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
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: This coming weekend muggles from around the world will be participating in the International Quidditch Association’s World Cup; but did you know that this growing sport may have a Smithsonian connection?
Description: I was intrigued to receive a tweet from a digital colleague over at the NY Times pertaining to a family story that could very well be solved at the Archives. I’m continuously surprised at the variety of papers we hold here, but by now, I shouldn’t be given how far-reaching and varied the scope of the Smithsonian has been through history. Back to the story. THE elephant that
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 a Presidential election year, political news coverage can sometimes seem almost too instantaneous and continuous. Thanks to smartphones with cameras and microphones, journalists and citizens can relay images and sound from almost anywhere inside campaign activities. There was a time, however, when live broadcasting from political conventions and rallies was novel.Starting
Description: Aerial view of the National Mall looking east from the Washington Monument during its first stage of building towards the U.S. Capitol, circa 1881, SIA Acc. 11-006, MAH-8015A.
Description: Thank you, NASA! 3 million new images of earth. [via PetaPixel]The Serpukhov’s Museum of History and Art has hired a resident cat. No joke. [via hyperallergic]A new book from the Smithsonian's own Darrin Lunde about the naturalist side of Teddy Roosevelt. [via Daily Beast]The Robert Gessner film archives related to his book, "Some of my Best Friends Are Jews." [via United