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History Explorer Results (39)
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Grade Range:
8-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials
Date Posted:
9/4/2020
“A former laundress who became a millionaire from her hair-care company, Madam C. J. Walker (1867–1919) was a leading philanthropist of the early 1900s. Because of her pioneering role in both business and philanthropy, she's featured in two museum exhibitions: American Enterprise and Giving in A
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Interactives & Media
Duration:
60 minutes
Date Posted:
10/14/2016
A topical collection featuring African-American leaders, inventors, activists, sports figures, and culture-shapers whose lives changed history.  These stamps are part of the Black Heritage Stamp Series. U.S. postage stamps were in use for nearly a century before Booker T. Washington became t
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Artifacts
Date Posted:
4/7/2016
Invention rarely stops when the inventor introduces a new device. Thomas A. Edison and his team worked to improve his electric lighting system for some years after the initial introduction in 1880. This lamp shows the changes made after six years of labor aimed at lowering costs and increasing pr
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media
Duration:
14 minutes
Date Posted:
12/16/2013
Joseph Henry was one of America's preeminent 19th-century scientists, a pioneer in the investigation of electromagnetism and other fields of study, and the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. This video shows how Henry's research found practical application in
Grade Range:
1-6
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
10 minutes
Date Posted:
8/30/2012
People have been turning kitchens into bubble labs for hundreds of years. Benjamin Franklin and his mentor James Logan studied the optical properties of bubbles. These experiments later contributed to Franklin’s invention of bifocal glasses in 1784. Discover your inner bubble inventor
Grade Range:
6-8
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media, Worksheets
Duration:
12 minutes
Date Posted:
3/28/2012
In this episdoe of the History Explorer podcast series, curator Steven Turner discusses the work and shop of Henry Fitz, America's first commercially successful telescope manufacturer. The resource includes an image-enhanced podcast, teachers guide, student worksheet, and image pack. 
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted:
3/27/2012
In the early nineteenth century, lighthouses in the United States were considered inferior to those in France and England. American mariners complained about the quality of the light emanating from local lighthouse towers, arguing that European lighthouses were more effective at shining bright be
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted:
2/2/2012
Thomas Edison used this carbon-filament bulb in the first public demonstration of his most famous invention, the first practical electric incandescent lamp, which took place at his Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory on New Year's Eve, 1879. As the quintessential American inventor-hero,
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media, Worksheets
Date Posted:
1/15/2011
In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, hear museum staff person Petrina Foti discuss inventor Ralph Baer, the first video game, and how to read the stories in objects.  The resource package includes a transcript, teacher guide, and student worksheet. 
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
2/22/2010
Prototype Online: Inventive Voices is a podcast series from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center that reveals the stories behind the invention—motivations, successes, and disappointments—and highlights the persevering spirit shared by all who call themselves “inventor.”
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