Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Treasures of American History: Creativity and Innovation"

Edison Invents

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:30:20 GMT

Students will learn more about Thomas Alva Edison's creative genius. His mind gave us electric lights in our home and an entire system that produced and delivered electrical power. He was the first to record sound, and he also started the recording industry. Edison developed the first movie camera and produced the first movies. The website includes a biography of Edison, instructions on how to make a light bulb, and a list of related resources.

Edison After Forty: The Challenge of Success

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:30:20 GMT

Students will learn about Thomas Edison's life in the years after he had become one of the most famous men in the world. At the age of 40, with major inventions behind him, Edison faced a new technical world, which he had helped to create, and the challenge of competing with his own success. This website takes the form of a photo exhibition and chronicles the latter half of Edison's life and career.

Whatever Happened to Polio? Homepage

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:30:04 GMT

This website uses images, artifacts, oral histories and interactive resources to tell the story of the polio epidemics in the United States and the struggle to find a vaccination to prevent them. The exhibition is divided into four parts covering the effects of polio on communities, families and medicine, the social, scientific and medical legacies of the disease, how the virus works and how a vaccine was developed, and the state of the global campaign to eradicate polio today. This exhibition will help students learn the important connections between science and history.