Description: 100 years ago in August of 1914, the Panama Canal opened to commercial shipping. Smithsonian scientists knew the canal would create major environmental changes and have spent the last 100 years documenting them.
Description: As editor E. E. Slosson began setting up the Science Service news office, his mail was flooded with inquiries from potential contributors. Writers and photographers described their accomplishments and submitted samples of their work. One such letter, from Albert Harlingue on April 13, 1921, must have piqued Slosson’s interest, for it coincided with the Washington visit of “a
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="431" caption="Exhibit of Contemporary Hungarian Artists under auspices of the American Federation of Arts and the American-Hungarian Foundation, at the National Gallery, now the Smithsonian American Art Museum, in the Museum of Natural History, April 23-May 31, 1930, by Unknown photographer, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution
Description: The 19th century was a transformative time for the natural sciences. New discoveries didn't just happen in an armchair. Scientists adventured into unfamiliar territory by land and sea on expeditions, and their new findings fed new theories. Groups like the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences formalized America's place
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="A sculpted bust of Secretary Emeritus S. Dillon Ripley was unveiled on May 11, 1990, in the S. Dillon Ripley International Center, Ripley stands next to the newly unveiled art work, May 11, 1990, by Rick Vargas, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 98-015, Box 2, Folder:July 1990, Negative
Description: Each week, the Archives features a woman who has been a groundbreaker at the Smithsonian, past or present, in a series titled Wonderful Women Wednesday.
Description: Browsing the Archives' collections leads to very interesting finds. Upon learning about the Smithsonian Institution’s first Secretary Joseph Henry, 1846-1878, I had the opportunity to read a letter written fourteen days from the start of the Civil War. In the letter, which is addressed to his brother-in-law, Stephen, he expresses uncertainty and dread of the unfolding events.
Description: As the twelfth Smithsonian Secretary, G. Wayne Clough, retires, historian Pamela Henson looks back on his impact on the Smithsonian in 6 ½ short years – creating a positive dynamic, fostering environmental responsibility, and stimulating collaborations across the Institution.
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