This podcast from the Smithsonian American Art Museum details the history of the museum's building, once the U.S. Patent Office, or "Temple of Invention."
To listen to this podcast, scroll to the bullet point which reads, "Listen to our podcast about the magnificent building that houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum," and select a file type.
Eighth-grade American history educator Eric Langhorst demonstrates how he uses Google Maps in class to show students historic sites.
Using clips from more than 300 of the greatest movies ever made, this series explores film history and American culture through the eyes of over 150 Hollywood insiders, including Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and Michael Eisner. In-depth treatments present film as a powerful economic force, potent 20th-century art form, and viable career option. "American Cinema" connects subjects such as history, business, and English with other studies. In addition, it is a perfect vehicle for developing visual and media literacy skills and can be used as a springboard for creative-writing endeavors and media production. This video instructional series on film history for college and high school classrooms and adult learners includes 10 one-hour and three half-hour video programs and coordinated books.
Eighth grade American history educator Eric Langhorst discusses the Smithsonian's use of Web 2.0 tools and applications to connect with public and educators.
Dr. Anne Knowles of Middlebury College answers the question "What could Lee see at Gettysburg?" Dr. Knowles builds two digital terrain models of the battlefield, one from 1996 data derived from aerial photographs, the other based on contour lines extracted from an 1874 map of the battlefield. Using a technique called viewshed analysis, she investigates how lines of sight and real-time geographic information may have influenced commanders' decisions and terrain perceptions. The results suggest that historical maps and evidence from the physical landscape can shed new light on even the most familiar historical subjects.
Dr. Julie Solometo of James Madison University attempts to reconstruct the lives of Native Americans as they stood on the eve of and during contact with European colonists in North America.
To listen to this lecture, select "Podcast Part 1" under the April 19th listing.
Dr. Tom Ewing of Virginia Tech talks about the difficulty and complexity of searching out cause and effect in the events of the Cold War.
To listen to this lecture, select "Part 2" under the March 1st listing.
Dr. Tom Ewing of Virginia Tech talks about perceptions of foreign threat during the Cold War, in discussion format.
To listen to this discussion, select "Podcast Part 1" under the March 1st listing.
According to the Library of Congress website, "Street addressing is one of the most basic strategies employed by governmental authorities to tax, police, manage, and monitor the spatial whereabouts of individuals within a population. Despite the central importance of the street address as a "political technology," few scholars have examined the historical and contemporary practice of street addressing with respect to its broader social, political, and ontological implications. When, where, and why did the technique of house numbering historically emerge as a mechanism of spatial ordering? How did it come to be so taken for granted as part of everyday life in post-industrial societies?
In this presentation, Kluge Fellow Reuben Rose-Redwood explores the cultural and political history of street addressing in the United States, from the late 18th century to the present, including the recent shift from rural route and box numbering systems to 911 addresses."
The Union soldiers defending this pile of giant boulders just west of Little Round Top found themselves on the far left flank of the Federal line July 2, 1863. They were the first to take on Confederate Gen. James Longstreet's assault that day. This audio tour covers the fight for Devil's Den and the true story behind one of the Civil War's most famous photographs.