When Watchmen were Klansmen
Note: While history shouldn’t require a spoiler alert, this blog does contain some minor ones regarding the HBO series Watchmen.“You know...
How picturing the Boston Massacre matters
Maybe this painting looks familiar. A long row of red-coated soldiers. A cloud of gun smoke engulfing the street. Falling bodies.Detail of...
The most radical thing about Stonewall wasn’t the uprising
The Stonewall uprising began June 28, 1969, in response to a police raid at The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York, and has since...

Blog Posts in "From the Collections"

A lobby with glass cases of objects and a stairway. The ceiling is a lurid red. In the center is a lego statue resembling the statue of liberty, resting on a large rectangular display with short glass walls surrounding it that have signage on it.
Opening on June 28, 2017: An exploration of the largest ideas and ideals in American history
As the museum's social media manager, I get to see many snapshots our visitors share on social media while they're here. Frequently...
A movie poster for an African American action character. He wears a vivid crimson shirt, a kerchief secured around his neck by a metal ring, a cowboy hat on, and he stands in from of a large white structure in the background that has flags, towers, and domes.
Treasures from Hollywood's silent era (Part 1)
The National Museum of American History is renowned for its collection of American cinematic treasures such as Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from...
Against a blank white background, a white corduroy jacket with with an insignia on the left breast and stitching on the right
Coming of age: Young women and the FFA
High school can be a challenging time for teens. Much as they do today, young men and women throughout the 20th century wrestled with...
Lunch box featuring a scene from Star Wars. Three characters are in a vehicle that has been stopped by storm troopers.
Four reasons why Star Wars became a huge part of my life—and maybe yours, too
When the Virginia all-state student orchestra launched into the first thrilling notes of John Williams's Star Wars ...
A chestnut-colored drum with a pair of drumsticks
How “The Little Drummer Boy from New York” earned the Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for bravery and valor that can be bestowed upon a member of the United States military. Modern...
A photograph that is awash in tones of gray. A woman sits in a moor-like environment with a white dress and black shawl or robe. Her face is lifted up and her eyes are closed. Her hands are clasped together as if in prayer
Gertrude Kasebier's photographs about motherhood
Confession: This month, we celebrate Mother's Day and I'm jealous of you if you still have your mom. I lost mine to breast cancer when I...
A piece of paper three hole punched at the top. There is a comic printed on it off-center of two computers sitting on a chair with a picture on a small table and dialogue bubbles. A signature and text is in the lower righthand corner and information is stamped above the cartoon on the page
Man vs. machine: Computing innovations since Deep Blue
On May 11, 1997, a chess-playing computer, Deep Blue, and world chess champion Garry Kasparov were on their sixth and final game. His...
An illustration of a crimson dog with floppy ears sitting in the rain, with a smiling child taking refuge under his chin. She holds a teddy bear. Around them a puddle has developed.
Clifford the Big Red Dog at the Smithsonian
When Scholastic first published Clifford the Big Red Dog in 1963, the book's creator, Norman Bridwell (1928–2014), had no idea...
Illustrated advertisement for brewing companies. The design features illustrations of brown glass bottles, a cup, and lots of fancy scroll work as well as a red wax seal featuring a beer.
Six things from my first 100 days
Getting to know just under two million objects, almost 17,000 cubic feet of archives, and around 140 curatorial and collections staff is a...
In a black and white photo, a woman stands behind a microphone and sings in a dark room. A jazz band is behind her, and they are smiling.
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...
Wooden box with hole in it for birds and wire mesh around opening. There are lichens growing on the top of it. A nail or screw is visible on one side.
Making a place for Eastern Bluebirds—and philanthropy
If you had asked me to guess the first object I would add to the museum's new philanthropy collection, I never would have said a Virginia...
A small, cabinet-like square cart with 4 wheels, a blue front, and items on top sits in front of a giant vault door set against the wall with a sign for the value of money exhibit.
Experience the hobby of kings with the National Numismatic Collection's new Discovery Cart
Want to partake in the "Hobby of Kings?" Then consider becoming a numismatist—a person who collects and studies coins or paper money.Coin...
One side of a bronze coin, showing a man with a helmet and a bounty of hair and an altar-like structure with text and votives on the reverse
He must have been an admiral, a sultan or a king… beards, beards, beards.
We're celebrating National Coin Week with a series of posts by our National Numismatic Collection team. See our previous posts about...
A silver coin with a pegasus in flight on it
Fantastic beasts and the currency that depicts them
This is another post in our National Coin Week series. See previous posts about goddesses on currency and money and the military.For...
A goldenrod-colored paper with perforated edges that says it is 50 cents for a POW canteen
Money and the military: How numismatics aided and affected war efforts
This week the National Numismatic Collection is celebrating National Coin Week with a series of blog posts and an Objects out of...
A pie in a dish that is crustless and looks like cream with pieces of fruit mixed in. In the middle are a number of pieces of fruit (the type that come in a fruit cocktail) piled up and the pie is lined by a ring of Nilla wafers.
More time for the party: A 1960s make-ahead potluck
Although Mad Men is over, we haven't stopped loving the 1960s. But how would our 2016 taste buds fare with 50-year-old recipes?...
A white china teacup and saucer sit against a black background. The saucer and the cup have different European flags and the US flag on them, and all of the edges are lined with gold
A tea set for war relief: Liberty China and Queen’s Ware in World War I
"When our country entered the Great War I decided to have this chapter in our history commemorated by a patriotic china, to be made by a...
a photograph of Ella Fitzgerald. She looks up and away from the camera. She is smiling and rests on a number of records spread out on the table in front of her.
Ella Fitzgerald: Breaking down racial barriers with her voice
In the Archives Center, jazz always seems to be a topic of discussion, whether it be a researcher looking for the Duke Ellington Collection...
Brown fedora with brown ribbon band
While the Ruby Slippers step out, two swashbuckling props step in
"I'm sorry. The Ruby Slippers aren't on display right now."It's something that we here at the museum are preparing ourselves to have to say...
A saucer with geometric patterns and shades of blue, green, and red. There is a prominent lotus decoration.
How we became Egyptomaniacs
An encounter with ancient Egypt touches most of us at some point in our lives and leaves few of us unmoved by its remarkable culture. The...
Beer bug with a chubby middle and large handle. It is brown/tan in color. In white, an Aztec head illustration/cartoon and block letters K C O R.
Our brewing historian hits the road—and you can follow along on Twitter
Embarking on a research trip is always an exciting time for a historian, but this trip is especially important to me because it's the...
A photograph of a smiling man, his arms outstretched, in front of an exhibit with images on the wall, objects against it, and signs with captions on them.
Pure Cotton with a Berry on Top: The Legacies of Chuck Berry and James Cotton
Only a few days after the passing of James Cotton, one of the country's greatest blues harmonica players, we lost one of our greatest...
A red object that looks like a bobsled with a ski attached to the bottom and two arm braces on the sides
4 favorite pieces of adaptive winter sports gear
One of the best parts of my job as a curator at the museum is to develop exhibitions. To come up with an idea, collect objects, and write...
A work of art portraying a face in the fore and a red and black design in the back.
Block prints by African American women artists and friends: Margaret Taylor Burroughs and Elizabeth Catlett
Did you ever cut a linoleum block in art class? While rolls of linoleum were used for floor covering from the 1860s, artists only began to...
A piece of light colored paper. At the top reads PI = 3.* in typewriter typeface. Below are blocks of numbers sorted into rectangles in rows
Pi Day: An American celebration
Many Americans write dates in numerical form, with the first digits for the month, the second for the day of the month, and the third for...
A mannequin wears a blonde, spiky wig and a lacquered shift dress with green and gold daisies. The bottom hem, neckline, and sleeves are ruffled with teal, wrist-length gloves and a cigarette holder. Her shoes are green ankle-high booties with low heels and gold details.
The evolution of Phyllis Diller's career in 7 objects
Phyllis Diller is widely considered the first female stand-up comic to perform as a solo act. While she is mainly known for her career in...
Young woman with curly red hair and a blue button-down shirt smiles, posing beside a filing cabinet, which is beige with white labels and metal handles.
Up close and personal with Phyllis Diller's gag file
This is the second post in the series. If you missed the previous post introducing the large file in which comedian Phyllis Diller...
A view of a brown filing cabinet. One drawer is pulled out slightly with the label "Phyllis Diller" and a small metal handle with an ID card stuck inside. A small note card with typed script is pulled out slightly.
Help us transcribe Phyllis Diller's jokes—and enjoy some laughs along the way!
"You talk about making waves—did you ever get hiccups in a waterbed?"Phyllis Diller kept Americans in stitches throughout...
The tails side of a standard quarter. It is a Puerto Rico quarter, with a bay and flowers and the year 2009
Through a Puerto Rican lens: The legacy of the Jones Act
What do Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, legendary baseball player Roberto Clemente, salsa icon Tito Puente, actor Raúl Juliá, and...
A playing card on which a man wearing boxing clubs in a fighting stance stands against a green background made to look like a large hall with many seated people
Jack Johnson: The first African American world heavyweight boxing champion
In 1908, Texan Jack Johnson (1878–1946) defeated Canadian Tommy Burns to become the first African American world heavyweight boxing...
(Detail image) Black and white photo of an African American man in military uniform. His arms are gently crossed, a watch o his wrist. His head is slightly tilted to the right, with a serious but gentle look on his face. The uniform has pockets, buttons, and a fairly high collar.
Over There: A Buffalo Soldier in World War I
Offered in celebration of Black History Month and in recognition of the 100th anniversary of America's participation in World War I, the...
A wooden box filled with various tools that include blades and scissors
Macabre school supplies: 19th century dissection sets
A 19th-century medical student brought to school a number of things, including scientific texts and a hope to one day relieve the suffering...
Black and white posed photo of women, each with their hair piled on top of their head and high-collared blouses.
This Galentine's Day blog post is for you. You poetic, noble land-mermaid.
On February 13, women everywhere (we hope!) will be gathering together to celebrate Galentine's Day. First introduced in 2010 by character...
black metal device that looks like a typewriter. All the keys, however, have numbers on them and they are yellow, green, and red.
A curator goes to the movies: The stuff of "Hidden Figures"
Over the past few months, I’ve read Margot Lee Shetterly’s book Hidden Figures and seen the movie with the same title. These...
Photo of a large space with high ceilings. Tables in the center include space for inventing. Cabinets on both sides contain cases with museum objects, including what looks like a guitar. Above, in lights, is a sign that says "Spark Lab."
At our "Draper Spark!Lab" the sound of homemade banjos beckons
Around age eight I decided I wanted to play the violin. Fortunately, my parents had the access and money to buy a new instrument for me....
A black patch with a white helmet sewn on the front
An auto racing legacy: Meet the Black American Racers
As a kid, Leonard W. Miller secretly tinkered with his parents' car for almost a year before they noticed he'd been replacing parts under...
A journal with yellowed pages and dark cursive script laying open. There is a small sandbag next to it.
HMS Terror, Charles Francis Hall, and the Star-Spangled Banner
Thanks to the help of online volunteers, the Smithsonian Transcription Center has completed a project to transcribe the second volume of...
Photo of prop fish bowl with holiday decorations
Why does the Smithsonian have objects from a fake presidency on "The West Wing?"
As the fanfare leading up to the 2017 inauguration swirls around the Smithsonian and Washington, D.C., at large, I cannot help but think...
How a Congressional vote to create Revolutionary War medals affirmed the Declaration of Independence
I'm a native New Englander. Sometimes I feel like I've been to Boston more times than Samuel Adams. When one grows up in New England, it is...
A red program for an inauguration with the statue of liberty and a golden star in the center
"You just became President of the United States. What would you like to do?" "I think I'll give a speech!"
Taking the oath of office is the only constitutionally mandated event of the day, but every president has agreed with George Washington...
Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald sit in front of a microphone
Ella at the gala: Ella Fitzgerald's performance at the Kennedy Inaugural Gala
Within the Ella Fitzgerald Papers collection, a hidden gem reveals a surprising connection between Fitzgerald and President John F. Kennedy...
Old photograph of a group of people. Several women are dressed up and one is very, very tall
Burlesque for skyscrapers
Irene Siewert was born in a small town in Alberta, Canada, in 1925. Siewert looked just like any other little girl until she hit 13, when...
Black and white illustration on beige paper, showing portrait of man wearing suit and black tie with mustache and a stern/serious face. He is partially bald.
A firsthand look at Electoral College drama—in 1893
The 2016 presidential election brought renewed discussion about the way Americans vote for presidential electors, those who will then cast...
White button features a drawing of two students sitting next to each, one turns to the other and says "May 17th!." Around the button's border the text reads: "Keep the Buses Rolling...March on Boston."
Rethinking "busing" in Boston
On September 9, 1974, over 4,000 white demonstrators rallied at Boston Common to protest the start of court-ordered school desegregation in...
This October 9, 1944, advertisement for Whitman's chocolate boxes shows a woman embracing a soldier in uniform kissing her cheek. On the bottom right is a box of Whitman’s Chocolate Sampler. The bold font reads, “A WOMAN NEVER FORGETS THE MAN WHO REMEMBERS,” and, “BUY MORE WAR BONDS.” In fine print below the box of chocolates reads, “If you can’t always get your favorite Sampler, remember it’s because millions of pounds of Whitman’s Chocolates are going to all our fighting fronts.”
Top 10 tastiest food history posts of 2016
Our blog covered a cornucopia of food history topics in 2016, but a few dishes rose to the top. Here are ten of our most-read blog posts of...
Detail: Postcard with photo of two young children wearing ballet shoes. Little boy holds top hat in his raised hand and an over-sized coat. The little girl strikes a pose with a fancy fan and wears a full-skirted tea length dress and a hat with many bows.
10 blog posts from 2016 that history buffs can't miss
2016 was a stupendous year for the museum's blog! Many thanks to the staff, volunteers, interns, and guest writers who shared their...
Detail of image: Black and white snapshot. A woman sits in a chair, her legs crossed and her hands on knee. She smiles, eyes closed and mouth open to show her teeth. She wears a smart suit with white collar. The man balances on one of the arms of the chair, gesturing toward her, also with a smile. He wears a suit and black/white shoes.
Duke Ellington's Christmas gift
What does a world-famous musician put under the tree for the woman he loves . . . when he happens to be married to someone else?In the case...
A silver coin with a woman's likeness on the front. Reads "Liberty" at the top and "1979"
Suffragists: From campaigns to currency
Recently there has been a significant debate about how and where to feature a woman on United States currency. In April 2016, Secretary of...

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