In this post, students will learn about the thousands of American women who volunteered in World War I through their uniforms. Most of the women's uniforms in the Museum's collections from WWI belong to civilian relief and welfare organizations, like the Salvation Army, not to the armed forc

This post helps teachers understand how to both memorialize September 11 and contextualize the history of the day through five essential questions. Targeted toward secondary students, the questions can help teachers and students compare aspects of September 11 to other events in American his

In this post, students will learn about the origins of the holiday known today as Halloween, and the history of its celebration in the United States, including trick-or-treating and costumes. All-Hallows-Even (that is, evening) is the night before All Hallows Day. The apostrophe in the earlier sp

In this post, students will learn the story of Mary Pickersgill, the woman who created the Star-Spangled Banner. Mary Pickersgill learned the art of flagmaking from her mother, Rebecca Young, who made a living during the Revolution sewing flags, blankets, and uniforms for George Washing

In this post, students will learn how trading cards were used to educate those who could not be reached through more traditional methods during the AIDS epidemic. In 1993, comic book publisher Eclipse Enterprises released a set of 110 AIDS Awareness trading cards. The cards feature a va

In this post, students will read an interview with Marcia Quackenbush, a social worker in San Francisco in the early 1980s. She wrote one of the early textbooks for K-12 teachers, Teaching AIDS. Interviewer John O’Keefe is a guest assistant curator of the showcase displa

In this post, students will learn how Washington, D.C. transformed the Potomac Riverfront, especially the area of the National Mall where the Tidal Basin, cherry blossom trees, and monuments now stand. Written by Drew Robarge, museum technician in the Division of Medicine and Science, this p

In this post, students will learn about the first approved HIV/AIDS drug, AZT (also called Zidovudine (ZVD) and Retrovir)

In this post, students will discover the history of electric car technology over the course of the last century. In the early 20th century, motorists had a choice of electric, steam, or gasoline cars, and it wasn’t clear that any one type would dominate the market. Electricity was beginnin

In this post, students will learn the story of Ms. Weslee W. D’Audney, a woman who modeled for a government poster during World War II. Students will also discover the challenges of managing the Smithsonian's large collection of war-related posters. Written by David Haberstich, Associ