Description: [view in Spanish]Born in Las Anonas, near San José, Costa Rica, Zeledón was the scion of a distinguished family whose intellectual gifts and love of learning were common traits. His father, don Manuel Zeledón, was governor of the district of San José for thirty years, and a man of great integrity. From earliest childhood José was interested in birds, and began serious study as
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_10193,size=175,left]Fifty years ago the Smithsonian embarked on a new venture to bring the culture on display in the museum to life with the first Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Then called the Festival of American Folklife, it set out to show that the crafts shown inside museums are also still alive and well across the country.
Description: It would be hard to imagine stepping into a Smithsonian museum today and not seeing a single camera. Digital cameras and smart phones with cameras are so completely a part of today’s museum-going experience that - unless a flash goes off in your face – you probably wouldn’t notice the camera next to you. However, in 1938, you would have seen a very different sight. On August
Description: The Smithsonian Institution Archives has a lot of diaries. And they offer researchers a glimpse into the daily lives of scientists doing their work in the field and sometimes the joy and tragedy of family life.