American History
August 3, 1977: The TRS-80 Personal Computer Goes on Sale
It was with minimal expectations that, on August 3, 1977, Tandy Corporation teamed up with Radio Shack to release the TRS-80, one of the first personal computers available to consumer markets. While Don French—a buyer for the Tandy Radio Shack consumer electronic chain—had convinced some Tandy exec...
August 03, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Events: The ADA Turns 20, Saving the Chesapeake, Caribbean Music and More!
Monday, July 26: The Americans with Disabilities Act Turns 20: Objects Out of StorageToday marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law. To celebrate the occasion, curator Katherine Ott will show and discuss objects in the museum's collections that t...
July 26, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Wednesday Roundup: Protostars, Movie Stars, Maps of Stars and More
Spielberg and Lucas on Rockwell: In honor of the American Art Museum’s current exhibit entitled “Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg,” filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau interviewed both movie moguls about the 20th century painter and illus...
July 21, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Play on: The goSmithsonian Trek Ends July 24
Our mobile adventure goSmithsonian Trek ends this Saturday, July 24. In its short one-month run, the goSmithsonian Trek has inspired players to explore, create and interact with Smithsonian Museums like never before. Trekkers are encouraged to answer questions, write haikus and slogans and take pho...
July 19, 2010 |
By Jamie Simon
Happy Birthday, Ginger Rogers: The Original Dancing Queen
Ninety-nine years ago today, Virginia Katherine McMath was born in Independence, Missouri. At age 9, her mother married John Logan Rogers, after splitting with her husband shortly after Virginia's birth. Although she was never formally adopted, Virginia took her step-father's last name. Her cousin ...
July 16, 2010 |
By Katherine Purvis
Celebrating 55 Years of Disneyland With Dumbo the Flying Elephant
I know I've done and seen about everything when I see an elephant fly. And the truth is, I have—well, only at the Disneyland theme park courtesy of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, which was built shortly after the park opened 55 years ago this weekend on July 17, 1955.Though it's easy to cynica...
July 15, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Korean Film, Gullah Stories and Remembering Howard "Sandman" Sims
Friday, July 9: Made in Hong Kong Film Festival: VengeanceIn this high-voltage thriller that proves that popcorn flicks and high art can be one in the same, a French chef travels to Hong Kong and teams up with a gang of underworld assassins in his quest to avenge the death of his daughter's family....
July 09, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Curious London Legacy of Benedict Arnold
More than 200 years after his death, the most notorious traitor of the Revolutionary War has an unlikely supporter
July 09, 2010 |
By John Hanc
Looking Back at Wimbledon: Althea Gibson Wins Big
From Isner and Mahut setting a new record for the longest professional tennis match to previous champions Venus Williams and Roger Federer crashing out in the quarter-finals, Wimbledon 2010 was an exhilarating tournament to watch. But this year’s competition is not the only one to have delivered sh...
July 06, 2010 |
By Katherine Purvis
American History Highlights Celluloid and the Dawn of the Plastic Age
"There are plastics in your toaster, in the blender and the clock, in the lamp and in the roaster, on the door and in the lock, in the washer and the dryer and the garden tools you lend, in your music amplifier and electric fryer—you have got a plastic friend!" Or so goes a ditty from the 1964 Worl...
July 01, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Joys of Toys on Display at American History
This summer another Toy Story movie is playing in theaters, yet another animated ode to the nostalgia we associate with the playthings of our youth. It's also prime flea market season and toys will migrate from old homes to new ones; although certain pieces may find their way to eBay where they'll ...
June 30, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Pop-up Books Are More Than Meets the Eye
Pop-up books? Sure, they sound like kid fare, but as the recent new exhibition at the National Museum of American History proves, they are far more than just that. "Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop, and Turn," on view until next fall, not only showcases the history of the pop-up book, (which date...
June 17, 2010 |
By admin
The Great Escape From Slavery of Ellen and William Craft
Passing as a white man traveling with his servant, two slaves fled their masters in a thrilling tale of deception and intrigue
June 17, 2010 |
By Marian Smith Holmes
Events: Bolivan Arts Festival, Movies From Hong Kong, National History Day and More!
Monday, June 14: Ten-Day Festival: Arts and Artisans from Bolivia and the Peruvian Island of TaquileThe indigenous participants in the festival include the Chiquitanos, Guarayos, Icocenos, and Ayoreosl from the eastern lowlands of Bolivia, who demonstrate and sell a wide array of products and craft...
June 14, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Flag Day and Crochet
Friday, June 11: Sorry kids, no special events today. But be sure to check out this site for regularly-scheduled evening events at the Smithsonian.Saturday, June 12: Flag Day Family FestivalCome celebrate Flag Day at the American History Museum! Observe a naturalization ceremony for 25 children fro...
June 11, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
A Year of Hope for Joplin and Johnson
In 1910, the boxer Jack Johnson and the musician Scott Joplin embodied a new sense of possibility for African-Americans
June 2010 |
By Michael Walsh
The History Behind a Slave's Bill of Sale
On a worn, aged piece of paper dated 1835, a judge describes the details of his sale: a 16-year-old girl named Polly, with "yellow complexion and black eyes," the sale and purchase of whom the judge says he will warrant and defend "at all cost."The Bill of Sale, as documents like this became known,...
May 24, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Tracking History Through Rainbow Bridge
Old photographs of early 20th century outdoorsmen outline the path used by hikers today seeking the American Southwest landmark
May 24, 2010 |
By Jim Conaway
Muhammad Ali's Gear Headed to the Permanent Collections
It was 1964, and the famous heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali was preparing for one of his biggest fights: the battle against then-world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston.Liston was clearly the favored fighter. He held 7 to 1 odds against Ali, still known by his given name, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr...
May 20, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
It's Your Turn to Be the Inventor at the American History Museum
Every invention has a story. And the National Museum of American History's Lemelson Center wants visitors to help tell it.For the first time, the center is reaching out to the public to help plan its new exhibit, tentatively called "Places of Invention," which will explore the social, psychological...
May 19, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
