Smithsonian Snapshot

Ladybugs take a detour on their way to help Smithsonian gardens grow

He followed me to the Folklife Festival, Mom! Can I keep him?

Percy Spencer invented the microwave oven after discovering microwaves generate heat.

The first living coelacanth was discovered in 1938 off the coast of South Africa.

“Suited for Space” is an exhibit that explores the design and innovation inside a spacesuit.

This Smithsonian Snapshot marks the May 14, 1973, launch of Skylab, America’s first space station.

Wood-block illustrated books in Edo-period Japan evolved quickly into a popular mode of both artistic production and commercial trade.

This 1923 ticket booth was in the original Yankee Stadium.

The parade kept woman suffrage in the newspapers for weeks.

Collages like the one shown here are typical of the “scrapbook houses” made by young, middle-class girls in the 19th century.

A watershed event in 1960.

Here comes Santa Claus!

Here is a little food for thought while filling your carts this holiday season. 

This 1905 Thanksgiving menu by George Elbert Burr is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Celebrate the Halloween season with this 1889 scientific illustration of a vampire squid from Smithsonian Libraries.

These chocolate bars provided a morale boost—plus caffeine and sugar—to troops during WWII.

This Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the back-to-school season with this original pack of Crayola Crayons.

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence on this portable desk.

Keller’s inspiring story made her an international celebrity, and she became a prominent spokesperson for disability rights. 

In the mid 1900s, airline advertisements like this one from Continental Airlines promoted exotic travel destinations.

V-Mail was a solution to the volume of mail competing with essential wartime supplies for cargo space.

On May 10, 1881, Princess Stéphanie of Belgium wore this handmade veil for her wedding to Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Rudolf.

Zoos have doubled as recreation areas and amusement parks as illustrated on the front cover of this 1895 guidebook from the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens in England.

This Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the May 25, 1889, birthday of Igor Sikorsky, inventor of the world’s first mass-produced helicopter.