The Smithsonian opened the National Air and Space Museum’s new building on July 1, 1976, during the Bicentennial.
The museum opened on the National Mall just days before the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Its creation gave the Smithsonian a major public venue for aircraft, spacecraft, and artifacts documenting the history of flight and space exploration.
The opening fit the technological themes of the anniversary year. NASA also organized the Third Century America science and technology exhibition, and the Viking 1 mission was preparing for its historic Mars landing later that month. The museum’s location made it part of Washington’s larger national celebration.
July 4, 1976, is the better-known Bicentennial date, but it was not the museum’s opening date. April 1, 1975, was the launch date of the American Freedom Train, while October 11, 1976, was the date President Ford signed the law honoring George Washington’s military rank.