# Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation

Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation at Science Museum, Friday 30 October 2026, until 25 Apr.

- Price: Free
- Venue: Science Museum, London
- Get tickets: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/guides
- Go to page: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/becoming-america

![Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation](https://noky.io/images/f5bcc567004fe5dfdc2f41a7b76caaae3eda9e030b52482fb7654f401cfef7bd-1200.webp)

Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation is a free, ticketed exhibition at a museum in South Kensington, on level 2 of the building and recommended for ages 11 and up. It was made by the Science Museum with support from Griffin Catalyst as title funder, marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Covering the 1760s to the 1790s, it reveals how science shaped, and was shaped by, the land, peoples and power that led to the emergence of the United States, connecting colonial scientific ambition with the knowledge of enslaved and free African-descended peoples and Indigenous practices. Through maps, paintings, instruments and artefacts — including a rare surviving 1776 print of the Declaration of Independence, a microscope made for King George III, a dugout canoe built with traditional Indigenous methods, and the first known chart of the Gulf Stream — it explores the scientific undercurrents of this tumultuous period.

## Dates

- Friday 23 October until 25 Apr — Science Museum

Written by a model, sources: [sciencemuseum.org.uk](https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/becoming-america)

## More like this

- Tuesday 10 November, until 3 Jan How we Lost America Exhibition — Boston Manor — Free — An exhibition on show at a historic house in Brentford, free to enter with no booking needed. — https://noky.io/en/london/events/how-we-lost-america-exhibition-35032/
- Friday 30 October, until 1 Nov How we Lost America Exhibition — Hogarth's House — Free — 'How We Lost America' is an exhibition exploring the dawn of American Independence through a British lens. — https://noky.io/en/london/events/how-we-lost-america-exhibition-36534/
- Tuesday 10 November, 19:00 ‘How We Lost America: A New Perspective on American Independence’ Book Launch — Boston Manor — Free — A free book launch celebrating the publication of 'How We Lost America: A New Perspective on American Independence'. — https://noky.io/en/london/events/how-we-lost-america-a-new-perspective-on-american-independen-35033/
- Tuesday 3 November, 18:00 Revolutions: Marking the 250th Anniversary of 1776 with Society of Antiquaries of London — Benjamin Franklin House — An evening of performed readings tracing the struggle over sovereignty, liberty and power from 1628 to 1787, marking the 250th anniversary of 1776. — https://noky.io/en/london/events/revolutions-marking-the-250th-anniversary-of-1776-with-socie-34935/
- Tuesday 3 November, 18:00 Revolutions: Marking the 250th Anniversary of 1776 — Society of Antiquaries — An evening of performed readings tracing the struggle over sovereignty, liberty and power from 1628 to 1787, marking the 250th anniversary of 1776. — https://noky.io/en/london/events/revolutions-marking-the-250th-anniversary-of-1776-38655/
- Friday 6 November, until 3 May Arcadia by Sir John Akomfrah — Natural History Museum — Free — "Arcadia" is a multi-screen film installation about a global migration of people, nature and disease. — https://noky.io/en/london/events/arcadia-by-sir-john-akomfrah-37307/
- Saturday 31 October, 18:00 Spooky Storytelling — Benjamin Franklin House — An evening of eerie storytelling held in the historic Benjamin Franklin House, featuring ghostly tales and chilling poems performed under candlelight. — https://noky.io/en/london/events/spooky-storytelling-34934/
- Thursday 12 November, 10:00 Through the Keyhole: Daily Life in Georgian England Revealed — Benjamin Franklin House — £8 — A talk at Benjamin Franklin House called Through the Keyhole: Daily Life in Georgian England Revealed. — https://noky.io/en/london/events/through-the-keyhole-daily-life-in-georgian-england-revealed-34936/