In this brief video, curators Harry Rubenstein and Larry Bird share key objects from the political history collection representing inaugurations and presidential campaigns dating back to the early 1800s.  See how objects are stored and continuity and change in campaign and inaugural material

Cher Ami was a registered Black Check cock carrier pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I. He delivered twelve important messages within the American sector at Verdun; on his last mission, October 4, 1918, he was shot through the breast

In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, curator Larry Bird discusses the development of holiday parades, department store window displays, and light shows and examines larger issues in American culture in the late nineteeth through mid-twentieth centuries including 

From 1961 to 1973, the North Vietnamese and Vietcong held hundreds of Americans captive. In North Vietnam alone, more than a dozen prisons were scattered in and around the capital city of Hanoi. American POWs gave them nicknames: Alcatraz, Briarpatch, Dirty Bird, the Hanoi Hilton, the Zoo. Condit

In addition to artifacts and background information on the first ladies, this website features thematic overviews of the many roles of the first ladies, a timeline of first ladies, and behind-the-scenes details on the history of the first ladies exhibitions at the Smithsonian. The Smithsonia

Through this online resource students will learn how the popularity of birds and their feathers as fashion accessories led to the creation of conservation societies, such as the Audobon society, as well as the passage of laws intended to prevent certain species of birds from extinction

Lace-making and sewing were more than utilitarian projects. They allowed young girls to express themselves artistically while learning discipline and attention to detail. This embroidered linen and lace pillow sham belonged to Miguel Roses at the turn of the 20th century. Bird and flower designs

This website includes 10 objects from the Smithsonian’s First Ladies Collection supplemented with contextual information. Part of the online exhibition entitled Legacies: Collecting America’s History at the Smithsonian, this resource will give students a unique look at the life of some of Ame

This website was originally designed to complement C-SPAN's 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits, which debuted in 1999.  The American Presidents website, created for the television series, contains a complete video archive of the series, additiona

The Library of Congress presents Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies through this website. A great resource for students who are looking for images to help with presidential research, this site also includes advice on how to understand and work with the collection of portraits.