At six feet four inches tall, Lincoln towered over most of his contemporaries. He chose to stand out even more by wearing high top hats. He acquired this hat from J. Y. Davis, a Washington hat maker. Lincoln had the black silk mourning band added in remembrance of his son Willie. No one knows whe

This page is one side of a double-sided sheet from a copy of the Koran, a collection of revelations to the Prophet Mohammed that forms the basis of the Islamic religion. Information within the book indicates that the scribe worked on it for 22 years and completed it in 1207 A.D. The black letters

This small piece of yellow metal is believed to be the first piece of gold discovered in 1848 at Sutter's Mill in California, launching the gold rush. John Marshall was superintending the construction of a sawmill for Col. John Sutter on the morning of January 25, 1848, on the Sout

Using this classroom activity, students will be able to cite the origins and outcome of the War of 1812 and be able to place the creation of the Star-Spangled Banner in a chronological framework. The activity includes a narrative about the war of 1812 and the history of the Star-Spangled Banner,

What do museums do? In this classroom activity, students will recognize the Smithsonian Institution and be able to explain what a museum does. This is accomplished through the use of discussion questions and activities in which they relate stories from prior museum visits or share ideas for a mus

In this online exhibition, students will explore the story of the Star-Spangled Banner by learning about the War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore; Mary Pickersgill and the making of the flag; Francis Scott Key and the song that became the national anthem; the legacy of the flag and its use as

Teodoro Vidal became a collector in Puerto Rico after traveling all over Puerto Rico collecting artwork, furniture, toys, and much more. He collected many of the santo that can be seen in this activity guide. Mr. Vidal collected objects because he wanted to share the history and culture of Puerto

Abraham Lincoln's interest in canal building, river commerce, and internal improvements not only drew him to the Whig and later Republican Party, but also led him to try his hand at designing a device for raising boats off sand bars. Undertaken while he was a 40-year-old lawyer in Illinois, Linco

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program provides vision, leadership and support for all Asian Pacific American (APA) activities at the Smithsonian while at the same time, serving as liaison to APA communities.