World History
With permission, I am republishing the post Smithsonian Urban Legends written by Jennie Weber. I think it is interesting and worth publishing again.
-----------
Smithsonian Magazine had an article on urban myths (to refute) them recently. My personal favorite:
Myth #8: There is a subterranean archive center underneath the National Mall.
Fact: The Smithsonian?s storage facilities are mostly located in Suitland, Maryland.
Backstory: The notion that a labyrinthine network of storage space exists beneath the Smithsonian museums, under the National Mall, may have started with Gore Vidal?s novel The Smithsonian Institution and was most recently popularized by the movie Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Unfortunately, no such storage facility is to be found. The archive center depicted in the film is based on the Smithsonian?s storage facilities in Suitland, Maryland. However, there is a staff-only accessible underground complex of passageways that connect the Freer, the Sackler, the Castle, the African Art Museum, the International Gallery and the Arts and Industries Building.
There is also a tunnel that connects the Castle with the Museum of Natural History. Built in 1909, it is technically large enough to walk through; however, a person has to contend with cramped spaces, rats and roaches. A quick jaunt across the National Mall is the preferred means of traveling between the two museums.
- Women's History Month (library Of Congress)
Women's History Month (Library of Congress) - This site pays tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society. The emphasis is on American women. From the site: The Library...
- How Urban Legends Work
Howstuffworks has an informative essay up on How Urban Legends Work. It was written by Tom Harris. Urban legends often become a part of folklore and history. What urban legend circulated today will be considered a historical fact by future historians?...
- Smithonian Source - Resources For Teaching American History
Smithonian Source - Resources for Teaching American History. The site exclaims, "Find teacher-selected resources that allow you to peer over the historian's shoulder and share the excitement of discovery." Despite some annoying background music and...
- Engineering The Inca Road System: Smithsonian Exhibit
How did the Inca build their intricate system of roads through the treacherous Andes? A new exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian attempts to answer that question. According to Smithsonian's online magazine, the...
- The Cyrus Cylinder In Ancient Persia
Interesting story for those of us about to teach Greece and the Persian Empire. Sometimes called the "first first bill of human rights," the Cyrus Cylinder is one of the most famous objects in the British Museum and will travel to...
World History
Smithsonian Urban Legends
With permission, I am republishing the post Smithsonian Urban Legends written by Jennie Weber. I think it is interesting and worth publishing again.
-----------
Smithsonian Magazine had an article on urban myths (to refute) them recently. My personal favorite:
Myth #8: There is a subterranean archive center underneath the National Mall.
Fact: The Smithsonian?s storage facilities are mostly located in Suitland, Maryland.
Backstory: The notion that a labyrinthine network of storage space exists beneath the Smithsonian museums, under the National Mall, may have started with Gore Vidal?s novel The Smithsonian Institution and was most recently popularized by the movie Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Unfortunately, no such storage facility is to be found. The archive center depicted in the film is based on the Smithsonian?s storage facilities in Suitland, Maryland. However, there is a staff-only accessible underground complex of passageways that connect the Freer, the Sackler, the Castle, the African Art Museum, the International Gallery and the Arts and Industries Building.
There is also a tunnel that connects the Castle with the Museum of Natural History. Built in 1909, it is technically large enough to walk through; however, a person has to contend with cramped spaces, rats and roaches. A quick jaunt across the National Mall is the preferred means of traveling between the two museums.
- Women's History Month (library Of Congress)
Women's History Month (Library of Congress) - This site pays tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society. The emphasis is on American women. From the site: The Library...
- How Urban Legends Work
Howstuffworks has an informative essay up on How Urban Legends Work. It was written by Tom Harris. Urban legends often become a part of folklore and history. What urban legend circulated today will be considered a historical fact by future historians?...
- Smithonian Source - Resources For Teaching American History
Smithonian Source - Resources for Teaching American History. The site exclaims, "Find teacher-selected resources that allow you to peer over the historian's shoulder and share the excitement of discovery." Despite some annoying background music and...
- Engineering The Inca Road System: Smithsonian Exhibit
How did the Inca build their intricate system of roads through the treacherous Andes? A new exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian attempts to answer that question. According to Smithsonian's online magazine, the...
- The Cyrus Cylinder In Ancient Persia
Interesting story for those of us about to teach Greece and the Persian Empire. Sometimes called the "first first bill of human rights," the Cyrus Cylinder is one of the most famous objects in the British Museum and will travel to...