Energy & Power
The Museum's collections on energy and power illuminate the role of fire, steam, wind, water, electricity, and the atom in the nation's history. The artifacts include wood-burning stoves, water turbines, and windmills, as well as steam, gas, and diesel engines. Oil-exploration and coal-mining equipment form part of these collections, along with a computer that controlled a power plant and even bubble chambers—a tool of physicists to study protons, electrons, and other charged particles.
A special strength of the collections lies in objects related to the history of electrical power, including generators, batteries, cables, transformers, and early photovoltaic cells. A group of Thomas Edison's earliest light bulbs are a precious treasure. Hundreds of other objects represent the innumerable uses of electricity, from streetlights and railway signals to microwave ovens and satellite equipment.
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An African American waiter and the bullet-shredded "Spotsylvania Stump"
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Description
- On this day 150 years ago (May 12, 1864), the combined fire of Union and Confederate guns near the "Bloody Angle" at the Battle of Spotsylvania managed to annihilate this tree, leaving a bullet-riddled stump. Many have spoken on the stump's significance as a symbol of the war's carnage. What most commentators have neglected to point out, however, is that without the help of an anonymous tip from an African American waiter, it might never have made its way to the Smithsonian.
- Published Date
- Mon, 12 May 2014 13:33:03 -0400
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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A wedding, a chase, and the "Gray Ghost" of the Confederacy's cape
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Description
- When you see the photos of this cape, you'll barely believe that it was used during the Civil War. Curator Kathleen Golden has the story. It was December 21, 1864, a few days before Christmas. Colonel John S. Mosby had ridden from Richmond, Virginia, to Upper Fauquier, to attend the wedding of one of his men, Jake Lavender. He was, to use a modern phrase, "dressed to the nines."
- Published Date
- Mon, 03 Feb 2014 10:41:26 -0500
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Ongoing research: What did our Ramage press print after the Civil War?
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Description
- We know our Ramage printing press was used during the Civil War—but we aren't sure precisely what it printed. Curator Joan Boudreau provides a quick peek into her research on the press.
- Published Date
- Tue, 08 Apr 2014 19:45:00 -0400
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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3 surprising facts about Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Description
- On the 150th anniversary of the fall of the city of Atlanta to the Union Army's Division of the Mississippi during the Civil War, we're launching a new online group of artifacts related to Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman. Project Assistant Ryan Lintelman brings us three Sherman facts that might surprise you.
- Published Date
- Tue, 02 Sep 2014 05:30:00 -0400
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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From the set of "Glory" to the Smithsonian collections
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Intern Perspectives
- Description
- Intern Laura Blanton shares her reflections on Stanley Slater, a reenactor who participated in the 1989 filming of "Glory" and recently donated his uniform from the movie to the museum.
- Published Date
- Wed, 30 Jul 2014 17:32:54 -0400
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Research in progress: Did this press print Confederate currency?
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Description
- One of the oldest printing presses in our collection (one publication said it was "probably in use when Uncle Sam was in swaddling clothes") is also one of the most mysterious. Curator Joan Boudreau is on a mission to find out what role it played in Civil War history, from possibly printing General Robert E. Lee's farewell address to printing post-war newspapers. Enjoy this peek into her curatorial research.
- Published Date
- Tue, 08 Apr 2014 16:45:00 -0400
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Lost and found at the Battle of Shiloh: One half of a very fancy denture
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Medicine and Science
- Description
- The denture presents many mysteries. Just in time for the 152nd anniversary of the battle, Curator Judy Chelnick shares what we do know about the denture in the hopes of filling the gaps.
- Published Date
- Mon, 09 Jun 2014 09:37:06 -0400
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Did this Civil War printing press spread the news of General Lee's farewell?
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Description
- One of the oldest printing presses in our collection (it was "probably in use when Uncle Sam was in swaddling clothes," said one publication) is also one of the most mysterious. Curator Joan Boudreau is on a mission to find out what role it played in Civil War history, from printing currency to post-war newspapers. In this peek into her research process, she considers if the press could have printed General Robert E. Lee's farewell address.
- Published Date
- Wed, 09 Apr 2014 07:00:00 -0400
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Are these John Wilkes Booth's field glasses?
- Blog Post Category
- Civil War 150
- From the Collections
- Description
- Our information about Booth's field glasses comes largely from John Lloyd, manager of the Surratt Tavern, a public house that was owned by Mary Surratt, keeper of a boarding house in Washington, D.C.
- Published Date
- Mon, 07 Jul 2014 17:45:03 -0400
- Creator
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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