American History

This gold and pearl hair ornament from the days of China’s Qing Dynasty shows the symbolic significance of the phoenix in Chinese culture. Come see an exhibit at the Sackler Gallery showcasing materials from the creation of Chinese artist Xu Bing’s Phoenix Project, on display until September 2.

Hurry In! These Smithsonian Exhibitions Won’t Be Here Much Longer

Spend your remaining summer days at the museums, and don't miss out on the Smithsonian's soon-to-be-closed exhibits

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The CIA May Have Taken Cues From 1960s-Era James Bond

CIA director Allen Dulles admired James Bond creator Ian Fleming, and the two struck up a mutually beneficial relationship

The original Smokey the Bear ad

It’s a Good Thing We Have Smokey: These 1940s Fire Prevention Ads Are Something Else

Replacing racially charged and aggressive World War II imagery, Smokey the Bear is an iconic character

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Tragic Duel + 209 Years = Comedy Gold

In the centuries since Burr shot Hamilton, the duel has inspired some truly funny pop culture references

Looking west from the Apollo 11 landing site.

Legislators Want to Put a National Park on the Moon

A bill in the House of Representatives wants to protect the Apollo landing sites. But can it?

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This Town Wants to Put Its Deer on Birth Control

In Westchester County, hunting with firearms is prohibited and deer have no predators

Alexander Calder’s ‘Gwenfritz’ will be reinstalled in its original location on the west side of the American History Museum in October. This mock-up shows the sculpture at its new and old home in a reflecting pool, part of Calder’s intended aesthetic.

How Do You Freshen Up an Alexander Calder? Bolt by Precious Bolt

Alexander Calder's 40-foot black steel sculpture is getting a makeover and then returning to its original location near the American History Museum

(Photo courtesy of the Sneden Collection at the Virginia Historical Society.)

Document Deep Dive: The Day the Confederates Attacked Washington

This map painstakingly created by a Union cartographer presents a snapshot of the nation’s capital during the war

Celebrate Nikola Tesla’s Birthday with an Excerpt from a New Biography of the Inventor

Scholar W. Bernard Carlson explores Tesla's experiments with automatons and radio controlled boats in this excerpt from his new book

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You’re Not Supposed to Mine the Grand Canyon, So Why Are These Miners Digging Up Uranium?

There are four mines still turning out ore near the Grand Canyon

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Today in 1948, the U.S. Air Force Accepted Its First Female Member

The first recruit to the Women in the Air Force (known as WAF) was Esther Blake who enlisted on the first day it was even possible for women to do so

2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL 9000 Was Originally a Female

Who knows, perhaps if HAL had been a lady, we'd all be scared of disembodied female voices and Siri would be a man's voice

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This July 4th, Celebrate Two Million Years of Grilling

The advent of open fire cooking began with Homo erectus

A 1963 ad featuring the Postal Service’s Mr. Zip.

Happy 50th Birthday, ZIP Codes

Half a century ago today the U.S. Post Office introduced the ZIP Code

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Discussion

Discussion

This burned postcard was salvaged from the wreckage of the Hindenburg in 1937.

Celebrating 20 Years of the National Postal Museum

A new gallery opening in September highlights some of the most famous stamps in American history

Days after Jackie Mitchell (center) struck out Yankee superstars (from left) Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, the duo watched the female phenom demonstrate her fastball during spring training in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 4, 1931.

The Woman Who (Maybe) Struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig

Of all the strange baseball exploits of the Depression era, none was more surprising than Jackie Mitchell’s supposed feat

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Tesla at the Smithsonian: The Story Behind His Genius

A new biography looks to document how the scientist thought of so many inventions, some of which are housed at the American History Museum

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What Do America’s Gay Families Get Now That DOMA Is Dead?

What does the repeal of DOMA mean for American's legally married gay couples?

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What Was in the Mysterious Woman Suffrage Party Safe Box?

For as long as anyone can remember, the safe box - marked simply "Woman Suffrage Party" has sat in the council's New York City office

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