National Museum of American History
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
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
'A Wild Hare' Leaps on Screen and Into History
Today marks the anniversary of Bugs Bunny's first starring role in "A Wild Hare." An early version of the "wascally wabbit" had appeared in 1938's "Porky's Hare Hunt," but it wasn't until this 1940 short film that his character was fully designed and delivered the immortal line "What's up, Doc?" to...
July 27, 2009 |
By Ashley Luthern
A Quilt Crafted by Many Hands in Service to Community
The task of designing, piecing together, appliquéing and then finally quilting an entire expanse of fabric is a joy and art form to many. But perhaps, there can be no other labor of love more noble than the crafting of a quilt by many hands to be raffled off or sold to the highest bidder for the be...
July 24, 2009 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
A Letter From George Washington
Last week, the Museum of American History acquired a letter from George Washington. Although the museum has an impressive collection of Washington artifacts, it only has a handful of letters, says curator Harry Rubenstein.The letter, dated Nov. 30, 1785 and addressed to David Stuart, an associate a...
July 23, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Smithsonian Events for the Week of July 20-24: Apollo 11, Shadow Puppets, Ipswich House
Monday, July 20: Book SigningsThe Apollo 11 moon landing was a landmark event and has inspired authors and artists alike. Come on by the Air and Space Museum where several authors will be available to sign their books about the moon landing and tour the museum's recently-opened exhibit, Alan Bean: ...
July 20, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
NMAH Showcases First Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker
In April 1948, Earl Shaffer, a young outdoorsman from York County, Pennsylvania, set out to do what no man had done before—walk all 2,178 miles of the Appalachian Trail in one continuous trip. And with good reason. Fresh out of serving in World War II, Shaffer was determined to "walk the Army out o...
July 09, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Smithsonian Marks Anniversary of Stonewall Riots
One of the first Smithsonian efforts dedicated to gay and lesbian Americans is tucked away on the first floor of the National Museum of American History. The small show, located outside of the Archives Center, denotes the beginning of the modern gay civil rights movement. The display was assembled...
June 25, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Russian Relics at Sackler, Explore More about Russia at the Smithsonian
Russia has a certain mystique with its intriguing mix of old and new, east and west. Influenced by countries in the Middle East and Europe, Russian culture varies from the extravagance of czars to the utilitarianism of dictators.This summer, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is featuring a fabulous exh...
June 25, 2009 |
By Ashley Luthern
Beware of Red Sox Bearing Gifts
Oh the joys of interleague play, when American League behemoths battle with National League weaklings. When the diasporic fans from New York, Chicago and Boston get to see their teams in their adopted hometowns. When even casual fans get confused why the two leagues play by a different set of rules...
June 23, 2009 |
By Brian Wolly
Smithsonian Events Week of June 22-26: The Books and the Bees and a Frank Capra movie
Monday, June 22: Plight of the BumblebeesIt's National Pollinator Week and the Natural History Museum is kicking it off with a lecture on declining bumblebee populations. This is no small matter when you consider how bees are the lynchpin to the agricultural industry and help ensure the future prop...
June 22, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Text President Lincoln
Back in January, the New York Post reported that a 13-year-old girl in Silverado Canyon, California, sent 14,528 text messages in one month. (The average number of texts per month for 13- to 17-year-old cell phone users is 1,742.) And in March, two Pennsylvania men attempted to set a world text-mes...
June 17, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
