Physical Description Light khaki jacket with blue facings with epaulettes and gold-colored buttons. Wool felt hat with cotton braids and gilt threads. Specific History Jacket and hat worn by Colonel Leonard Wood in Cuba. While serving as an assistant su

Although some know of the banjo's use by African Americans, the popular consciousness of the banjo has been dominated by images of white Southern musicians and urban folk singers. But the story is more complex. The banjo migrated from Africa to America in the hands and memories of slaves. Through

In the 15th century, decades before they sailed into the Caribbean, Spanish merchants, captains, and adventurers had already conquered and enslaved the people of the Canary Islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. On the western coast of continental Africa, the Portuguese had been cultivating a sla

During World War I, machine guns were heavy, crew-served weapons. Their operation required several soldiers. Even so-called light machine guns could not easily be handled by single soldiers. To meet the need for an individual rapid-fire weapon, several inventors devised submachine guns. Light eno

At the Department of Commerce’s Official Website, students have access to information about the twelve different bureaus under the department’s control. Student and teachers can also learn about the history of the Commerce Department in a section of the website that includes milestones of the

Alfred Vail made this key, believed to be from the first Baltimore-Washington telegraph line, as an improvement on Samuel Morse's original transmitter. Vail helped Morse develop a practical system for sending and receiving coded electrical signals over a wire, which was successfully demonstrated

National Public Radio reporter Andy Carvin used this iPhone 3GS to monitor stories on Twitter during the Arab Spring movement in the winter of 2011. Twitter and social media became a large source of news during the movement as users on the ground in the Middle East relayed news and real-time even

Many Chinese men travelled to the United States and became gold miners following the discovery of gold in California in 1849. Woks such as this one were made in China, but brought to California in the 1800s and used by Chinese immigrants. As the mass influx of travelers arrived from a variety of

These four friendship bracelets were created inside a holding center while the young girl awaited their case in seeking asylum from El Salvador. Arts and crafts are sometimes part of daily routine for the young children since they are not allowed to leave the center.

These ballet shoes were worn by dancer Misty Copeland at a January 2018 production of Black Swan, and have been pancaked (or colored) to match Copeland's skin color.