Description: From the point in 1838 when the United States Congress accepted James Smithson’s bequest, it was recognized as a cultural resource, a public trust held by the federal government. Smithson had stipulated that the funds be used for an “establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Being a cultural resource set aside for public use, the government bore the
Description: A brief biographical sketch of Thomas R. Henry, who served in WWI, was a War Correspondent in the field during WWII, participated in the “Operation High Jump” exploration of Antarctica (1946-1947,) served the Smithsonian as a press writer, and The Washington Evening Star as a science writer.
Description: Link Love: a weekly post with links to interesting videos and stories about archival issues, technology and culture, and Washington D.C. and American history.
Description: In the past, we’ve talked about how families of Smithsonian researchers helped out with research, and some have even lived in the Smithsonian itself. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, it seems like love, too, has brought many couples together both at the Smithsonian and out in the field. Love, as you’ll see in the photos below, enabled some women to travel the world and get
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="301" caption="Doris Mable Cochran (1898-1968), herpetologist in the Division of Reptiles and Amphibians of the United States National Museum (now the National Museum of Natural History). Cochran was appointed an aid to Leonhard Stejneger in 1919, Assistant Curator in 1927, Associate Curator in 1942, and Curator in 1956. She retired in
Description: Read a brief history of the gelatin dry plate negative and learn about the work being done at the Smithsonian Institution Archives to preserve this glass plate negative photographic format.
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="296" caption="This image from Mercury mission number four taken on Sept. 13, 1961 is just one of the many images that was written on by engineers. Credit: NASA/JSC/Arizona State University."][/caption] On May 16th, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral to watch the Endeavor, the NASA space shuttle,