USPS
John Lennon's First Album
There is a scene in A Hard Day's Night, the 1964 mockumentary about the Beatles (starring the Beatles), when John Lennon leaves a band practice with a dancing girl on his arm. His manager asks where he is going, and the Brit quips, "She's gonna show me her stamp collection."His comment was facetiou...
December 08, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Events: Native American Dance, Book Signings, Postal Museum Tours and More
Monday, November 22: National Postal Museum Highlights TourOnly have a limited time to see the sights at the Postal Museum and don't know where to dive in? Take a docent-led tour of the museum's collections to make sure you see all the major things and gain a little insight into their importance co...
November 22, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Wednesday Roundup: Earhart, Rockman and Heye
Air and Space Preview: One of the Air and Space museum's most popular exhibits is the "Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight" gallery. Among its offerings are planes flown by such famed aviators as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, who spearheaded the field in the 1920s and 1930s when many were skep...
November 10, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Wednesday Roundup: Cute Lion Cub Pics, Kiwis and Hula Hoops
Name That Kiwi—On June 15, the National Zoo hatched a female brown kiwi, the second kiwi born this year. To pay homage to New Zealand, the flightless bird's motherland, they have decided to name the chick after the Maori, the indigenous people of the islands. They have chosen three Maori names, and...
October 06, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Wednesday Roundup: Deep Divers, Curious Cabinets and Clogged Arteries
(Ed. Note -- This is our 1000th post. More to come later, but thanks to everyone for getting us this far!)It's a Big Year for Natural History—We've mentioned that the Natural History Museum turns 100 this year before, but as part of the celebration, they've been giving us a peek into their diverse ...
September 08, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Wednesday Roundup-Shark Week, More Facial Hair and a Show in the Sky
Music Makeover: Smithsonian Folkways is offering free music downloads from three upcoming releases or reissues. One track each from Elizabeth Mitchell's new kid-friendly album Sunny Day and a reissue of bluegrass singer Ola Belle Reed's music called Rising Sun Melodies are available on the Folkway...
August 04, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Events: Roswell, The Pony Express, Andrew Jackson and More!
Tuesday, July 6: FONZ Photo ClubIf you’re a shutterbug with a penchant for snapping shots of critters, come on out to the National Zoo and participate in the FONZ (that’s Friends Of the National Zoo for those of you who were thinking Henry Winkler) photo club’s monthly meeting. Share your photos, h...
July 06, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Remembering the Hindenburg 73 Years Later
On the evening of May 6, 1937 the zeppelin Hindenburg hovered over Lakehurst, New Jersey, preparing to dock. It was standard procedure for the luxury passenger airship, but then something went horrendously awry when the craft suddenly burst into flames. "It's a terrific crash ladies and gentlemen,"...
May 06, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Happy John Muir Day!
John Muir (1838-1914) is remembered as one of the country's best conservationists, responsible for inspiring some of the country's earliest conservation legislation with his writings about nature and his travels around the world. Today, Muir would have turned 172. In California, residents still cel...
April 21, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Counting Down to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games
As we count down the hours until the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, we thought we’d take a look at past Olympics games to mark the occasion.The National Postal Museum’s online exhibit, Playing to Win: American Sports & Athletes on Stamps, gives some historica...
February 12, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Celebrate the Super Bowl Smithsonian-Style!
If you're stuck with a group of football fanatics, it's no fun being the odd person out having nothing to contribute to Super Bowl-related conversation
February 05, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Celebrate Franklin D. Roosevelt's Birthday Saturday at the Postal Museum
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt turned 52 on January 30, 1934, he celebrated with the first annual Birthday Ball to raise money for polio research. Composer Irving Berlin even wrote a song for the occasion.When FDR contracted polio in 1921 at age 39, more than a decade before he took the presidency,...
January 27, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Weekend Events: Elvis and a Concert at the Zoo!
Friday, January 8: Happy Birthday ElvisNo special evening events today; however, if you didn't already know, the National Portrait Gallery's new show "One Life: Echoes of Elvis" just opened! January 8 also happens to be Elvis' 75th birthday and there's no better way to mark the day than by having ...
January 08, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Elvis Sightings: The King Holds Court in Washington, D.C.
What comes to mind when you hear the name Elvis? Musician. Icon. Sex. Spandex. Kitsch. Costello (kidding!). You can play the word association game all day long and no matter what your opinion of the man is—good, bad or indifferent—even the most suspicious minds have to admit that he is one of the g...
January 06, 2010 |
By Jesse Rhodes
"Best of the Decade" with Postal Museum Curators
As a new decade approaches, we here at ATM thought it a good time to reflect on the last—asking Smithsonian curators to weigh in on their favorite exhibits and acquisitions since 2000.Historian and curator Nancy Pope has been with the National Postal Museum since its inception. An expert in postal ...
December 18, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Events for the Week of 12/7-11: American Indian Dancing, Inspirational Toys, ZooLights and More!
Monday, December 7: Seasons of LightFor an all-inclusive seasonal celebration, check out “Seasons of Light.” Performed annually for the past ten years, “Seasons of Light” features the customs of winter holidays from different cultures, such as Ramadan, Devali, Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Christmas and W...
December 07, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Remembering Pearl Harbor
Sixty-eight years ago today, at 7:55 in the morning, the first wave of Japanese fighter planes reached Pearl Harbor on Hawaii's Oahu Island and opened fire on the anchored U.S. ships and aircraft. More than 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack. In a radio address at 12:30 p.m. the next day, Pr...
December 07, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Weekend Events: Celebrate Halloween at the Zoo and Air and Space Museum, Learn about FDR and Stamps
Friday, October 23: Boo at the ZooPerfect for persons ages two to 12, Boo at the Zoo provides families with a safe, fun and educational way to celebrate the Halloween holiday. Dress up and step on out to haunt the National Zoo where there will be 40 treat stations featuring an assortment of candy a...
October 23, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Latino Art, the Art of Postage Stamps and a Classical Concert
Friday, October 9: Latino Art in TransitionCelebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by coming out to the American Art Museum and listening to a lecture conducted by Pepόn Osorio—who is perhaps best known for his large-scale installations—and emerging artist Miguel Luciano who will discuss how Latin art is...
October 09, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Events for the Week of 10/5-9: John Lennon, the Wright Brothers, Astaire and Rogers and More!
Monday, October 5:Sorry kids, no special events happening at the Smithsonian today. But be sure to check out this site for a listing of regularly-scheduled happenings around the Institution.Tuesday, October 6: Africa to America to Paris: The Migration of Black WritersCome watch the film Africa to A...
October 05, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
