American History

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There Is a Sculpture on the Moon Commemorating Fallen Astronauts

The crew of Apollo 15 placed a small aluminum sculpture on the moon to memorialize those astronauts had died

Reconstruction of Cable Car 520 Showing Partial Disassembly of Car | April 28, 1967.

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About San Francisco’s Cable Cars

Ever since they became a part of the city’s transit system, they have been iconic mainstays of its cityscape

Pianist Sarah Fridrich performs this weekend at Luce Unplugged.

Events January 4-7: Talk Back to Historic Figures, Weave the Mayan Way and Unplug with Musicians

A professor from the 19th century will take your questions, a Mayan weaver will craft a keepsake and an Indie group will keep you in the groove

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One Small Question About Armstrong’s Giant Leap for Mankind: When Did He Come Up With That Line?

Did Neil Armstrong come up with his now-famous quote long before he landed on the Moon?

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Contributors

The Anacostia Community Museum has organized the exhibit “Reclaiming the Edge: Urban Waterways and Civic Engagement.”

Spotlight

Love Chicken Nuggets? Thank Cornell Poultry Professor Robert C. Baker

In 1963, this professor of poultry science came up with the first chicken nuggets

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You Know You Want To Snoop Around Marilyn Monroe’s Secret FBI File

Freshly un-redacted FBI files paint Monroe as a bit of a communist

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Smithsonian’s Very Own Maestro David Baker is All That’s Jazz

David Baker, the leader of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, steps down, leaving a soaring legacy in his wake

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What Will You Be Watching for on Watch Night?

With end-of-year watch and see anxieties lurking, it's important to know that the Watch NIght was a wait for news of freedom

The Inkwell used by Lincoln, the Proclamation draft and Lincoln's pen.

How the Emancipation Proclamation Came to Be Signed

The pen, inkwell and one copy of the document that freed the slaves are photographed together for the first time

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This Nostalgic Private Collection Has 1,713 Photos of Old-Fashioned Cans, Jars and Clippings

Flickr user Roadsidepictures offers hundreds of images of vintage product packaging spanning most of the 20th century

The March on Washington was organized in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation to call on the country to fulfill its promise.

How Change Happens: The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 March on Washington

At the 150th and 50th anniversary of two historic moments, the African American History and Culture Museum and American History Museum team up

Ai Weiwei’s use of historic materials is the topic of discussion at Friday’s gallery talk at the Hirshhorn.

Events December 14-16: Ai Weiwei’s Ceramics, Mayan Calendar and Stradivari’s Instruments

Learn about the contemporary artist's use of historic objects, why the world didn't end and just what's so special about Stradivari in concert

Before the Civil War, There Were 8,000 Different Kinds of Money in the U.S.

It wasn't until after the war that the U.S. started to really use the dollar

The Obamadon is that little blue guy in the left corner.

How To Get an Ancient Lizard Named After You: Get Elected President

Simply get elected president, and you'll have a fair chance of some newly discovered creature inheriting your moniker

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Smithsonian Curators Offer Up a Holiday Gift Guide for History Lovers

The best of history reads from Lincoln's true thoughts on slavery, to the White House dinner that shocked a nation, to California's hip-hop scene

A reef ecosystem grows on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

Environmentalists Want To Keep Oil Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Wait, What?

Oil companies want to pull their rigs from the Gulf, but environmentalists are saying "no"

Shimabukuro considers himself a traditional ukelele player, though his fans encompass young and old.

Hawai`i’s Troubadour of Aloha

An upcoming documentary will highlight Hawaiian ukulele-playing sensation Jake Shimabukuro, who performed for Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Center

Eugene Cernan on the surface of the Moon, December 1972.

It’s Been 40 Years Since Anyone Rode a Rocket to the Moon

Apollo 17 took off forty years ago today

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