Description: A couple of months ago, Tony Cohn, host of Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast, contacted the Archives about an upcoming episode they were preparing. Sidedoor highlights the unseen or little-known stories about collections at the Smithsonian. The Archives’ work was recently front-and-center of an episode of The Sidedoor Podcast about America’s first food spy.
Description: It was July 1880 in Washington, DC and Smithsonian Secretary, Spencer Baird, had fled the city with his family for cool ocean breezes and to study the fishing grounds off the New England coast at Woods Hole on Cape Cod. For those left behind minding the Smithsonian Castle, it was probably hot, humid, and hellish in town and they were in need of relief. Luckily, the proprietors
Description: Sometimes the research process reveals more than an answer to a single question. This is the story of the Smithsonian bison that inspired the “Buffalo Bill.”
Description: Operation Moonwatch created an international network of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteer sky-watchers of both genders and from every walk-of-life. These citizen-scientists joined professional astronomers to track and report on satellites travelling through the night sky. Food and location played a role in keeping volunteers engaged with Operation Moonwatch.