Archive for the ‘History’ Category
NMAI: Hear the Song of the Horse Nation
‘DSC_0006′
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian opened its doors this past weekend to a new exhibition, “A Song for the Horse Nation.” The exhibition, nestled on the third floor of the museum, tells the epic tale of the how the return of the horse to the Americas changed Native culture, from [...]
The Song of Emil Her Many Horses
‘DSC_0027′
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
out of the earth / I sing for them
A Horse nation / I sing for them
out of the earth / I sing for them,
the animals / I sing for them.
~a song by the Teton Sioux
Emil Her Many Horses is, by first appearance, a quiet, unassuming gentleman. A museum specialist in the office of [...]
The Lincoln Legacy Project at Ford’s Theatre
‘Rehearsal, Ford’s Theatre’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’
With Republican debates underway and the growth of both Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Occupy Wall Street, it appears most of America is angry, frustrated, or confused. And we’re all pretty much broke.
What better time, then, to look back on the legacy of a president who saw the country through [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: Pneumatic Mail Delivery
Today’s Smithsonian Snapshot looks at another method of mail delivery that dominated the early 20th century metropolitan landscape: the pneumatic mail container.
In the late 1890s, networks of pneumatic tube systems were installed under city streets to move the mail. Each pneumatic tube canister could hold up to 500 letters. The canisters, also known as carriers, [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: Skyhooking
In the 1930s, U.S. postal officials tried different ways of moving the mail. One technique was called “skyhooking,” which brought the mail to rural towns that had no adequate railway or highway mail routes. Unfortunately, the towns which needed this type of service usually did not have adequate landing fields for planes.
Although a low-flying airplane [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: The Ubiquitous Lunch Box
Beginning in the 1950s, television transformed the lunch box from an ordinary food conveyor into a storyteller. The screen-like sides of the lunch box offered kids a new form of self-expression. Since then, the lunch containers carted to and from offices and school classrooms have reflected American culture. Certainly, no meal received more cultural “attention” [...]
More »Smithsonian Snapshot: Happy 165th!
Today in 1846, the U.S. Senate passed the act organizing the Smithsonian Institution by a vote of 26 to 13. The act was then signed into law by President James K. Polk. Among its provisions the Organic Act specifies a Board of Regents, Chancellor and Secretary and a suitable building with rooms for the reception [...]
More »Smithsonian Snapshot: Owney the Mail Dog
Tomorrow, one of the National Postal Museum’s most interesting objects is being commemorated with a U.S. postage stamp. During his lifetime, a scruffy mutt named Owney was the nation’s most famous canine. From 1888 until his death in 1897, Owney rode with Railway Mail Service clerks and mailbags all across the nation.
The Railway Mail Service [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: Lunar Command Module
Forty-two years ago today, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Earth’s moon. Today’s Smithsonian Snapshot takes a look at the Columbia, the lunar command module for the first manned lunar landing mission. (The first Space Shuttle was named after this module.)
On July 16, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: Dumbo Flying Elephant Car
On July 17, 1955, Disneyland, the first Disney theme park and the only one created under the direction of Walt Disney, was opened to the public in Anaheim, Calif. The Dumbo car, pictured above, was donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on June 9, 2005, on the occasion of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary.
The [...]
50 And 50, And Oh Yeah, DC
Society6, an organization that connects artists with unique opportunities and empowers them to make their artwork available for sale without giving up control of their rights, recently completed an innovative project titled “50 And 50.” The idea behind this endeavor was to recruit 50 designers, one per each state, and have them illustrate their [...]
More »Smithsonian Snapshot: Nakhla Meteorite
On June 28, 1911, the Nakhla meteorite fell to Earth at approximately 9 a.m. in the Nakhla region of Alexandria, Egypt. Many people witnessed its explosion in the upper atmosphere before the meteorite dropped in about 40 pieces totaling 22 pounds; the fragments were buried in the ground up to a meter deep.
In August 1911, [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: Good Humor Truck
This week’s Smithsonian Snapshot helps us to herald in the start of summer. Good Humor, the well-known “ice cream on a stick,” was created by candy-maker Harry Burt in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1920.
His first candy invention was the Jolly Boy Sucker, a lollipop on a stick. While working in his ice cream parlor, Burt created [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: The Star-Spangled Banner
‘Old Glory’
courtesy of ‘Tyrannous’
In honor of Flag Day, the Smithsonian Snapshot brings you some history of a very famous flag. In the summer of 1813, Mary Pickersgill was contracted to sew a 30 x 42–foot garrison flag for Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. That flag later became known as the Star-Spangled Banner, the very flag [...]
National Geographic Museum: The Etruscans – An Italian Civilization
‘Nattional Geographic – Etruscans 01 – 06-09-11′courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
I love history. And for me, the older the history, the more I love it. There’s something that fascinates me about seeing how the first people of a given culture tried to figure out the concept of civilization. And for the first couple of [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: Parachute Wedding Dress
This week, in honor of the 67th anniversary of the D-Day landings AND the onset of wedding season, the Smithsonian Snapshot brings you an interesting artifact that ties both World War II and weddings that is currently not on display. This wedding dress was made from a nylon parachute that saved Maj. Claude Hensinger during [...]
More »A Look at Saint Elizabeths West Campus
‘Saint Elizabeths – Central Building – 05-21-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
About two weeks ago, I got the chance to go on a DC Preservation League tour of Saint Elizabeths West Campus. It was the second time I’d been able to go on the tour, the first time being in December of 2008. I was looking [...]
Happy Memorial Day
Salute
Originally uploaded by pablo.raw
We here at We Love DC wish you and yours a happy and safe Memorial Day. If you are in harm’s way in service to the country, we thank you.
To those who paid the highest price, we remember and honor you. No matter the year or details of your passing, in peacetime [...]
National Geographic Museum: Race to the End of the Earth
‘National Geographic – Race Preview – 05-24-11 01′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
What would you do, what would you go through, to be the first explorers to the South Pole? Would you go through months of trekking through -40F degree cold, on a strict ration of food, constantly freezing and wet, and risking death every day? [...]
Smithsonian Snapshot: Pac-Man Telephone
Reportedly inspired by a pizza with one slice removed, Pac-Man was developed by Tōru Iwatani, a programmer for the Japanese company Namco. His primary motivation was to develop a nonviolent game that would appeal to male and female players alike. Unlike previous hit video games like Pong and Space Invaders, Pac-Man had a recognizable main [...]
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