smithsonian's museums, archives & libraries.

Students can learn about the 1921 U.S. Lighthouse Service tender Oak. This reference page is included in the online exhibition entitled America on the Move, which focuses on transportation in US history.

The National Highway System website is run by the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. The website offers teachers and students detailed maps of the nation’s highway system, which are broken down by state. The site also contains information about the hi

Following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the annexation of Texas, the land claims of many Mexican families were not respected, either by the new English-speaking settlers or by the U.S. government. Dispossession from family- and community-owned lands dealt a severe economic blow to the livel

By the time they broke with England, the thirteen American colonies had been issuing paper currency for nearly a century. Both they and the loose central government they set up under the Articles of Confederation to oversee matters of common concern would continue to do so throughout the War of I

How does American business affect you? How and why has it changed since the United States began? Come explore stories of business men and women who have changed the world. See hundreds of intriguing objects that illustrate transformations in society. Think about how Americans have mixed capitalis

This wooden grain fork was used during the late 19th century. Wide tined pitch forks like this were used to pitch hay, grains, straw, and other agricultural products. Before the mechanization of harvesting by combines, reaping, threshing, and winnowing were done by hand with simple tools like thi

This Butsudan-Buddhist altar was made from scrap lumber in Jerome Relocation Center in Arkansas. Buddhism was among the religions that was practiced in the internment camps. However, it was not formally recognized in the camp or marked with a specific house of worship within the internment camp g