For a good part of the twentieth century, Harlem’s Apollo Theater was one of the most prestigious, important, and well-known venues for black entertainers. In this post, students will learn about the Schiffman family, who ran the Apollo from 1934 to 1976. In 1946, Frank Schiffman

In this post, students will learn about the Civil War through a photographic album presented to Anna Lowell in 1864 by a group of attendants in D.C.'s Armory Square Hospital. In 1862, having recently been trained as a nurse, Lowell had traveled from Cambridge to D.C. and immediately gotten t

In this post, Readers will get a glimpse at a few surprising innovations that helped change the technological landscape of the Civil War.  Produced in conjunction with a symposium held at the Museum in November 2012, this piece covers a range of topics and consults a variety of experts. 

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

In this post, readers are encouraged to think about how differently news travels now than it did when the United States first became a country.  Most Americans did not learn of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress until weeks after July 4, 1776.  W

In this post, a Museum staff member answers a question posed by Museum visitors: Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?” A commemoration with a long history, this blog explores the roots and intentions of this spring holiday.  Written by Project Assistant Ryan Lintelman,

In this post, readers will explore the writings of an assistant surgeon in the 150th Pennsylvania infantry during the Civil War, M.A. Henderson.  Although Henderson did not see much action and describes little of his medical duties, his diary is a resource for understanding the Ci