Description: A new exhibit and publication from the National Air and Space Museum looks at the architectural beauty of airport towers with photos by Carolyn Russo. [via Weather.com]“The government must take the lead in reinvesting in the arts and humanities,” according to Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton. [via Washington Post]The Smithsonian made a 3D scan of Apollo 11 from the National
Description: The Archives was recently gifted an 1860 letter from Spencer F. Baird, second Secretary of the Smithsonian, to George N. Lawrence, fellow naturalist. The donor requested that, along with a digital version, a transcription be provided, which I undertook alongside a simple treatment. The letter was in overall excellent condition: the thin paper exhibited only a pair of small
Description: The Castle halls were alive with adventure this summer! From July 7th to August 27th, we piloted a live game for teens, The Mystery of the Meghatherium Club: Mayhem and Mustaches. A look at some of the early feedback received on the Smithsonian's pilot of a history game, "The Mystery of the Meghatherium Club: Mayhem and Mustaches."
Description: Preservation intern discusses working with oversize materials in the Archives collection, including information on the creation of custom enclosures, surface cleaning of blueprints, and humidification.
Description: To kick off Women's History month, a look at some of the women in humanities represented in the Smithsonian Institution Archives collections.
Description: Friday, September 15th, 2017 marks the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Anacostia Community Museum. Originally named the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, Secretary Ripley envisioned this as a place to reach out to black residents of Washington, DC who were not seeing themselves in the museums on the Mall. Reporting on the opening of the museum, Secretary Ripley writes that
Description: Ranking 2nd in 2013 as one of the top best places to work for in the Federal Government, there is no doubt that the Smithsonian Institution knows how to throw a birthday party.
Description: Happy Fourth of July! On Independence Day, flags are flown across the nation. The Smithsonian has many versions of the American flag in its collections, the best known being the Star Spangled Banner. But, do you know its history, and how it came to the Smithsonian? The Star Spangled Banner is a huge 15-star, 15-stripe garrison flag, 30 feet by 42 feet, made in 1813 by Mary