Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Blog Post: Teaching AIDS Awareness Through Trading Cards"

Blog Post: A Brief History of AZT

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:59:28 GMT

In this post, students will learn about the first approved HIV/AIDS drug, AZT (also called Zidovudine (ZVD) and Retrovir). The drug is a reverse transcriptase inhibitor. This type of medicine stops the reproduction of DNA and reduces the amount of the virus in the blood (the viral load). This post is published on the Museum's "O Say Can You See?" blog.

HIV and AIDS Thirty Years Ago

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:39:37 GMT

This online exhibition examines the public health, scientific, and political responses in the early phase (1981-87) of the global HIV and AIDS pandemic. The website features photographs, magazine covers and public health information pamphlets from AIDS service organizations.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that produces AIDS by impairing the human immune system and allowing diseases such as pneumonia and various cancers to take hold. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the term for the combination of infection with HIV, a reduced number of specific immune system cells (ones with CD4 surface proteins), and the illnesses associated with HIV.

History Explorer Podcast: 30th Anniversary of HIV and AIDS

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 10:11:17 GMT

In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, Curator Katherine Ott discusses the anniversary of the defining of HIV and how it fits into the history of both science and our society.

Treasures of American History: National Challenges

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:56:27 GMT

In this section of the online exhibition Treasures of American History, students will learn that by understanding the challenges of the past, they can draw lessons and inspiration for confronting new challenges in the present and future. The topics discussed in this section are: the American Revolution; slavery; westward expansion; the Civil War, women's suffrage, the Great Depression and World War II, the Civil Rights movement and AIDS. A Spanish version of the exhibition is available on the exhibition's homepage.