U.S. History

A Darkness in Donora

When smog killed 20 people in a Pennsylvania mill town in 1948, the clean air movement got its start

November 1999

A Passion for Learning

The opportunity to broaden one's horizons at the Smithsonian is a job perk to be relished

November 1999

Images of African-Americans Illuminate a Proud Past

November 1999

Othmar Ammann's Glory

Genius, willpower and thousands of miles of steel wire went into the George Washington Bridge

October 1999

Two for the Road

Changes mean a bright future for the National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery

October 1999

The First Empire Builder of the Northwest

Long before Bill Gates, James J. Hill blazed a technological trail, built a fortune — and tested the government's tolerance for big business

October 1999

"For a While...It Was Fun"

Then the full force of the storm hit. By the time it had played itself out, Galveston, Texas, was a shambles

September 1999

Turning Water to Gold

Confronted with a hill full of gold, miners removed the hill and the gold and left a mess behind

August 1999

A New Day Begun

Committed to its community, the Smithsonian's Anacostia Museum sets lofty goals for the future

August 1999

"There Is a Certain Amount of Humor in Checkers"

But if you think this game is easy, you haven't met the Ayshire Lassie, the Black Doctor, the Goose Walk or the Canalejas Cannonball

July 31, 1999

In the Year 1, Augustus Let the Good Times Roll

The year 2000 is almost upon us, but what in the (Western) world was happening when the counting began?

July 31, 1999

Piloting Pint-size Planes

Across the country, weekend aviators are sending their remote-controlled model aircraft soaring

July 1999

"Hello Boys! Become an Erector Master Engineer!"

With no "hanky-panky gimcracks," A. C. Gilbert's Erector sets taught boys more than just the nuts and bolts

May 1999

Moving Down the Line

It's pulled and jimmied, tied and lifted —but the 20-ton Jupiter engine finally reaches its new home

April 1999

A Museum Partnership

Working together, the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries are gaining distinction in Asian art

April 1999

Looking Back and Ahead

With regret but a legacy of accomplishment, the Secretary plans to leave the Smithsonian in December

March 1999

Conveying History Through Song

Bernice Johnson Reagon adds cultural nuance and period flavor to rousing a cappella renditions

February 1999

Saving Our Treasures

A devoted keeper of the past, the National Museum of American History looks ahead to the Millennium

February 1999

Bar Codes: Reading Between the Lines

February 1, 1999

Picturing Pocahontas

An image at the National Portrait Gallery may be the truest account we have of the Indian princess

January 1999