Museum of History & Industry

Join MOHAI for Fire Day with the Seattle Fire Department 🚒 Mark the 137th anniversary of the Great Seattle Fire at this free, family friendly event. Your firefighters-in-training will love meeting local firefighters, learning about fire safety at home and climbing aboard a real working fire engine and ladder truck. Kids can also explore hands-on artifacts, take home fire safety activities, and so much more. Learn more at the link in bio. @seattle_fire

Be among the first visitors to experience Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation at MOHAI! This landmark exhibition brings rare founding-era documents to Seattle for the final stop of an eight-city national tour, including an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence and a rare draft printing of the U.S. Constitution. 📅 On view July 30–August 16 🎟️ Free timed-entry tickets required MOHAI members get exclusive early access to tickets beginning June 1, before public tickets become available. Members enjoy guaranteed access to reserve time slots, plus invitations to exclusive events with a more relaxed, crowd-free experience. Become a member today and don’t miss this once-in-a-generation opportunity to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary. Join or renew today at the link in bio.

Calling all teens! Don't forget to apply for History Lab at MOHAI. Join us for a hands-on, two-week intensive for high school students entering grades 10–12 in the 2026–27 school year. Dive into local history, build your research skills, and experiment with creative ways to share the stories that shape your community. 📅 July 27–31 & August 3–7, 2026 ⏰ Monday–Friday, 10 am–4 pm 📍 Includes on-site sessions + off-site field trips Spots are limited—don’t miss your chance to explore history in a whole new way. Learn more and apply by May 22 at 11:59 pm at the link in bio.

248 years ago today, George Washington made history by signing the Oath of Allegiance to the United States. This moment symbolized Washington’s commitment to “the United States of America, to be Free, Independent and Sovereign States, and declare that the people thereof owe no allegiance or obedience to George the Third, King of Great Britain.” This Oath of Allegiance will be on display here in Washington State at @mohaiseattle as part of the Freedom Plane National Tour. This Founding-era document, along with others, is traveling the country in partnership with the @USNationalArchives and crewed by @boeing . The Freedom Plane will deliver this document and more to Washington State and be on display from July 30 to August 16 at @mohaiseattle .

New exhibit alert! The Beautiful Game: How Soccer Connects Us All opens at MOHAI on May 23 ⚽ Featuring powerful photography from Magnum Photos alongside highlights from MOHAI’s collection, this immersive exhibition explores how soccer sparks joy, builds community, and connects people across cultures. Discover the stories of Seattle’s vibrant soccer scene and the local clubs that keep the city’s passion for the game alive—just in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Learn more and plan a visit at the link in bio.

We still have a few spots left for Behind the Seams: Roaring '20s! ✨ Step into the sparkle, movement, and rebellion of the 1920s to explore how women’s style shocked and dazzled a century ago: when hemlines rose, silhouettes shifted, and eveningwear was made to move. Join Curator of Collections Clara Berg for a fascinating historical overview, followed by an intimate viewing of some of the most stunning 1920s dresses from MOHAI’s collection. 📅 May 16 🕚 11 am–12 pm - SOLD OUT 🕐 1 pm–2 pm 🕑 2 pm–3 pm Spots are limited! Learn more and register at the link in bio.

On a bright Sunday in #May 1944, fifty-three volunteer photographers snapped portraits of 1,091 mothers and their children to send to loved ones serving overseas in World War II at the Mother's Day Outdoor Portrait Gallery in Volunteer Park. This behind-the-scenes photo shows photographers and their subjects posing for these portraits. The event was cosponsored by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Seattle Photographic Society. Each of the finished portraits carried greetings and best wishes from the family, the cosponsors, the photographer and the people of Seattle. 📷: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, PI23411

Join MOHAI and Gage Academy of Art for a drawing workshop ✏️🖼️ Lake Union is haunted by ghosts of the past, echoing through time. In this class, participants will explore past, present, and future of the Lake Union Watershed by creating quick layered gesture drawings in charcoal, based off photos and ephemera from MOHAI’s collections. The class will culminate at the water’s edge, creating a drawing representing visions for the future. Learn more and get tickets at the link in bio. All art making materials will be provided. Tickets include access to MOHAI’s exhibitions. @gageacademy

In #May 1943, Seattle baseball fans packed into Sick's Stadium for opening day of the 1943 Seattle Rainiers season ⚾ During World War II, the United States' baseball seasons opened as usual. President Franklin Roosevelt believed that continuing the nation's professional baseball games would help take Americans' minds off the war. The Rainiers ended the 1943 season with 85 wins and 70 losses, placing third in the Pacific Coast League. 📷: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, PI27051

Coming soon! Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents that Forged a Nation will be on view at MOHAI from July 30 through August 16. For the first time ever, a collection of remarkable documents from our nation’s founding are on tour, and the public is invited to view them for free. From an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence to a rare draft printing of the U.S. Constitution. This is a rare opportunity to see documents from our country’s history and to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary. Seattle is the final stop for this exhibit on an eight-city tour around the country. This will be a free, timed ticketed entry. Learn more and sign up to be notified when tickets become available at the link in bio. 📷: Courtesy of @nationalwwimuseum The Freedom Plane National Tour exhibit is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation, with generous support from national partners including The Boeing Company, Comcast Corporation, Microsoft, and Procter & Gamble. Additional Support by FedEx Corporation. Free public access to Freedom Plane in Seattle is made possible by Presenting Sponsor @amazon and Sustaining Sponsor @gatesfoundation .

Registration is now open for May History Café: Field Notes Podcast, Architecture Edition! Join HistoryLink’s Tony Williams for a live recording of the Field Notes podcast featuring UW Architecture Professor Vikram Prakash. We’re digging into the intersection of deep time and urban design to discover how Seattle’s geological past continues to shape its future. Learn more and register at the link in bio. History Café is produced as a partnership between @HistoryLink , The Pacific Northwest Historians Guild, and MOHAI. 📷: Woody Herman radio interview, Seattle, November 7, 1947 MOHAI, Al Smith Collection, 2014.49.002.021.0068

#OnThisDay, May 5, 1974, the Seattle Sounders played their first game against the Los Angeles Aztecs⚽ Formed in December 1973, @soundersfc was the first professional soccer team in Seattle and were popular from the very beginning (although they lost their first game to the Aztecs 2-1 on the road). In their first season they hosted the first North American Soccer League (NASL) sell-out game, filling Memorial Stadium with 13,876 fans on June 22, 1974. Image one shows the Sounders' very first practice session, on May 1, 1974, at Memorial Stadium. At left is #18 John Rowlands, who played defense. Swipe for a look at a few players from that inaugural season. 📷: Seattle Sounders training at Memorial Stadium, May 1, 1974 MOHAI, Robert H. Miller Collection, 2002.46.1014.8A 📷: Roy Sinclair at Seattle Sounders' first practice, May 1, 1974 MOHAI, Robert H. Miller Collection, 2002.46.1014.27 📷: Ballan Campeau at Seattle Sounders' first practice, May 1, 1974 MOHAI, Robert H. Miller Collection, 2002.46.1014.11 📷: Willie Penman at Seattle Sounders' first practice, May 1, 1974 MOHAI, Robert H. Miller Collection, 2002.46.1014.20