“On this Earth Day, ‘Earth Optimism’ should be more than a slogan; it should be a rallying cry for people of conscience to work together year-round in order to safeguard this beautiful planet we call home.”
— Smithsonian Secretary David J. Skorton
This weekend, we’re sharing conservation
success stories at our #EarthOptimism Summit, a first-of-its-kind gathering of more than 150 scientists, thought leaders, philanthropists and civic leaders to share and learn from each other’s conservation achievements.
Follow along on
Facebook, Twitter, or the live webcast to learn about how science is working to
solve complex problems around the globe.
Photo: Photograph of Mae Reeves and a group of women standing on stairs, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Mae Reeves and her children, Donna Limerick and William Mincey, Jr.
African American women have been wearing fancy hats for generations to church. In 1940, Mae Reeves started Mae’s Millinery Shop in 1940 in Philadelphia, PA with a $500 bank loan. The shop stayed open until 1997 and helped dress some of the most famous African American women in the country, including iconic singers Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne.
Reeves was known for making all of her customers feel welcomed and special, whether they were domestic workers, professional women, or socialites from Philadelphia’s affluent suburban Main Line. Customer’s at Mae’s would sit at her dressing table or on her settee, telling stories and sharing their troubles.
Photo: Pink mushroom hat with flowers from Mae’s Millinery Shop, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
In our Power of Place exhibition, we recreated a portion of Reeves’ shop to showcase this African American tradition. Our shop includes its original red-neon sign, sewing machine, antique store furniture and hats.
View artifacts from Mae’s Millinery Shop in our collection: s.si.edu/2oVlbFj
We love this 👒 history (and the word
millinery) from our @nmaahc.
Yes, whales have earwax and yes, we have 1,000 samples of it in our collection.
Like the rings of a tree, these waxy time capsules give scientists a timeline of data about a whale’s life and environment—opening up a whole new canal of ocean study.
This piece of whale earwax is among hundreds
of rarely seen specimens and artifacts in #ObjectsofWonder, a new exhibition at our National Museum of Natural History. It explores the breadth, scope and splendor of the world’s
most extensive natural history research collection and its surprising role in scientific
discovery. The exhibition is open through 2019.
The menu for President Lincoln’s second inaugural ball included terrapin (turtle), edible sculptures and beef à-la-mode, which thankfully doesn’t have anything to do with ice cream.
Learn more about the massive meal held in the building that now houses our
American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery.
A researcher was walking through a city market when he came upon a piece of dinosaur tail, encased in amber and preserved for millions of years in all its feathery glory.
Our curator of dinosaurs says it could help settle a debate over how feathers evolved in the first place.
