The case of Luisa Moreno
In my first week as a curator at the National Museum of American History, I made a list of women I wished were present in the museum's...
From seams to strikes: Exploring women at work through clothing in our collection
What was life like for women in the workforce over the past 150 years? To help answer that question, I turned to the museum’s...
A-tisket, a-tasket, a hit song in her basket: Ella's rise to fame
"They're swingin' everything else—why not nursery rhymes?" stated Ella Fitzgerald while dancing around the room showcasing some new dance...

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Exploring continuity and change through the history of the bicycle
Editor’s Note: We encourage teachers to integrate the museum’s online resources into their classroom teaching. Today’s post is written by...
Don’t say “yuk” to yucca
Much of what we do at the museum is for the visitors: exhibits, programs, lectures, and performances. We want our guests to enjoy...
Making "Music for The World of Tomorrow"
Editor’s note: This post, written by Ryan Holladay, member of the D.C. music collective Bluebrain, is second in a series about...
Reminder: Tell us what you think about the blog
From time to time, we ask our blog readers about your preferences and interests so that we can serve you better. If you haven't already...
A personal British invasion
Back home in Britain, we have a lot of history. I’ve visited the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, and Westminster Abbey, and I’ve grown...
Pu pu platters versus birthday cakes
In my previous posts I’ve mentioned how growing up in a Chinese restaurant was a fantastic experience. Let me tell you about one...
Why commemorate the centennial of the Mexican Revolution?
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the National Museum of American History will hold a symposium and cultural festival, ...
"So whatever will happen": Music celebrates Haitian cultural identity
In the French Creole language, the song “Alayon bon peyi se Ayiti,” by Haitian composer Moise Abraham, can be translated “So whatever will...
Stories of the Mexican Revolution
Curators use objects to tell a story about an event, a period of history, a person, a group of people, or a movement. Because we have a...
Independent inventors, hidden in plain sight
At lunch a few days ago, I was sitting next to a retired engineer from the U.S. Department of Energy. When I told him about our work at the...
Haiti's voices of hope
I’ve now made half a dozen visits to Haiti over the past months, putting into place a Smithsonian effort to help Haitians save their...
Remembering September 11, 2001
Photo of World Trade Center towers against a clear morning sky on September 11, 2001. Gift of John Labriola. What I remember about the...
Time magazine cover with text: "AIDS The Growing Threat / What's Being Done"
A brief history of AZT
AIDS - The Growing Threat, What’s Being Done. Time Magazine, Aug. 12, 1985.Editor’s note: The museum is planning a special display of...
Back to our roots
Something wonderful is sprouting at the National Museum of American History. This past week I was introduced to the Victory Garden that is...
Digital native or digital immigrant (or does it matter?)
With today’s classrooms full of digital natives, teachers are considering how to incorporate technology into their classrooms....
Seeing, Hearing, Touching, Tasting, Feeling Cholesterol: Part II
Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part post. See yesterday's post for the background on this story. The hard science of...
Seeing, Hearing, Touching, Tasting, Feeling Cholesterol: Part I
One of the key jobs of the curator is rounding up and analyzing material culture, the objects that we shape and that shape us. Brochures,...
Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr.: American photographer and amateur’s advocate
Ever subject to revision and review, history often has a way of catapulting one figure into fame at the expense of another’s descent into...
A no-brainer collaboration: "Music for the World of Tomorrow"
Every time I consider quitting Facebook, a surprising connection keeps me hanging on. That’s how “Music for The World of Tomorrow” became...
Group of Henson puppets
An old coat and a ping pong ball = Kermit?
Just how did an old coat and a ping pong ball contribute to what would become a global phenomenon? Add a whole heap of imagination, more...
Abbey Lincoln, singer emancipator (August 6, 1930-August 14, 2010)
Singer/composer Abbey Lincoln drew strength from emancipation–her own and the liberation of others fighting for social justice. When she...
An Idle Record of an Idle Summer
Ah, the joy to be savored in a relaxed, idle summer evening—ice-cold lemonade in hand, the condensation dripping off your glass, fireflies...
Treasure hunting
Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Harrow Strickland, a middle school teacher and summer teaching associate at the National Museum...
The Apollo Theater: "It's in the Cards"
For a good part of the twentieth century, Harlem’s Apollo Theater was one of the most prestigious, important, and well-known venues for...
"Who Will Chop Your Suey When I'm Gone?"
Can you believe that chop suey was once the most famous Chinese dish in America? The dish’s popularity helped fuel the growth of Chinese...
Collecting American science
Editor's Update: See the February 2011 issue of Prototype to learn more about this topic. One of the best parts about being a...
My scouting story
The Boy Scouts of America is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year and the museum is joining the celebration by recognizing staff...
Museums take a page from the American Library Association's book
I recently attended my first conference of the American Library Association (ALA). The conference was held in Washington, D.C., and we’re...
Are we on a slippery slope of national amnesia?
Is American history dead? Are we on a slippery slope of national amnesia? If you look at data from a recent Marist Poll, you might answer...
Did Susan Holbert make this quilt?
An extravagantly appliqued mid-19th century cotton quilt has been placed on exhibit in an artifact wall case on the first floor of the...
The digital draft: preserving process in a computerized world
They say the devil is in the details and as a student in the Humanities I know all too well how difficult it can be to get those...
Meet Libby Folsom, Spark!Lab docent
The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation wants you to know more about our staff! You may have seen them in action in...
Black and white portrait of small girl with large white bow in her hair, holding rolled paper in hand, sitting in wheel chair
Americans with Disabilities Act turns 20
By Curator Katherine Ott There are a lot of people in town this week for the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And...
Seizing justice: The Greensboro 4
Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by guest blogger Lynn Kessler, a writer and producer at Smithsonian Networks. "Seizing Justice: The...
Vince and Larry dummies "crash" into the Smithsonian
Roger White is no Indiana Jones, but as an associate curator specializing in automobiles, he has hunted down his fair share of treasures....
Boy Scout scarf in blue and yellow
100 years of Boy Scouts in our collections
 The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated on February 8th, 1910. In celebration of the organization’s 100th anniversary, Boy Scouts...
Discover unexpected treasures
The Smithsonian is big. The National Museum of American History is big. Many of our artifacts, like the John Bull locomotive and the Star–...
Origins of a fortune cookie
Earlier this year we invited Jennifer 8 Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, to meet with our staff and share her insights into...
The knowledge factor in Silicon Valley
Why does Silicon Valley continue to flourish and reinvent itself, despite periodic pronouncements of imminent decline or technological...
Research in progress: Can you help identify the man in this 1870s photo?
I am currently working on a book project—The Changing Face of Portrait Photography: From Daguerreotype to Digital , due out in March 2011—...
An unheralded battle in the war against segregation
Recently at the museum we were privileged to hear from one of this country’s eminent historians, David Hackett Fischer. As he described his...
Eagan, Minnesota . . . where all the children are above average!
Teaching 4th grade has its challenges for a 38 year-old kid. I think I never really left the mind-set of being 10 and that has its upside,...
Going places and completing challenges with the goSmithsonian Trek mobile app
Editor's Note: The goSmithsonian Trek app was only open through July 24th, 2010, and is no longer available. After completing my first...
Living our mission
You know the nugget of writing wisdom, “Show, don’t tell” ? It can apply to museums, too: live your mission, don’t just talk about it. At...
Becoming a U.S. citizen at the National Museum of American History
On June 12, the Colonialists met the Futurists in Flag Hall. Some 24 children from 18 countries joined family members and friends at a...
How to send us a "good" bad comment
If you’re at all like me, you like to share your opinions—not just for the thrill of being heard but to change things that seem wrong or...
Failure is wonderful
It's an odd thing to eat an omelet while holding back tears. But that's how I felt prior to the Creativity Round Table, held at...
Black base with Pac-Man logo. On top, large yellow Pac-Man.
Pac-Man bites back
A few weeks ago, I discovered, like millions of others, that Google had changed their online logo again to commemorate another special...

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