Artifact of the Month

Featured Artifact

September 2021: 9/11 Responder's Hard Hat

When planes struck the Pentagon and the twin towers on September 11, 2001, FBI Pittsburgh personnel wondered where to respond—until they learned a plane had crashed in their jurisdiction. FBI agents and Evidence Response Team (ERT) members rushed to the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. They discovered a crater full of pieces of wreckage, most of which were the size of a notepad or smaller.

To help keep themselves safe during searches, ERT members wore protective gear, including hard hats, boots, and hazmat clothing. The FBI’s September Artifact of the Month is a black hard hat that a responder wore.

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Results: 63 Items

September 2021: 9/11 Responder's Hard Hat

The FBI’s September Artifact of the Month is a black hard hat that a 9/11 responder wore.
August 2021: Mignon 4 Typewriter

The FBI’s August Artifact of the Month is a Mignon 4, a mechanical index typewriter.
July 2021: Phone Bank from CENTBOM Investigation

The FBI's July Artifact of the Month is a phone booth from the FBI's investigation into the bombing at Centennial Olympic Park in July 1996.
June 2021: Desk Used at Nazi Saboteur Trial

The FBI's June Artifact of the Month is a desk used during the trial of Nazi saboteurs in the 1940s.
May 2021: Edward Lee Howard Dummy

The May 2021 Artifact of the Month is a dummy used by former CIA officer-turned-spy Edward Lee Howard to elude a special agent who was surveilling him.
April 2021: The Unabomber's Cabin

The FBI’s April 2021 Artifact of the Month is Theodore (Ted) Kaczynski's cabin, where he was arrested on April 3, 1996 near Lincoln, Montana. It has been reconstructed at FBI Headquarters.
March 2021: Limousine Piece from Reagan Assassination Attempt

The FBI’s March Artifact of the Month is a piece of the limousine struck during the assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan.
February 2021: The Silence of the Lambs Business Cards

The FBI’s February Artifact of the Month is a set of business cards—one for Clarice Starling and one for Jack Crawford. They were one of the many small props to bring authenticity to the set of The Silence of the Lambs.
January 2021: FBI Diver Helmet

The FBI’s January 2021 Artifact of the Month is a diving helmet like the ones FBI divers wear.
December 2020: Richard Reid's Shoes

The FBI’s December 2020 Artifact of the Month is the pair of shoes Richard Reid—also known as the shoe bomber—tried to detonate in 2001.
November 2020: Ross William Ulbricht's Laptop

The FBI’s November 2020 Artifact of the Month is a laptop that belonged to Ross William Ulbricht, who ran a darknet market called the Silk Road from 2011 to 2013.
October 2020: Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd's Death Mask

The FBI’s October 2020 Artifact of the Month is a mask of gangster Pretty Boy Floyd’s face made after his death in 1934.
September 2020: 9/11 Hijacker's Car

The FBI’s September 2020 Artifact of the Month is the car that carried one or more of the hijackers to Dulles International Airport on September 11, 2001.
June 2020: Laptop from Operation Ghost Stories

The FBI’s June 2020 Artifact of the Month is a laptop that spy Anna Chapman used to create a private wireless network for communicating with a Russian government official.
May 2020: Alarm Clocks from 2010 Times Square Bombing Attempt

The FBI’s May 2020 Artifact of the Month is a pair of alarm clocks that were part of a car bomb that Faisal Shahzad planned to detonate in Times Square in 2010.