A look inside the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History

At this Spark!Lab workstation, kids are charged with inventing a rolling toy. (WTOP/John Aaron)

A mock-up of a high-wheel bicycle to sit on. (WTOP/John Aaron)

Clothes from the 1890s to the 1980s can be "virtually" tried on. (WTOP/John Aaron)

“The Price is Right” players try to guess the price of everyday objects from the past. Players are given clues like the average wage for the year the product was sold. (WTOP/John Aaron)

Place of Invention: Medical Alley, Minnesota, in the 1950s. Visitors can change the settings on a prototype pacemaker to "save" a patient. (WTOP/John Aaron)

At Places of Invention, a look at manufacturing in Hartford, Connecticut, in the late 1800s. Visitors can follow steps to turn a piece of wire into a photo/business card holder. (WTOP/John Aaron)

Visitors can learn about the origins of hip-hop "scratching" and try it themselves. (WTOP/John Aaron)

Places of Invention features the story of hip-hop's birth in the Bronx. "Hip-hop is not something you traditionally think of as an invention," says curator Laurel Belman. "That's one of the reasons we decided to choose it." (WTOP/John Aaron)

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WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has new exhibits focusing on inventions and innovations.

They open to the public July 1.

“Places of Invention” provides snapshots of times and places in which significant progress was made.

The adjoining “Spark!Lab” is a hands-on invention workshop for children and families, and the “Object Project” area features “everyday things that changed everything.”

John Aaron

John Aaron is a news anchor and reporter for WTOP. After starting his professional broadcast career as an anchor and reporter for WGET and WGTY in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, he went on to spend several years in the world of sports media, working for Comcast SportsNet, MLB Network Radio, and WTOP.