In the early 1960s, the Chicago firm of Playskool introduced this educational toy for children three to six years old, seeking to give them an early familiarity with numbers. It has two rows of relatively large rotating wooden rectangular blocks, each with a row of square rotating wooden blocks belo

This yellow, floral patterned tea length patterned dress was worn by Minnijean Brown during the Spingarn Award Ceremony in 1958. The Spingarn Medal is a gold medal that has been awarded annually since 1915 by the NAACP. According to the NAACP, the purpose is “to call the attention of the American

Learn about the history of predicting weather in the United States from actor Dwayne Starlin playing Joseph Henry, first secretary of the Smithsonian.  Henry played a crucial role in creating a weather prediction service in the United States that became the National Weather Service.  Th

This apparatus was designed by Catherine Stern, a physicist by training and the founder of a Montessori school in her native Germany. Stern and her husband were of Jewish descent, and emigrated to New York City in 1938 to avoid persecution by the Nazis. There she developed these materials, descri

Meet Steven Turner, curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, as he discusses the Smithsonian's scientific instrument collection. This video focuses on the plate developed by the 18th century scientist Chladni whose instruments create visual representations of wave pattern

Follow simple directions to make a musical instrument, then try out some "call and response" jazz rhythms. Part of an OurStory module entitled Duke Ellington and Jazz, this activity includes links to instructions to make a drum or “sound-sandwich,” discussion prompts, and bac

It's in the numbers! Explore how charts and data maps can help you see immigration patterns in history. Part of an OurStory module entitled Coming to America, this activity includes data sources, discussion questions, links to free online tools, and background information. OurStory is de

1896 Pattern Medal of Honor awarded to Daniel Butterfield, “for distinguished gallantry in action at Gaines Mills, Va. June 27, 1862” Perhaps best known as the composer of the bugle call "Taps," Daniel Butterfield began his Civil War service as a sergeant in the Washington, D.C

This blue wool coat is part of a suit of regimentals made for George Washington in 1789. It has a buff wool rise-and-fall collar, buff cuffs and lapels, and buff lining; there is a row of yellow metal buttons on each lapel, as well as on each cuff. The waistcoat and breeches are matching buff woo

Diner's Club was one of the earliest issuers of credit cards beginning in 1950. The convenience and security they came to represent transformed payment methods and later blossomed into one of the primary mechanisms for purchasing goods and services for customers. They also became a device for tra