American History

Duke Ellington and band members playing baseball in front of their segregated motel ("Astor Motel") while touring in Florida.

Rare Footage of Duke Ellington Highlights When Jazz and Baseball Were in Perfect Harmony

The Smithsonian's curator of American music explains how the history of two great American innovations—Jazz and baseball—are intertwined

Document Deep Dive: Richard Nixon’s Application to Join the FBI

Fresh out of law school, the future president first hoped he could be one of J. Edgar Hoover’s agents

George Washington Liked Ice Cream So Much He Bought Ice Cream-Making Equipment for the Capital

Washington used to serve ice cream to guests at the capital

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It Once Took Tens of Thousands of Men to Recover an Astronaut from Landing

Splashdown support teams were absolutely massive

New to the collections: John Coltrane's 1965 Mark VI tenor saxophone

A Sax Supreme: John Coltrane's Legendary Instrument Joins the Collections of the American History Museum

Ravi Coltrane, son of jazz musicians John and Alice Coltrane, donates one of his father's three saxophones

Redpath lectures lasted well into the 20th-century (above, 1913), but when James Redpath started them in the late 1860s, he sought out speakers who could electrify an audience.

Before SXSW and Ted, A Manic Visionary Revolutionized the American Lecture Circuit

Meet James Redpath, the man who coached national celebrities on how to bring a crowd to its feet

Chew-Een Lee was the first Chinese American Marine officer and served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Korean War Hero Kurt Chew-Een Lee, the First Chinese-American Marine, Dies at 88 Years Old

Lee overcame racism and saved upward of 8,000 men during one climactic battle

Mine!

Seventy Five Years Ago, the Bronx Tried to Take Over Part of Manhattan With Just a Limo And a Flag

James F. Lyons drove over to Marble Hill and planted his flag, claiming it as his. It didn't work.

Pyramid of the Sun

Mexico's Pyramid of the Sun Is Slowly Turning Into a Pile of Dust

When scientists scanned the pyramid's insides, they found a giant pile of dust

Meet Lammily.

An Average-Looking Doll Comes to the Rescue of Barbie-Addled Girls

A new Barbie-like doll with realistic proportions might help dispel stereotypes that influence little girls

Solomon Northup, portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years A Slave.

The New York Times' 1853 Coverage of Solomon Northup, the Hero of "12 Years A Slave"

Northup's story garnered heavy press coverage and spread widely in the weeks and months after he was rescued

V-J Day in Times Square, New York City.

That Time the U.S. Government Made All Bars in America Close At Midnight

In 1945, the government gave America a nationwide curfew for the first and last time

The FBI Was Still Investigating John Wilkes Booth a Century After Lincoln's Death

The blog Wonders and Marvels came across the FBI file on John Wilkes Booth

The first map of the new Hollywood development, from 1887.

Hollywood Was Once an Alcohol-Free Community

Modern Hollywood is a far cry from its intrepid female founder's "dream of beauty"

From the Editor

From the Editor

From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

How Merv Griffin Came Up With That Weird Question/Answer Format for Jeopardy!

Champion Ken Jennings delves into what gives the virtually unchanged game show its lasting power

The Baliem Valley was a “magnificent vastness” in Rockefeller’s eyes, and its people were “emotionallly expressive.” But Asmat proved to be “more remote country than what I have ever seen.”

What Really Happened to Michael Rockefeller

A journey to the heart of New Guinea’s Asmat tribal homeland sheds new light on the mystery of the heir’s disappearance there in 1961

Invitees to the museum’s grand reopening in 2008 admire the newly restored flag.

Previewing the Smithsonian’s Plans for the 200th Anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner

And at the same time, the American History Museum celebrates its 50th birthday

This is the late 18th - early 19th century internal (vaginal) irrigator made of bone discovered at City Hall Park, New York City.

A Strange Object Found at New York's City Hall Was a 200-Year-Old Feminine Hygiene Product

Archaeologists were initially mystified

Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson's Family Home Opens in Columbia

Woodrow Wilson’s boyhood home in Columbia, South Carolina is having it’s grand opening on Saturday, February 15

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