American History

Today’s the Shared Anniversary of Ruin Porn Poster Children Detroit, Machu Picchu

July 24th marks double jackpot for the intrepid explorers of years past as well for as fans of the latest photographic trend, "ruin porn."

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PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes with “Parks and Rec” at the Smithsonian

Amy Poehler and Adam Scott talk about filming at the Smithsonian and around D.C. for NBC's Parks and Recreation

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on the moon

Here’s What Nixon Would Have Said if Apollo 11 Hadn't Returned

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Six Guys Stood At Nuclear Ground Zero And Lived To Tell The Tale

In 1957, five Air Force officers volunteered (and one cameraman was voluntold) to stand directly below a mid-air detonation of a 2-kiloton nuclear warhead

“Parks and Recreation” heroine Leslie Knope would love to see this mural study from an Indiana post office on her visit to DC. Clearing the Right of Way by Joe Cox, 1938.

Five Things Leslie Knope Should See at the Smithsonian

As NBC's "Parks and Recreation" prepares to shoot its season five in D.C., we offer up five must-sees for the newest city councilmember of Pawnee, Indiana

Contemporary artist Gavin Jantjes’s untitled work is a part of the “African Cosmos: Stellar Arts,” exhibit on display through December 9.

Events July 13-15: After Hours at the Museum of African Art, Cranes and Clouds, “Don Juan” Screening

This weekend, hit up the Museum of African Art after hours, create Korean art and view a screening of "Don Juan"

For Coal Miners, Back to Black Lungs

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Smithsonian Gets Google Mapped

Smithsonian and Google Maps launched an easy to use application Tuesday providing step by step directions inside 17 museums and the National Zoo

An American flag waving in Andover, Maine. This was the first video ever transmitted by commercial satellite.

Fifty Years Ago, Lyndon Johnson Answered the First Satellite Phone Call

Telstar 1, which launched 50 years ago today, was the world's first commercial satellite, and a testament to government-industry cooperation

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Why Store-Bought Popsicles Drip Less

Just in time for another scorching July day, the history of the modern popsicle - and why the store-bought ones are less drippy than the DIY kind

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This One Beautiful Video Sums Up All of Space Shuttle History

The “Six Degrees of Peggy Bacon” exhibit maps out a web of relatedness between Bacon and well-known artists, celebrities and historical figures.

It’s a Small World After All: “Six Degrees of Peggy Bacon”

“Six Degrees of Peggy Bacon” shows how one relatively unknown but well-connected artist was linked to many of art and society’s most influential people

About 90 miles north of San Francisco lies Fort Ross, a site chosen to be the Russian empire's only colony in what would later become the contiguous United States. Pictured is a Russian Orthodox chapel at Fort Ross.

When Russia Colonized California: Celebrating 200 Years of Fort Ross

A piece of history on the Pacific Coast was almost lost to budget cuts, until a Russian billionaire stepped in to save the endangered state park

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North Carolina Rep Pushes Wrong Button and Approves Fracking in the State

Fracking can go ahead in North Carolina, all because one tired legislator pushed the wrong button

Goodness gracious, a great ball of fire

17 Minutes of Fireworks Go Off in 15 Seconds

Yesterday, in the San Diego Bay, a fireworks show meant to last 17 minutes went off in 15 seconds

Why We Set Off Fireworks on the Fourth of July

Because we always have

Laura Ingalls Wilder

‘Little House on the Prairie’ Author’s Autobiography Published for First Time Ever

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Vintage Summer Tips From the U.S. Government: “Overeating Is Overheating”

In the early 1940s, in the years after the country had entered World War II, American government had a particular interest in keeping workers on the job

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One of the First Maps to Include “America” Found in Old Geometry Book

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Chimps Celebrate the End of a Research Era

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