Smithsonian Pop Quiz: How old was Elvis when he got his first guitar?
Answer: On October 3, 1945, ten-year-old Elvis made his first public performance in at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Dressed as a cowboy, Presley had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone as he sang Red Foley's "Old Shep." He came in fifth, winning $5 and a free ticket to all the fair's rides. A few months later, on his 11th birthday, Elvis got his first guitar as a present from his mother.
When you enter one of our 19 museums, a world of discovery awaits you… from Abraham Lincoln's iconic top hat in our Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life exhibition… to a brilliant 203 carat diamond in The Splendor of Diamonds exhibition… to an image of the "King of Rock & Roll" captured by equally iconic Andy Warhol.
That's why there's no place like the Smithsonian. Whatever your interest, our exhibitions connect you to people, places, and cultures from around the world and throughout time. But did you know that the vast richness of our exhibitions reach far beyond the walls of our museums?
The Smithsonian has the largest traveling exhibition operation in the world. Last year alone, 52 different exhibitions traveled to 697 communities in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Guam, and American Samoa. These exhibitions boasted an attendance of 5.15 million.
The hallmark of our work, Smithsonian exhibitions are the way we tell stories, educate the public, and preserve the past to learn from the future.
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When you enter one of our 19 museums, a world of discovery awaits you… from Abraham Lincoln's iconic top hat in our Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life exhibition… to a brilliant 203 carat diamond in The Splendor of Diamonds exhibition… to an image of the "King of Rock & Roll" captured by equally iconic Andy Warhol.
That's why there's no place like the Smithsonian. Whatever your interest, our exhibitions connect you to people, places, and cultures from around the world and throughout time. But did you know that the vast richness of our exhibitions reach far beyond the walls of our museums?
The Smithsonian has the largest traveling exhibition operation in the world. Last year alone, 52 different exhibitions traveled to 697 communities in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Guam, and American Samoa. These exhibitions boasted an attendance of 5.15 million.
The hallmark of our work, Smithsonian exhibitions are the way we tell stories, educate the public, and preserve the past to learn from the future.