On January 16, 1907, a man entered the U.S. National Museum and asked a carpenter for directions to a former colleague's office. Minutes later, that man pulled a rifle out of a package and murdered an illustrator working for the Smithsonian.

Sheryl Kolasinski, Director, Office of Planning and Project Management, 1995–2011, and Deputy Director, Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations, 2011–2012, managed major capital projects and helped maintain safety and security across the Smithsonian. #Groundbreaker

Ruth B. MacManus and Gertrude Brown bonded over their heavy workloads and shared experiences as working women in the Great Depression. Together, they helped improve a publication that does not bear their names: the Smithsonian Scientific Series.  

Dr. Sharon Shaffer, Founding Director, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, 1988–2012, established a museum-based, educational program for young children at the Smithsonian. She also developed trainings and wrote numerous publications for educators. #Groundbreaker

A recap and highlights from the Archives team at "Working Women: The Smithsonian Institution as a Case Study," the first annual Smithsonian American Women’s History Initaive symposium

On December 19, 1977 Smithsonian Gardens’ first exhibition, Trees of Christmas, opened at the National Museum of American History.

Dr. Elizabeth Broun, Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery, 1989–2016, oversaw major renovations, welcomed groundbreaking exhibitions, and diversified the museum’s collections. She served as the museum’s Chief Curator and Assistant Director, 1983–88. #Groundbreaker

A glimpse into a semester-long Institutional History internship at the Archives. 

Virginia Beets was instrumental in the early years of the National Museum of American History as an Administrative Officer, 1963–73, and Registrar, 1973–83. She initially joined the Smithsonian as a secretary in the Division of Insects at the National Museum of Natural History in 1949. #Groundbreaker

Spencer F. Baird and George Brown Goode used their diverse, and sometimes quirky, contacts from the U.S. Fish Commission to fill exhibit cabinets in the U.S. National Museum.