Smithsonian Affiliations

Black and white photograph of a woman sitting behind a desk. She has short, wavy hair and wears glasses. The desk is covered in rectangular carpet samples and blueprints are spread across the desk. A black telephone rests on the desk amid the supplies.

How One of the First Female Civil Engineers Transformed Railroad Passenger Service

Hailed as the “Lady Engineer” who “took the pain out of the train,” Olive Wetzel Dennis made her lasting mark on passenger service and paved the path for future female civil engineers.

A black-and-white photograph of an African American male porter holding a suitcase while a white woman steps up into a rail car.

The Railroad Workers Behind the Civil Rights Movement

Pullman porters did more than carry bags, they paved the way for higher education opportunities, the professional working class and the fight for equal rights.

A steam locomotive with smoke billowing

How a 1941 Steam Locomotive Became an Inspiration for a Blockbuster Movie

This family holiday favorite has its roots in the history of the American railroad

Seven people- adults and children- interact with the Nation of Inventors exhibition gallery

What Patent Models Can Tell Us About American History

How a museum dedicated to telling the story of industrial history became the steward of the largest private collection of patent models

"The Old Drop-scene" displayed at the Aldrich House, Providence, present day

Digital Restoration Gives New Life to America’s Oldest Theater Curtain

Hybrid restoration approach shows benefits of balancing restoration and integrity for other large or fragile works

A group of people sit in chairs at the History Center raising mini American flags during a Citizenship ceremony

The Time is Now for Tackling Historical Illiteracy and Creating a New Type of Civic Participation

The nation’s largest and most influential history museums collaborate in the new education effort “Made By Us”

A group of young people stand in front of a pollinator garden in Lowell, MA

Young People Are Stepping Up in Climate Conversations

Museums should meet them there

Dream Action Oklahoma (DAOK) vigil at Scissortail Bridge in 2018. (DAOK)

History Hiding in Plain Sight

Shining a spotlight on an integral, but largely unexamined, community in Oklahoma

Darkfeather Ancheta, Eckos Chartraw-Ancheta, and Bibiana Ancheta, Tulalip, Washington. Darkfeather, is pictured with her sister Bibiana and nephew Eckos at the edge of Tulalip Bay. They are wearing traditional regalia prepared for their annual Canoe Journey. Every year, upwards of 100 U.S. tribes, Canadian First Nations and New Zealand canoe families will make “The Journey” by pulling their canoes to a host destination Tribe. Canoe families pull for weeks, and upon landing participate in several days and nights of “protocol”, a celebration sharing traditional knowledge, ancestral songs, and sacred dances. Photo by Matika Wilbur for Project 562. Courtesy of the Artist.

Beyond Stereotypes: Portraits and Stories of Native American Women

A new exhibition aims to change the way we see Native America.

Cover of the autobiography of Beba Epstein written in the 1933-34 school year, with a picture of her. (Photo credit: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is the custodian of Beba Epstein’s autobiography, which was digitized with their consent as part of the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections project)

How the Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Girl Inspired an Exhibition

The discovery of a forgotten document leads to an online exhibition and a deep dive into a family's history that was all but lost.

Jessica Cox sitting in her Ercoupe. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Cox)

Jessica Cox Flies in the Face of Challenges

The world's first licensed armless pilot is an advocate for people with disabilities and motivates people around the world to overcome their differences.

Marching for the Release of the Wilmington 10 (Cape Fear Museum of History and Science)

One Short March, One Long Journey

More than forty years ago, a small group of protesters set out for Raleigh to present a petition to the governor of North Carolina asking to reduce the prison sentences of a group known around the state, nation, and world as the Wilmington Ten.

Group of red, yellow, orange, green peppers. (Biomuseo)

How A Plant from the Americas Conquered the World

An exhibition at the Biomuseo in Panama shares the great adventure of how the chili peppers’ culinary conquest began.

Gallery view of the Heard Museum exhibition,

Reunited And It Feels So Good

Heard Museum exhibition tells the little-known story of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists and his connection to the indigenous people of the Arctic.

Staff from the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative lead a workshop in Nebraska. (Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative)

How Unprecedented Flooding Brought a Community Together

Unprecedented flooding stunned residents of Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa and upended thousands of lives. The Smithsonian was there to help.

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