Explore America and discover people, places, art, and history that connect to Delaware in the Smithsonian’s collections, held in trust for the American people. Delaware joined the Union as the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. When the original states sought independence from Great Britan in 1776, Caesar Rodney travelled through a thunderstorm on horseback to cast the Delaware delegation’s deciding vote.
In 1802, French immigrant Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours founded a gunpowder works along the serene Brandywine River. The DuPont company patented a cellulose-based smokeless gunpowder in 1893 and became a major distributor of smokeless gunpowder during World War I. Headquartered in Wilmington, scientists at DuPont developed significant chemical compounds, including nylon, neoprene, spandex, Lycra, and Kevlar.
Former President Joe Biden served as Delaware’s Senator for 36 years before becoming the 46th President of the United States. While in the Senate, he famously commuted daily by Amtrak from Wilmington to Washington, D.C.—a routine that earned him the nickname "Amtrak Joe" and reflected his deep ties to the state.
