A BRIEF HISTORY
The National Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian institution is a facility that holds the largest collection of historic aircrafts and spacecrafts in the world. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum and opened to the public in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C. the Air & Space museum is a center for research into the rich and deep history of the sciences of aviation and spaceflight. Over 2,000 artifacts including aircrafts, space artifacts, and smaller objects are displayed at the National Air & Space Museum. Here we will uncover four of the most viewed artifacts on display at the National Air & Space Museum.
More than eight million people a year visit the Museum's two locations, making it the most visited museum in the country. Since it opened in 1976, the Museum has welcomed 311 million visitors.
The Museum is the largest of the Smithsonian's 19 museums and its Center for Earth and Planetary studies is one of the Institution's nine research centers.
Thirteen of the Air & Space’s original employees are still employed at the museum today, 35 years later. Among them are Priscilla Strain and Tom Crouch.
In 1946, President Harry Truman signed Public Law 722, establishing the National Air Museum, the predecessor to the Air and Space Museum.