Taking America to Lunch is an online exhibition that includes a sampling of illustrated lunch boxes and beverage containers dating from the 1890s through the 1980s. Students will learn how television changed the metal lunch pails carried by industrial workers and students a century ago i

Kermit, a hand and rod puppet created in 1955 by Jim Henson, belongs to America's beloved puppet troupe, The Muppets. Kermit has served as master of ceremonies, comic, and crusader for tolerance in Henson's many creative endeavors. His most memorable role was as the leading Muppet character on

Hattie Carnegie, one of a few female entrepreneurs in the early to mid-20th century, was born Henrietta Kanengeiser in Vienna, Austria, in 1886. She came to the United States in 1892. Her first job was as a messenger, sometime milliner, and model in Macy's department store. She decided to change

This timeline provides an overview of events related to the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court Case, from the 1849 case, Roberts v. the City of Boston, to the 2003 case, Grutter v. Bollinger. This resource is available as a downloadable PDF, and is included

Carnival celebrations featuring performers dressed as devils are found in Puerto Rico and the rest Latin America. The presence of these characters during Carnival is understood by many as an ancient reference to the contest between good and evil. The devilish mask pictured here was made for the

This elaborate mask, made around 1980, is painted in red and black, the colors of the city of Ponce. Masks like this are typically worn by young men from the neighborhood, who don the costume of a vejigante, a character who roams the streets during Carnival, playfully scaring children an

This website focuses on the last handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address, a manuscript that usually resides out of the public eye in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White house. Also included to help students further explore this important document are a printable version of the manuscript, transcr

This is a Bata Cubana, or Cuban Rumba dress, donated to the Smithsonian by Celia Cruz, the great Cuban salsa singer in 1997. An adaptation of the traditional Cuban rumba dress, it was made in the United States by Cuban-born designer José Arteaga. The Bata Cubana has its roots in the 19th century

In 1980, Namco released Pac-Man, an extremely popular video game designed by Toru Iwatani and distributed in North America by Bally/Midway. It was the first video game to spawn a marketing phenomenon, including licensed books, clocks, radios, a Saturday morning cartoon, and gadgets like this comb

While leg makeup has been commercially available since the 1920s, it wasn't until rationing was introduced during the World War II that the product became an essential commodity for many American women. Unable to procure silk or nylon hose, many women resorted to painting their legs with products