The Brazilian National History Museum was marvelous. I was a bit suspicious of a national history…read moremuseum that wasn't in the capital, but the Rio National Historical Museum certainly did the job.
The museum covers a wide range of exhibits. The sections devoted to the discovery of Brazil and Portuguese colonization were particularly interesting, as was the accompanying room devoted to discussing Brazil's indigenous populations and the plight they suffered at the hands of the Portuguese and Brazilians. My personal favorite was the portion of the museum devoted to independence, the Brazilian Empire and the Brazilian Monarchy. The rooms devoted to the Imperial Era were exceptionally well done, and incredibly educational when it came to learning about Pedro I, Pedro II, and Princess Isabella.
I gave it four stars for two reasons. The first was that the English language signs were haphazard. While some parts of the museum were fully accessible in English, other weren't at all. Luckily I know English and Portuguese, but if I hadn't it would have adversely affected my experience. The second thing I didn't enjoy was that there was no mention whatsoever of the military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985. Obviously it wasn't a pretty period in Brazil's national history, but it's certainly a sizable chunk of Brazilian history and I was looking forward to seeing how they discussed it.
Otherwise, though, I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone in Rio looking to learn more about Brazilian history.