All Smithsonian museums, including our locations in D.C. and Virginia, will be closed on Sunday, Jan. 25, and Monday, Jan. 26 due to winter weather.
Stories of daring, stories of technological feats, stories of prevailing against the odds ... these are the stories we tell at the National Air and Space Museum. Dive in to the stories below to discover, learn, and be inspired.
Showing 101 - 110 of 200
July 27, 2020
Curator Russ Lee discusses the lesser-known Japanese fighter aircraft Shiden Kai.
July 10, 2020
Curator Jeremy Kinney explores the contribution of Royal Air Force leader Desmond Cooke to the improvement of Supermarine Spitfires prior to the Battle of Britain.
July 08, 2020
Historian Thomas Paone explores the important role played by K-ships in hunting German U-Boats during World War II.
July 06, 2020
Curator Laurence Burke looks back on the extensive career of Navy pilot Edward L. “Whitey” Feightner
June 09, 2020
The Tuskegee Airmen’s fight for equality involved more than their skills in the air. It required coordinated, collective actions of civil disobedience in which 162 officers risked their careers and their lives to stand up against systemic racism in the US Army Air Forces (AAF).
May 20, 2020
Aeronautics curator Dorothy Cochrane explores the history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and their fight for recognition for their contributions to World War II.
May 05, 2020
Curator Michael Hankins examines the history of the World War II fighter plane P-38 Lightning and its connections with the fan-favorite SR-71 Blackbird.
May 04, 2020
Naval aviation curator Laurence Burke explores a lesser known type of naval aviation — spotter planes, a role mainly filled by Vought OS2U Kingfishers.
May 01, 2020
Few American fighter pilots on their own survived a turning, twisting, close-in dogfight against a capable Japanese pilot flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero during World War II. Curator Russell Lee explores in a new blog.
July 25, 2019
Today we’re talking about a chilling chapter from flight history— Night Bomber Regiment 588.