USPS
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
The Case of the Disappearing Mailboxes
Nancy Pope, a curator at the National Postal Museum, started getting phone calls two years ago from reporters asking about the removal of standard, four-foot-tall blue mailboxes from street corners. She heard from newspapers in small towns first, mainly in the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest. "It ...
August 20, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Airmail is 150 Years Old Today
It was August 17, 1859 and 51-year-old John Wise set out from Lafayette, Indiana to deliver 123 letters by hot-air balloon to New York City. Unfortunately, the winds weren't in his favor. The air was still, and he had to ascend to 14,000 feet before he found enough air power to propel the balloon. ...
August 17, 2009 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
FDR's Stamp Collection: A Childhood Hobby He Took to the Oval Office
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a passion for stamp collecting, a hobby he had cherished since childhood. A new exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum highlights his philatelic interests, and provides rare insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of his administration.Dur...
August 04, 2009 |
By Jordan Steffen
Smithsonian Events for the Week of July 27-31: Animals, Magic and Fun with Forensics!
Monday, July 27: Nothing special going on today, kids. You can check out the roster of regularly-scheduled programming at the Smithsonian here.Tuesday, July 28: Artful Animals and Storied StampsCome by the National Postal Museum where you can explore Africa and learn about the art of stamp design. ...
July 27, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: The Simpsons, Special Exhibitions and a Little Bit O' Soul
Friday, July 19: Soul in MotionExperience the richness of African American culture through the explosive dancing style of the Soul in Motion Players. Come enjoy the chest-pounding rhythm of the drums and uplifting joy of the dance on their final day of performing at the Smithsonian. Tickets are req...
July 17, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
FDR’s Stamp Design Funds Trip to Antarctica, Inspiring Hope Along the Way
A 44-cent stamp can carry a letter to the other side of the world. But can a stamp get a man to Antarctica and back?In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt thought a special stamp might stoke public support for the expensive expedition. In fact, Roosevelt, who was an avid stamp collector, was so convinc...
June 30, 2009 |
By Jordan Steffen
Smithsonian Events for the Week of June 29-July3: Apollo 11, Attilla the Hun, Animals and More!
Monday, June 29: Mondays with Miss Anita: Flights of Fancy—Stories for ChildrenCome sit with Miss Anita and hear stories about famous aviators, hot-air balloon flights, trips to Mars, characters visible in the night sky, or creatures that have their own wings. Free. Air and Space Museum,, 11:30 AMT...
June 29, 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
Smithsonian Events Week of June 15-19: Stamps, The Wright Flyer, Weddings and Rocknoceros
Monday, June 15: OK, so the Smithsonian is off to a slow start once again. No special, one-time-only events are scheduled for today, but have a look at a complete listing of daily events and tours here.Tuesday, June 16: Preservation in Action: First Day CoversSo, in elementary school I used to keep...
June 15, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Earth Day: Greening the Mail, with the National Postal Museum
Back in mid-March, prior to the National Postal Museum's two-part workshop on "Green Ways to Move the Mail" for teenagers (held on March 21 and April 4), I took on the issue of greening the postal service. Green mail seemed oxymoronic to me, considering the amount of transportation involved and she...
April 22, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
National Postal Museum: Greening the Mail
I thought I’d take the opportunity on this day when everybody is wearing green to ever so tangentially talk "green." Perhaps you sent your Irish friend a card for St. Patrick’s Day. But did you stop and think about the carbon footprint of that card as it traveled by way of the United States Postal ...
March 17, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Sarkozy's Not the First World Leader to Collect Stamps
We all have our hobbies. I like to keep aquariums. Fellow ATM blogger Beth Py-Lieberman gardens. And according to news reports, French President Nicholas Sarkozy collects stamps.There's nothing like being the leader of a country for a philatelist, someone interested in revenue and postage stamps. I...
March 12, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Smithsonian Events Week of 2/9-13: Valentines and Balloons
Monday, February 9: It's a slow week kids, we have nothing special for you. Not that it's hard for you to entertain yourselves with all the wonderful exhibitions on display. Go explore! Then come back here and tell us something new or interesting that you learned in the comments area. We'd love to ...
February 09, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Weekend Events: Tea and Philately
Friday, January 23: Iranian Film Festival: Head WindA documentary that examines the Islamic Republic and how it tries to control the inflow of information from the outside world. Will the age of DVDs and the Internet overwhelm traditional modes of living? In Persian with English subtitles. Free, bu...
January 23, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Inaugural Balls on the Mall
If you're the socialite who will be hitting up the slew of black tie balls in DC, then you must have a bottomless wallet and a dance card that's loaded to the hilt. Even with tickets selling for a couple hundred bucks a pop on the low end, these events are already sold out. Take a look at all the p...
January 12, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Events Week of 1/5-1/11: Bette Davis and George W. Bush
Monday, January 5: Portrait of George W. BushAfter eight years in office, President Bush is now a museum piece. Come see the newest addition to the National Portrait Gallery's Hall of Presidents, which marks the first time the gallery has exhibited the official portrait of a sitting president. Free...
January 04, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Nutcrackers at National Postal Museum
Meet the real-life Herr Drosselmeyer. Glenn Crider of Mechanicsville, Virginia, like the famed godfather in The Nutcracker story, is a clockmaker turned toymaker, known especially for his custom-made nutcrackers (and, on special occasions, to rock festive suspenders from his lederhosen). Crider say...
December 24, 2008 |
By Megan Gambino
World's Fair Exhibit Championed Black Chicago
The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair touted itself as a celebration of a century of progress. And in part, this was true. Advances in science and technology were promising a brighter tomorrow to Depression-era America. But when it came to social change, the fair came up short.Exhibits at the fair were rif...
December 11, 2008 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Events Week of December 8-14
Monday, December 8 Tour Arts of JapanIf you only know Japanese art by way of manga, broaden your horizons by coming on out to the Freer Gallery for a guided tour of its extensive collection of screens, paintings, lacquerware, prints, ceramics and sculpture. Free. Meet at Info Desk. Freer Gallery of...
December 08, 2008 |
By Jesse Rhodes
