American History
Dancing Around Abraham Lincoln
Bill T. Jones, one of America’s foremost living choreographers, tackles Lincoln’s complicated legacy in his newest work
September 11, 2009 |
By Rebecca Milzoff
Remembering Legendary Pitcher Satchel Paige
Larry Tye, author of a Satchel Paige biography, will join Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Wil Haygood, Washington Post columnist, in a discussion about the famous pitcher at the Carmichael Auditorium of the National Museum of ...
September 08, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Go Back to School With the Smithsonian!
Back to school season is upon us! Students are spazzing over course schedules and the teachers they have to expand their minds. Teachers are sure to wonder what young minds they get to contend with over the course of the next school year and parents are prepping for an onslaught of PTA meetings and...
September 03, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
African American History Museum to Receive Emmett Till's Casket
A glass-topped casket that once held the battered body of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy whose brutal 1955 murder in Mississippi galvanized the civil rights movement was donated last week to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. The announcement was made Frid...
September 01, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Hurricane Katrina: The Recovery of Artifacts and History
This week marks the four-year anniversary of the nation's fifth deadliest hurricane, Katrina, the devastating storm that flooded New Orleans and ravaged coastal areas from central Florida to Texas.On September 26 that year, two Smithsonian staffers from the National Museum of American History, cura...
August 31, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Smithsonian Events for the Week of August 31-September 4: Dig It!, The Scurlock Studio, Asia After Dark and More!
Monday, August 31: Summertime, and the living is easy—there may not be any special events going on today, but there are plenty of regularly-scheduled goings-on around the Smithsonian that are sure to entertain. From animal feedings to museum tours, there’s lots of free fun to be had!Tuesday, Septem...
August 31, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Dance Festival, Forensics and the Scurlock Studio
Friday, August 28: Forensic FridayJoin Smithsonian forensic anthropologists as they study new cases from America’s historic past. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask the forensic anthropologists questions and observe first-hand the basic methods used for documenting human remains recovered fr...
August 28, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Going to Lunch in Style with Historic Lunchboxes
It's back to school time, which means that kids everywhere are prepping for another year in the classroom. Of course, this requires purchasing those pieces of classroom haute couture, such as book bag, notebooks, new clothes and perhaps a pair of stylish-but-sensible sneakers. But let's not forget ...
August 24, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Events for the Week of August 24-28: Transformers, Forensics, the Ipswich House and More!
Monday, August 24: Summertime, and the living is easy—there may not be any special events going on today, but there are plenty of regularly-scheduled goings-on around the Smithsonian that are sure to entertain. From animal feedings to museum tours, there’s lots of free fun to be had!Tuesday, August...
August 24, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Book Signings, Indian Summer Showcase and the Scurlock Studio
Friday, August 21: Book Signings: They Have Killed Papa Dead and Burning of WashingtonAlthough we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of Honest Abe’s birth, it’s impossible to avoid thinking about the tragic circumstances of his death. Author Anthony Pitch will be available to sign copies of They...
August 21, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Events for the Week of August 17-22: Quilting, Conservation Clinics and Awesome Art
Monday, August 17Once again, nothing special going on today. Even the Smithsonian slows down a bit during those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. But be sure to check out this space for a listing of regularly-scheduled goings-on around the Smithsonian that are sure to enrich your experience. From a...
August 17, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Woodstock: Celebrating 40 Years of Peace and Music
The 1969 Woodstock festival, a cultural touchstone that has been the subject of both praise and parody, ususally conjures up a variety of images like mud, music, and roach clips. There's also the 1970 Academy Award Winning documentary that solidified the image of the festival in the minds of those ...
August 15, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
A Woodstock Moment – 40 Years Later
On a whim, a young duo went to the legendary festival only to be captured in a memorable image by photographer Burk Uzzle
August 2009 |
By Timothy Dumas
Weekend Events: Portraits Alive, Keith Secola Concert and a Book Signing with Fergus Bordewich
Friday, August 7: Portraits Alive! Tour and performancesA tour of highlights from the National Portrait Gallery’s collections, Portraits Alive! is a series of short dramatic monologues researched, written and acted by high school students participating in a summer internship program. The performanc...
August 07, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
National Inventors' Month Looks Bright at the Smithsonian
August is National Inventors' Month. To commemorate the occasion, the Lemelson Center for the study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History invited visitors over the weekend to help construct a record-breaking 8-foot-tall light bulb—made completely out of LEGO bricks....
August 04, 2009 |
By Jordan Steffen
Smithsonian Weekend Events: LEGOs, Forensics, and Marcel Duchamp
Saturday, August 1: Facing History: Be the ArtistCome take a quick tour of the exhibit Inventing Marcel Duchamp, paying close attention to one of the artist's self-portraits. Afterwards, head back to the studio for an art class and draw on Duchamp's ideas to create your own work of art. Free, but r...
August 01, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Celebrate Maria Mitchell's Birthday: First Female Astronomer in America
Standing in the entrance to the first floor west wing of the National Museum of American History, a large telescope towers over visitors. It’s angled toward the ceiling, drawing the eye up to imagine the sky above. Saturday marks an auspicious day for the artifact. It is the 191st birthday of astro...
July 31, 2009 |
By Ashley Luthern
Celebrate Simplify Your Life Week
In today's world, multi-tasking is almost fundamental to living a functional life. But sometimes it seems that the list of tasks is so overwhelming it causes more stress, rather than a sense of accomplishment. With Simplify Your Life Week (August 1-7) right around the corner, we took a look at th...
July 30, 2009 |
By Lauren Hogan
Julia Child's Pots and Pans Are Back in Her Kitchen
Every cook, be it an elite chef or an aspiring foodie, has a favorite pot. Julia Child, the genius of American cookery, had dozens. So many pots and pans, in fact, that her husband Paul designed a pegboard and mapping system so that each pot could be handily replaced after every use.Today, the Nati...
July 29, 2009 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
Remembering Jackie O's Birthday in Style
"Every now and again there is a first lady that just captures the public's imagination," says Lisa Kathleen Graddy, curator of the first ladies exhibition at the National Museum of American History."Jackie Kennedy was one of them." Today marks what would have been Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' 80th b...
July 28, 2009 |
By Jordan Steffen
