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Smithsonian Debuts Star-Spangled New Museum

DC's Smithsonian Institution has been without one of its biggest draws for two years now, ever since the National Museum of American History closed for a renovation in 2006. To be sure, the stuffy museum was ripe for a redo: The building felt like it was stuck in history itself.

So after a long wait, the spruced-up museum reopens today, looking not much at all like it's former self. The museum's diverse artifacts--from the manuscript of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves--are now on display in a soaring, five-story, sky-lit atrium.

And the museum's historical mega star, the original, 200-year-old Star-Spangled Banner, is the centerpiece of the new facility, housed in a spiffy new glass gallery.

Related Stories:
· National Museum of American History [Official Site]
· Natural History Travel: The Smithsonian's New Sant Ocean Hall [Jaunted]

[Photo: Smithsonian]