Smithsonian Institution

🌾 Drop those shoulders, unclench that jaw, and escape to the Great Plains, where Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute scientists are working with Native communities to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the region grassland ecosystems. Swift foxes, American bison, and black-footed ferrets are just a few of the species our scientists are helping to reintroduce to the area. #WorldWildlifeDay   

Did you know that the first official Paralympic Games were held in 1960? These games were inspired by a series of sports competitions hosted at a military hospital in England for injured World War II veterans to rehabilitate their injuries in the 1940s and ‘50s. When the first Paralympics were held in 1960, the games were only open to athletes who used wheelchairs, but, by 1976, other disabled athletes were invited to compete. Veteran and American athlete Ray Werner, pictured here wearing the number 4, competed in the first Paralympics Games in wheelchair basketball. Werner, paralyzed during his service in World War II, was becoming the leading scorer for the Jersey Wheelers before competing in the1960 Games. You can learn more about Werner’s legacy from Smithsonian National Museum of American History . https://lnkd.in/emksKPBT 📸 : Photograph of the Jersey Wheelers by Chris Marks and of Ray Werner in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American History

“Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong” 🎵 Written in 1915 by organizer, poet, artist, and writer Ralph Chaplin, “Solidarity Forever” is one of the most popular union songs of the American labor movement. Chaplin was inspired by the West Virginian coal miners during the Paint Creek–Cabin Creek Strike of 1912. As a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), Chaplin was the editor of their publications “Solidarity” and “Industrial Worker.” This version of the song was recorded by folk musician Joe Glazer and appears on several albums, including his 1977 release “Songs of the Wobblies” and “Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways,” which he helped to compile. Glazer, nicknamed “Labor’s Troubadour,” founded Collector Records in 1970 to distribute music of the labor movement. The label is now in the collection of our Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 📸: Joe Glazer, Courtesy of the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. [1] From the Collector Records Business Records Collection [2] Photo by Michael Monseur. Video Description: Photo montage to the tune of "Solidarity Forever." The first of three images is a black and white photograph of a man wearing glasses and holding a guitar. The photograph pans up to an album cover that transforms into the colorful version of that album. The album is red and features an illustration of a man with his arms crossed. The final image is a full color image of the same man playing the guitar.

John L. Lewis, one of America's foremost labor leaders, wore this badge at the 1936 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) convention in Washington, D.C. Born in an Iowa coal mining camp, Lewis went to work in the mines as a teenager. He rose quickly as a labor leader, becoming president of the UMWA in 1920, and later helped found the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Lewis led a successful struggle to organize industrial workers, improving wages, safety, and benefits. Learn more about the origins of Labor Day in our blog: https://s.si.edu/4cIAms8 📷: A red, white, and blue ribbon attaches the badge to the pin. The badge features a gold-colored relief of the U.S. Capitol Building with an eagle perched on a shield. “UMW ORG 1890” is printed in blue at the bottom.

Us going into the weekend ready to live in precedented times for once. This sculpture of a lion is in the collection of our Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art.

"Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond" will explore and celebrate Asian Americans' contributions to the cultural and built environments of Washington, D.C. through sculpture, photographs, architectural drawings, and more. It's the first museum exhibition by our Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in a decade. Opening Sept. 7. Key details: 📌 The exhibition is within the Smithsonian American Art Museum 🎉 Opening Festival: Sept. 7, from 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET 🎟️ Free registration: https://s.si.edu/4gf3s5p

To put this delicate model of the COVID-19 virus on display, a museum professional called a mount maker created a brass support to cradle the model in just the right position for display. Carefully supporting the model without damaging the delicate protruding notes, the mount is nearly invisible to museum visitors at our Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

This chunk of whale earwax holds a treasure trove of information. 👂🐋 Kind of like how we count tree rings, marine biologists use ear wax plugs to determine a whale’s age. By analyzing each layer, scientists can trace stress levels and pollution throughout a whale’s life. Why is this so important? These lifetime profiles help us better understand how human activities are affecting marine mammals and their environment. Don’t miss your chance to see some of our Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s greatest hits and lesser-known collections in “Objects of Wonder,” on view through September 8, 2024.

Are your hands full this back-to-school season? Composer and bandleader Duke Ellington wrote his first song, “Soda Fountain Rag,” as a teenager working at a cafe in Washington, D.C. Sixty years later, in 1974, a high school for the arts named in his honor opened less than three miles away. Co-founded by artists and educators Mike Malone and Peggy Cooper Cafritz, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts has since educated generations of young Washingtonians interested in the arts, producing countless professional artists and educators. You can learn more about Duke Ellington School of the Arts, as well as the impact and legacy of influential artists and educators in D.C. through Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibit, “A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, D.C., 1900-2000.” 📸: Duncan P. Schiedt Photograph Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

As teachers and students alike prepare for the new school year ahead, “Explore, Discover, Learn: Back to School With the Smithsonian” is a guide for generations of lifelong learners, featuring memorable milestones in education, an array of activities and ties to today. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gDtfVqyd #SmithsonianEdu