American History

None

Contributors

The Anacostia Community Museum has organized the exhibit “Reclaiming the Edge: Urban Waterways and Civic Engagement.”

Spotlight

Love Chicken Nuggets? Thank Cornell Poultry Professor Robert C. Baker

In 1963, this professor of poultry science came up with the first chicken nuggets

None

You Know You Want To Snoop Around Marilyn Monroe’s Secret FBI File

Freshly un-redacted FBI files paint Monroe as a bit of a communist

None

Smithsonian’s Very Own Maestro David Baker is All That’s Jazz

David Baker, the leader of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, steps down, leaving a soaring legacy in his wake

None

What Will You Be Watching for on Watch Night?

With end-of-year watch and see anxieties lurking, it's important to know that the Watch NIght was a wait for news of freedom

The Inkwell used by Lincoln, the Proclamation draft and Lincoln's pen.

How the Emancipation Proclamation Came to Be Signed

The pen, inkwell and one copy of the document that freed the slaves are photographed together for the first time

None

This Nostalgic Private Collection Has 1,713 Photos of Old-Fashioned Cans, Jars and Clippings

Flickr user Roadsidepictures offers hundreds of images of vintage product packaging spanning most of the 20th century

The March on Washington was organized in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation to call on the country to fulfill its promise.

How Change Happens: The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 March on Washington

At the 150th and 50th anniversary of two historic moments, the African American History and Culture Museum and American History Museum team up

Ai Weiwei’s use of historic materials is the topic of discussion at Friday’s gallery talk at the Hirshhorn.

Events December 14-16: Ai Weiwei’s Ceramics, Mayan Calendar and Stradivari’s Instruments

Learn about the contemporary artist's use of historic objects, why the world didn't end and just what's so special about Stradivari in concert

Before the Civil War, There Were 8,000 Different Kinds of Money in the U.S.

It wasn't until after the war that the U.S. started to really use the dollar

The Obamadon is that little blue guy in the left corner.

How To Get an Ancient Lizard Named After You: Get Elected President

Simply get elected president, and you'll have a fair chance of some newly discovered creature inheriting your moniker

None

Smithsonian Curators Offer Up a Holiday Gift Guide for History Lovers

The best of history reads from Lincoln's true thoughts on slavery, to the White House dinner that shocked a nation, to California's hip-hop scene

A reef ecosystem grows on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

Environmentalists Want To Keep Oil Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Wait, What?

Oil companies want to pull their rigs from the Gulf, but environmentalists are saying "no"

Shimabukuro considers himself a traditional ukelele player, though his fans encompass young and old.

Hawai`i’s Troubadour of Aloha

An upcoming documentary will highlight Hawaiian ukulele-playing sensation Jake Shimabukuro, who performed for Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Center

Eugene Cernan on the surface of the Moon, December 1972.

It’s Been 40 Years Since Anyone Rode a Rocket to the Moon

Apollo 17 took off forty years ago today

None

Remembering Dave Brubeck, Goodwill Ambassador

Joann Stevens remembers legendary jazz artist Dave Brubeck, who died Wednesday at age 91

Richard Paul Pavlick (at right) attempted to assassinate Kennedy outside the President-elect's church in Palm Beach, Florida, in December 1960. Shown here is Kennedy and his family outside that church in April 1963.

The Kennedy Assassin Who Failed

Richard Paul Pavlick’s plan wasn’t very complicated, but it took an eagle-eyed postal worker to prevent a tragedy

Not Besse Cooper’s hands

Besse Cooper, World’s Oldest Person, Passes Away

Born in 1896, Besse Cooper was came into a world that was vastly different than the one she just left

None

Oldest Book Printed on American Soil To Go Up for Sale

A 372-year old book of psalms is set to go up for auction

Page 144 of 179