American History

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To Understand How the Supreme Court Changed Voting Rights Today, Just Look at This Map

Today the Supreme Court of the United States decided 5 to 4 that one major section of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional

A horticulturist from the Natural History Museum will give a tour of the Butterfly Garden and provide tips on how to attract butterflies to your own backyard greenery.

Events June 25-27: Electrical Inventions, Revolutionary Knowledge and Butterfly Gardens

This weekend, take a glimpse into Nikola Tesla's life, sharpen your knowledge on revolutionary figures and tour the Butterfly Garden

Legendary skateboarders Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen will be at the National Museum of American History this weekend for Innoskate, a skateboarding innovation festival.

4 Tips for Inventing the Next Great Skateboarding Trick, Courtesy of Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen

The skateboarding legends will be at the American History Museum this weekend to talk about innovation in their sport

Professional skateboarders and a panel of experts will talk about creativity and innovation in the skating world and provide tips, tricks and demonstrations Saturday.

Events June 21-23: Meet Choctaw Princesses, Skate Like the Pros and Unplug with Vandaveer

Experience the culture of the Choctaw people, learn about innovations in skateboarding and get in touch with your folksier side with Vandaveer

A scene from 1964's Dr. Strangelove

There Never Was Such a Thing as a Red Phone in the White House

Fifty years ago, still spooked by the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. and Soviet Union built a hotline. But it wasn’t a phone

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Where Did the Phrase “Hubba Hubba” Come From?

Where did this odd little set of sounds come from, and how did it become associated with pretty ladies?

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Supreme Court Hands Big Loss to Big Pharma

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against big pharmaceutical companies, saying that the Federal Trade Commission could indeed sue companies who engaged in "pay to play" deals

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Where Would You Put a 51st Star on the U.S. Flag?

If you wanted to make a 51-star American flag, or a 76-star American flag, how would you arrange the stars?

When the Union Ran Out of Ironclads, They Built Timberclads

A curious photograph caught one library specialist at the Library of Congress by surprise: a wooden ironclad

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San Francisco From the Air, 1938 and Today

This amazing composite photo gives a scrollable, zoomable high-resolution view of 1938 San Francisco

The logo for the NSA’s PRISM project

400 Words to Get Up to Speed on Edward Snowden, the NSA And Government Surveillance

NSA's PRISM, monitoring the internet, and the recent history of domestic surveillance

Baltimore’s waste-to-energy station creates energy by incinerating waste. Learn about whether or not this process is right for DC in a talk at the Anacostia Community Center on Tuesday.

Events June 11-13: Waste-to-energy, Teenage History Stars and the World’s Best Nature Photos

This week, learn about an alternative way to save energy, see the work of National History Day contestants and see nature like you've never seen it before

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Today Is National Doughnut Day

Yes, this is a real holiday. Yes, it means free doughnuts

‘Whoomp! (There It Is)’ Still Makes $500,000 a Year

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Swimming Champion and Actress Esther Williams Dies, Her Legacy Lives on at the Smithsonian

A 2008 donation to the National Museum of American History of the glamorous star's enormous scrapbooks are filled with mementos of her career

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The Man Who Coined the Word ‘Sack’ in Football Dies at 74

For a long time, a quarterback's greatest fear was David "Deacon" Jones

The cast of the popular television show goofs off at a donation ceremony in 1978, which added Archie and Edith Bunker’s chairs to the “A Nation of Nations” exhibit. (L-R): Jean Stapleton, Secretary (1964-1984) S. Dillon Ripley, Norman Lear, Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner as they peer into the case where the chairs are displayed. View Full Record for 92-1711.

Entertainment Curator Remembers ‘All in the Family’ star Jean Stapleton

Dwight Blocker Bowers discusses the show's iconic donation to the American History Museum and its place in television

From May 17 to July 4, 1863, Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Army placed the city of Vicksburg, MS under siege to defeat Confederate troops. Hear the play-by-play of this turning point in the Civil War in a talk by best-selling author Jeff Shaara on Wednesday.

Events June 4-6: The Middle Passage, the Battle of Vicksburg and Whales

This week, hear stories of the slave trade, learn about one of the Civil War's most pivotal battles and discover Smithsonian's whale collection

Ponce de León's name wasn't tied to the Fountain of Youth until 14 years after his death.

Ponce De Leon Never Searched for the Fountain of Youth

How did this myth about the Spanish explorer even get its start?

Three signature NASM space food examples from Neil Armstrong's meal allotments on the Apollo 11 mission.

Unpack a Meal of Astronaut Space Food

Space-age spaghetti and meatballs, along with other tastes of home, gave Apollo astronaut crews a boost

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