An Exhibit of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. 1492. Columbus. The date and the name provoke many questions related to the linking of very different parts of the world, the Western Hemisphere and the Mediterranean. What was life like in those areas before 1492? What spurred European expansion? How did European, African and American peoples react to each other? What were some of the immediate results of these contacts? 1492: AN ONGOING VOYAGE addresses such questions by examining the rich mixture of societies coexisting in five areas of this hemisphere before European arrival. It then surveys the polyglot Mediterranean world at a dynamic turning point in its development. The exhibition examines the first sustained contacts between American people and European explorers, conquerors and settlers from 1492 to 1600. During this period, in the wake of Columbus's voyages, Africans also arrived in the hemisphere, usually as slaves. All of these encounters, some brutal and traumatic, others more gradual, irreversibly changed the way in which peoples in the Americas led their lives. The dramatic events following 1492 set the stage for numerous cultural interactions in the Americas which are still in progress - a complex and ongoing voyage. Washington, DC

Since 1926 the Naval Historical Foundation’s principal purpose has been to educate Americans about the history and importance of American sea power, and the contribution and sacrifices United States Navy sailors have made while protecting our freedom and preserving democracy in peace and war. The Foundation acquires artifacts and historical documents on behalf of the Navy, and, in cooperation with museums, archives, and libraries, makes these important historic materials available for public exhibit or scholarly study. The Foundation, alone and in cooperation with the United States Navy, with civilian institutions and corporations, and with private citizens, commemorates important naval events in American history, thus ensuring that these remain in the American memory, that their importance is understood, and that those who served in them continue to be recognized. Washington, DC

Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is the world's largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities. Washington, D.C.

As owners of "America's Flagship," the SS United States Conservancy leads the global effort to ensure that this enduring expression of American pride and innovation educates and inspires for generations to come. The Conservancy began as an initiative of the SS United States Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization founded in 1992. The Society helped secure Congressional support for the SS United States through the SS United States Preservation Act of 1992, legislation designed to protect the ship from destruction. The Society also helped secure the ship's listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The ship was added to the Register even though she was less than fifty years of age because of her "compelling national significance," a status earned by less than one percent of the Register's 78,000 historic sites. Launched in 1951... upon her delivery to the United States Lines, the SS United States was most graceful, modern, powerful and sleekest vessel in the world. Based in Washington, D.C.