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History / Video

Preview thumbnail for Star-Spangled Salute

Star-Spangled Salute

Re-enactors relive the Battle of Baltimore and celebrate the flag that inspired our national anthem (Ryan R. Reed). Read more at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/star-spangled-banner-back-on-display-83229098/

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Riding to Freedom

In the spring of 1961, black and white civil rights activists rode buses to protest the segregationist policies of the Deep South Script and narration: Marian Holmes Photos courtesy of …

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Walking Through Civil War History

Edwin Bearss lends a dynamic personality and a booming voice to teaching the history of the Civil War in northern Virginia (Meredith Bragg)

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The Inaugural House Band

The Marine Band, having played at nearly every presidential swearing-in ceremony since Thomas Jefferson’s in 1801, readies for Barack Obama’s inauguration (Meredith Bragg). Read more at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Inauguration-2009.html

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Yosemite Slideshow

Carleton Watkins’ 19th-Century Photographs of Yosemite Valley (Produced and Narrated by: Brendan McCabe. Text by Bruce Hathaway). Read more at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/john-muirs-yosemite-10737/

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Historian Speaks to Lincoln’s Legacy

Author Harold Holzer discusses Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the President’s lasting impact on modern American politics and nostalgia (Meredith Bragg). Read more at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/life-of-lincoln.html

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One Life: The Mask of Lincoln

National Portrait Gallery historian David C. Ward discusses images of Abraham Lincoln that document his life in the White House (Anika Gupta, Beth Py-Lieberman, Jesse Rhodes and Ryan Reed). Read …

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America’s Backyard

Take a tour of the National Mall, past and present (Kenneth R. Fletcher). Read more at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-pierre-lenfant-and-washington-dc-39487784/

Preview thumbnail for Did New Orleans Invent the Cocktail?

Did New Orleans Invent the Cocktail?

Cocktail historians differ on the birthplace of the word “cocktail,” but they cherish America’ invention of drinks like the mint julep (Meredith Bragg)

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Herman Leonard’s Jazz Photographs

Read more at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Herman-Leonards-Eye-for-Jazz.html With just a camera as his ticket, Herman Leonard captured jazz icons performing on and off stage.

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Edward Steichen’s World War 2 Photographers

Read more at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/In-Vogue.html At 62 years old, Edward Steichen convinced the U.S. Navy to let him gather a team of photographers to capture the men serving their country in …

Preview thumbnail for Behind the Scenes with Gowns of the First Ladies Exhibit

Behind the Scenes with Gowns of the First Ladies Exhibit

An exhibit about the first ladies reopens at the National Museum of American History, including dresses worn at inaugural balls.

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Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life

Behind the Scenes with Harry Rubenstein At the National Museum of American History (Beth Py-Lieberman, Ryan Reed and Molly Roberts). Read more at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/life-of-lincoln.html

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Political Props

Smithsonian curator Larry Bird shows off convention artifacts and other campaign memorabilia from the collection of the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian.com). Read more at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Inauguration-2009.html

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Colombia Dispatch Video: Palenque: A Piece of Africa in Sout

Four hundred years ago, escaped slaves formed the village of Palenque. The town’s younger generations have reconnected with their African roots through cultural traditions handed down from their ancestors (Kenneth …

Preview thumbnail for To the Moon and Back: Apollo 11 Celebrates its 40th Anniversary

To the Moon and Back: Apollo 11 Celebrates its 40th Anniversary

Sending a man to the moon required an overhaul of the entire space program, involving more powerful rockets and new spacecraft (Video: Lauren Hogan, Beth Py-Lieberman, Brian Wolly)

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