American History
Weekend Events: Ralph Eubanks, Legends of Vaudeville and a Family Arts Festival
Friday, June 5: 2-Day Family Festival: Start with the ArtsTo celebrate the recently-opened exhibition, Jean Shin: Common Threads, enjoy a performance by Bash the Trash, learn how to make musical instruments from found objects and decorate environmentally friendly tote bags. The festival continues o...
June 05, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Events Week of June 1-5: Parthenon, Photography, Asia and an Arts Festival
Monday, June 1: Nothing SpecialNo special events today, kids. However, there are always regularly scheduled programs and events happening at the Smithsonian museums. Check out a complete listing of daily events here.Tuesday, June 2: FONZ Photo ClubIf you're a shutterbug with a penchant for snapping...
June 01, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Amelia Earhart, Addison Scurlock and George Washington
Friday, May 29: You Can't Do That Amelia!: Flights of Fancy—Stories for ChildrenBring the little ones in your family out for story time at the National Air and Space Museum. This week, come hear about Amelia Earhart's escapades as a little girl with a reading of Kimberly Wagner Killer's You Can't D...
May 29, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Events Week of 5/26-29: Dirt, Sweaters, Fine China and Amelia Earhart
Tuesday, May 26: Dig It! ActivitiesExperience the Natural History Museum's Dig It! exhibition a la carte! As you tour the show, keep an eye out for volunteers who will be stationed by interactive carts. They will be available to answer your questions as well as engage you in special, educational ac...
May 26, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Honoring Memorial Day
Surely many will visit the National Mall this Memorial Day, placing flowers and remembrances of loved ones passed at the war memorials. Since the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial in 1982, about 25,000 mementos have been left at the base of the wall or tucked between its granite panels. From birth...
May 25, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Weekend Events: Forensics, Muppets and Seamen
Saturday, May 23: One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure: Planetarium ShowThis story time and planetarium show double-header is epecially geared to the Smithsonian's youngest visitors. In "One World, One Sky", Big Bird and Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu (a character from the short-lived Chinese incarnation o...
May 22, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
American Idol Desk Goes to the Smithsonian
I tuned in to American Idol last night, waiting on bated breath to hear whether Danny Gokey or Kris Allen (Adam Lambert was a shoo-in) would be moving on to next week's finals. But instead of squeaky clean Ryan Seacrest, Ben Stiller was the first to grace the screen. Soon joined by fellow Night at ...
May 14, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Carol Burnett—We Just Can't Resist Her!
Movie parodies were always a mainstay of the Carol Burnett Show—and her 1976 Gone With the Wind takeoff is unforgettable. Between the artistry of Burnett and fashion designer Bob Mackie, it's a comedic tour de force that always has this blogger rolling on the floor laughing. For those of you unfami...
May 14, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Cherished Tradition of Scrapbooking
Author Jessica Helfand investigates the history of scrapbooks and how they mirror American history
May 14, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Smithsonian Events Week of 5/11-15: Portraits, Presents, Star Trek and Sailing
Monday, May 11: Gallery Talk: June Wayne's Self PortraitIn tonight's gallery talk, National Gallery paper conservator Rosemary Fallon and Smithsonian American Art Museum curatorial associate Ann Prentice Wagner discuss June Wayne's technique in this self-portrait. While in the museum, be sure to ch...
May 11, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Behind the Scenes with American History's Entertainment Curator
You've seen the movie, now see the memorabilia. As the National Museum of American History's entertainment curator, Dwight Blocker Bowers is responsible for preserving the museum's most eclectic collection. From Dorothy's ruby slippers to Oscar the Grouch, Bowers takes great care to collect objects...
May 06, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Curating Pandemic at the American History Museum
Every illness has a unique narrative. From polio and tuberculosis to SARS and now swine flu, the Smithsonian collects artifacts and pieces of history from past epidemics to show future generations the impact of specific illnesses and how they shaped medicine and American life."We look for things f...
May 04, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
O Say Can You Sing? Semi-Finalists Announced
A few months ago, the National Museum of American History, along with USA Weekend magazine, announced O Say Can You Sing?, its Star-Spangled Banner singing contest. Over 800 people posted video entries on YouTube, and now, 15 semi-finalists have been chosen on the basis of vocal performance, origin...
May 01, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Big Sur's California Dreamin'
Untrammeled wilderness and new age enclave, Big Sur retains its rugged beauty and quirky charm
May 2009 |
By James Conaway
Harboring History in Pensacola
In Florida's panhandle, vibrant Pensacola stakes its claim as the oldest European settlement in the United States
May 2009 |
By Donovan Webster
Chicago Eats
From curried catfish to baba ghanouj, Chicago serves up what may be the finest ethnic cuisine going
May 2009 |
By Jamie Katz
"I Do Solemnly Swear" Celebrates Obama's First Hundred Days
To celebrate the 2009 occasion, the American History Museum presents its new exhibition, "I Do Solemnly Swear: Photographs of the 2009 Presidential Inauguration."
April 29, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Curator Finds Murphy Bed's Place in American History
Inventor William Lawrence Murphy (1856-1957) began tinkering with hideaway beds while living in a one-room apartment in San Francisco in the late 19th century. He was falling for a young opera singer and courting customs at that time would not permit a lady to enter a gentleman's bedroom. But accor...
April 28, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Smithsonian Events Week of 4/27-5/1/09: Vietnam, Jazz, Cabaret and Eudora Welty
Monday, April 27: Operation Babylift: Saving Children from the Vietnam WarIn April 1975 American humanitarian workers in South Vietnam worked to evacuate orphaned children to North America, Europe and Australia just as North Vietnamese were sweeping through the region. Operation Babylift transferre...
April 27, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Kentucky Derby’s Forgotten Jockeys
African American jockeys once dominated the track. But by 1921, they had disappeared from the Kentucky Derby
April 24, 2009 |
By Lisa K. Winkler
