Description: Access the official records of the Smithsonian Institution and learn about its history, key events, people, and research, including a rebus letter.
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="362" caption="The Midland skull, which was found in southwestern Texas in 1953, is on display in the National Museum of Natural History's North American Archeology Exhibit which opened in November 1962, The skull was identified as that of a female about 30 years old and is probably more than 10,000 years old, 1962, by Unidentified
Description: What better time to capture family memories and stories than when you and your relatives gather to celebrate Thanksgiving? For the past several years, several organizations have encouraged families to listen to one another and record family history over the Thanksgiving weekend. StoryCorps, for example, has launched The National Day of Listening. So put down that pumpkin pie
Description: A recently discovered carved sealstone from a 3,500 year old tomb in Southwest Greece shows that highly skilled stone carving in Greek civilization occurred much earlier than thought. [via Colossal]Speaking of warriors, how to fight file format rot from the Library of Congress. [via Scientific American]A new program from our National Museum of the American Indian seeks to
Description: Digital strategist Effie Kapsalis was dedicated to building bridges between Smithsonian collections and audiences. In a Smithsonian career spanning nearly twenty years, Effie mobilized her colleagues to share more diverse stories, break down barriers to access, and fight for gender and racial equity in the cultural heritage sphere. Sadly, we lost Effie on December 11, 2022.
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="403" caption="Two hands holding a necklace of 42 cushion-shaped, soft blue sapphires (209 carats) and more than 500 diamonds (100 carats) given to the Smithsonian Institution by Evelyn Annenberg Hall, the sister of Janet Annenberg Hooker, who presented the SI with a 75 carat emerald brooch in 1977, 1978, by Victor Krantz, Photographic
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="286" caption="James Burford, Anthony Pineau, and Raymond Watson, On September 19, 1981, an ex-clerk with Smithsonian Museum shops, armed with a .25 caliber automatic pistol attempted to steal more than $2,500 from the National Museum of Natural History’s shop but was stopped by this trio, November 1981, by Jeffrey Ploskonka, Black and
Description: On September 6, 1958 President Eisenhower authorized preparation of plans for the construction of what is now the National Air and Space Museum.
Description: Women's History Month edition, continued!The story of fossil seller and paleontologist Mary Anning (for whom the "She Sells Seashells" rhyme was possibly written), in Peeps. [via The Last Word on Nothing]A look at the WWI Women's Land Army composed of "farmettes" who went outside the home to address the national food shortage. [via LOC Blog]For 25 cents an hour, less than