Happy 200th to the Star-Spangled Banner

DC's Smithsonian museums (there are 17 of them here in the city) are among America's most visited and treasured places. But the Smithsonian also publishes a series of some of the most interesting, fact-filled blogs appearing anywhere on the internet. Each Sunday, The Prices Do DC re-posts an entry either about the Smithsonian or that 1st appeared in 1 of the institution's blogs. Hope you enjoy and maybe we'll see you soon at the Smithsonian.

On a rainy September 13, 1814, British warships sent a downpour of shells and rockets onto Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, relentlessly pounding the American fort for 25 hours. The bombardment, known as the Battle of Baltimore, came only weeks after the British had attacked Washington, D.C., burning the Capitol, the Treasury and the President's house. It was another chapter in the ongoing War of 1812.

A week earlier, Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old American lawyer, had boarded the flagship of the British fleet on the Chesapeake Bay in hopes of persuading the British to release a friend who had recently been arrested. Key's tactics were successful, but because he and his companions had gained knowledge of the impending attack on Baltimore, the British did not let them go. They allowed the Americans to return to their own vessel but continued guarding them. Under their scrutiny, Key watched on September 13 as the barrage of Fort McHenry began eight miles away.

"It seemed as though mother earth had opened and was vomiting shot and shell in a sheet of fire and brimstone," Key wrote later. But when darkness arrived, Key saw only red erupting in the night sky. Given the scale of the attack, he was certain the British would win. The hours passed slowly, but in the clearing smoke of "the dawn's early light" on September 14, he saw the American flag—not the British Union Jack—flying over the fort, announcing an American victory.

Key put his thoughts on paper while still on board the ship, setting his words to the tune of a popular English song. His brother-in-law, commander of a militia at Fort McHenry, read Key's work and had it distributed under the name "Defence of Fort M'Henry." The Baltimore Patriot newspaper soon printed it, and within weeks, Key's poem, now called "The Star-Spangled Banner," appeared in print across the country, immortalizing his words—and forever naming the flag it celebrated.

To continue reading this story, which 1st appeared in Smithsonian.Com, click here.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It

More on the Star Spangled Banner

Fragments of the Star-Spangled Banner may still be floating around. (from USA Today)

Is it time to ditch the Star-Spangled Banner? (from Politico)

Hobby Lobby Leader Has Big Plans for Bible Museum

Each week in our Saturday Supplement we re-post an entry of interest to both residents of the Washington area and visitors to DC that first appeared in another publication's web site.

Steve Green is standing in the basement of the eight-story Bible museum he’s building in Washington. Plans for the $800 million project are coming together nicely: the ballroom modeled after Versailles, the Disney-quality holograms, the soaring digital entryway with religious images projected on the ceiling, the restaurant serving biblically-themed meals.

But one detail is bothering Green, and there’s nothing he can do about it. The building, he says, is not quite close enough to the National Mall. It’s just two blocks away, and from the roof it feels as though you can take a running leap onto the U.S. Capitol. Still, if it could just be a little closer. Green knows how much location matters.

“One thing I learned in our real estate office is, sometimes being a block down the street can mean a lot in terms of sales,” he says. “The Mall is where there are a lot of visitors. It’s not as visible to the Mall as we’d like, but it’s close.”

Green knows plenty about sales. He is president of Hobby Lobby, the multibillion-dollar craft store chain his father founded. But he’s just now learning the power of holding Washington’s attention. Earlier this year, Hobby Lobby became a household name for non-scrapbooking reasons when the company took on the White House in a controversial Supreme Court case over whether employers had to include no-cost coverage of contraception to employees. The Supreme Court ruled in Hobby Lobby’s favor in June, and among religious conservatives, in particular, the Pentecostal Greens were hailed as heroes.

To continue reading this story, which 1st appeared in The Washington Post, click here.

Osama bin Laden: From 2 Who Talked To Him

Welcome to this week's Friday Flashback. Each Friday in the Flashback we offer a post about some part of the past and its relationship to DC. Sometimes, we will write a new entry. Others times, we will showcase articles that previously appeared in The Prices Do DC or some other online publications. But no matter who does the writing, you can trust that you will learn something important from the Flashback. This post 1st appeared on Sept. 10, 2011.

Bin Laden and Bergen in 1997

His small tent in the secret, arid Arab wasteland was sparse. True, he wore a military jacket over his robes, had a loaded AK-47 propped at his side, and unleashed a scathing verbal diatribe decrying the infidels of the West, most especially the United States. But he spoke his words of hate in a monotone. Despite the impassioned nature of his rhetoric, he remained calm and collected.  There was much more cleric than killer commandant about him. In short, there was little evidence to believe in the late 1990s that Osama bin Laden and his handful of Al-Qaeda followers would ever be able to pull off a massive attack like 9-11, 2 veteran news correspondents who personally interviewed bin Laden told a standing-room only audience at The Newseum today.

In a wide-ranging, hour-long discussion, CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen and ABC News Correspondent John Miller, who were 2 of the only western correspondents to ever interview bin Laden, revealed details of those interviews and talked about their take on conditions in a post-bin Laden world.

"People who say bin-Laden's death means the end of terrorism are wrong," Miller, who interviewed bin-Laden in 1998 said. "But people who say his death is meaningless are also wrong."

Both correspondents said that America's focus on Al-Qaeda and recent killing of its spiritual leader have drastically weakened the organization's ability to mount significant attacks in the United States. "So much has changed since 9/11," Bergen said, noting that, for example, where the US then had about dozen agents sorting out terror signals that group numbers more than 2,000 today. "Or take the TSA. It may be a mixed blessing, but with the TSA, those box cutters wouldn't have gotten on board."

Both correspondents pointed out the difficulties in originally securing their interviews with bin Laden. First there was the substantial costs of such an operation.  Then, at the time, America and American news organizations were more concerned with the the O.J. Simpson trial or the President Clinton/ Monica Lewinsky  scandal than they were with an unknown bearded leader from a little-known part of the word.

And then there were the conditions imposed by the ultra-secret, always paranoid bin Laden and his followers.  There were countless questions of intent. And more questions of motive. Locations were set and locations were  moved. Guns were produced. And guns were fired. But Bergen said he believed there was never any real danger and the benefits to be gleaned from his 1997 interview far outweighed any risks."They (bin Laden and Al-Qaeda) wanted to get the story out and I didn't think they would do anything to jeopardize that," Bergen said. Miller concurred, but noted that not everyone was blase about the danger. "After the interview aired, I got a call from my mother. I thought she was going to say what a good job, but she said 'don't you ever go to Afghanistan and do something like that again.' "

Of course, one of the great questions for any leader of hate is how do you justify the taking of innocent lives in your struggle, no matter how right you believe your cause to be.  Miller said he asked bin Laden that question and the Al-Qaeda leader, ever the master of manipulation and rationalization, matter of factly answered: "We learned from you.  Did not the Americans kill women and children at Hiroshima and Nagasaki? We are simply doing what you taught us."

Never Forget: Looking Back at 9/11 @The Newseum

A radio tower from the top of one of the Twin Towers

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, freelance news photographer Bill Biggart was out walking his dogs with his wife, Wendy. Off in the New York City distance, they saw smoke billowing skyward in the area of the Twin Towers.

Biggart ran home to grab his cameras and then head toward the smoke. A short time later, Wendy called her husband on his cell phone. "I'm with the firemen. I'm safe and I'll meet you in 20 minutes." he told her.

He never made that appointment.

Four days later, Wendy learned her husband's body had been found in the rubble near the 2nd collapsed tower. His cameras were recovered and his pictures developed. The 54-year-old photographer had dramatically captured his biggest, and final story, just blocks from his home.

Artifacts from Biggart, including his charred ID card

Biggart's tale and his equipment provide a personalized central focus for the 9-ll Gallery at the Newseum, which was one of the best places in DC yesterday to quietly pay tribute to the tragedy and heroism that will forever be linked to that fateful September day 13 years ago.

The 9-11 Gallery is designed to tell the story of how journalists covered all the shocking news on that catastrophic day when 3 hijacked planes changed American history.

But the gallery is not the only place in the Newseum to reflect on 9/11. In the collection of historic newspapers on the top floor, visitors can peruse 3 front pages from that time. The first from a special edition of the San Francisco Examiner features a flaming Twin Tower and the single giant headline screaming "Bastards." A second paper, Asharq Al-Awsat, a London-based Arab language paper, contains the banner "America Burning and Bush Pledges Revenge" in Arabic. The final paper, The New York Amsterdam News in an edition from a week after the destruction of the Twin Towers, heralds the story of 11 black firefighters who were still missing with the simple headline "Missing."

Finally, in the popular FBI exhibit G-Men and Journalists there is a large section which tells the story of the attack on New York and the Pentagon and Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaida organization that carried it out.

The Newseum is well aware of how poignant and powerful their presentation can be. Located on a main gallery shelf between facsimilies of 9-11 front pages is a tin of tissues. And be forewarned: there is a good chance you may need to take advantage of that offer.

9/11 Commemorative Events in DC

Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

As the nation remembers one of the worst attacks ever committed on American soil—the terrorist attacks on the World Trader Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001—the District, per usual, has a number of events planned to commemorate those who lost their lives.

This year, the D.C. region will honor the victims of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001 with events around D.C. and Virginia including Moments of Silence, memorial walks, a rally on the National Mall, and more. Here's what's going on:

National Day of Service

As we remember the tragedy of 9/11, people are encourage to volunteer for community service as part of the National Day of Service, which is organized by United We Serve. Information about how to get involved can be found here.

9/11 Honor Ride & Rally

Bikers and truckers from across the region will ride through D.C. to the National Mall for a rally "to honor our armed forces who fought those who precipitated this attack." The rally will meet at the National Mall between between 12th and 14th Street NW at 2 p.m. More info here.

Pentagon Memorial Services

The Pentagon Memorial, which commemorates the 184 people who lost their lives on 9/11/2001, will be open per usual, but there will be a special memorial service for the families of the victims tomorrow morning. Information about the Pentagon Memorial can be found here.

9/11 Unity Walk

The 9th annual 9/11 Unity Walk, which " brings together people of all ages, backgrounds and faiths to learn to respect each other through a framework of experiential education, compassionate leadership and intentional service," will take start at 3935 Macomb Street NW at noon. Registration and details here.

Moment of Silence and Flags Across Arlington

There will be a moment of silence at the Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow at 9:37 a.m. to remember the victims of the attack on the Pentagon. Additionally, the county will hang American flags from overpasses and buildings for the annual "Flags Across Arlington" celebration.

9/11 Heroes Run

The 9/11 Heroes Run—organized by Travis Manion Foundation—will actually take place on Saturday, September 13, but will honor the victims of the September 11 attacks. The 5K run starts in Crystal City on 23rd Street, between S. Fern and S. Eads streets at 8:30 a.m. Registration and info here.

This post originally appeared in the DCist

It's Grant vs. Lee Redux @National Portrait Gallery

To showcase one of history's most memorable rivalries, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery tasked its senior historian David C. Ward with the challenge of featuring the Civil War's two most storied generals in its "One Life" gallery. 

The one-room salon is the site where the museum's scholars have previously exhibited the portraits, letters and personal artifacts of such cultural luminaries as Ronald Reagan, Katharine Hepburn, Abraham Lincoln and Sandra Day O'Connor.

Here, the rough and tumble Ulysses S. Grant from Ohio faces off with the southern patrician Robert E. Lee. The room itself seems too small for such large personalities. The photographs, drawings and paintings depicting the lives of these two men seem to pulse with a kind of tension that recalls the horrifying 19th-century era when the country was riven, yet united behind their respective generals—Grant in the North and Lee from the South.

To continue reading this post, which 1st appeared in Smithsonian.Com, click here.

Gloves of Cassius Clay Displays Ali's Greatness

DC's Smithsonian museums (there are 17 of them here in the city) are among America's most visited and treasured places. But the Smithsonian also publishes a series of some of the most interesting, fact-filled blogs appearing anywhere on the internet. Each Sunday, The Prices Do DC re-posts an entry either about the Smithsonian or that 1st appeared in 1 of the institution's blogs. Hope you enjoy and maybe we'll see you soon at the Smithsonian.

Cassius Clay was a towering young braggart, but as much as he used his mouth, the real music was in his hands. In January of 1964 he hadn’t done much worth talking about yet in professional boxing; he was just a 22-year-old working out in a seedy sweatbox of a gym in Miami Beach, where you could watch him in action for 25 cents. He trained on a heavy punching bag, the hands turning his silly doggerel—“Don’t make me wait, I’ll whup him in eight!”—into epic poetry as he rapped out verses with his gloves: whap-whap-whump-whap-whap-whump-bam.

Clay was in training for his bout with Sonny Liston, the reigning world champion, who had underworld ties and a heavy, flooring punch. Veteran sportswriters said the pretty kid wouldn’t last more than a round, and the touts made him a seven-to-one underdog. Only later would he become Muhammad Ali, the rich rhyming savant, public militant and charismatic superstar.

To continue reading this story, which 1st appeared in The Smithsonian, click here

Politics and Prose Turns 30

Each week in our Saturday Supplement we re-post an entry of interest to both residents of the Washington area and visitors to DC that first appeared in another publication's web site.

Politics and Prose, the Connecticut Avenue bastion where Washington’s literate dependably turn out for the world’s literati, turns 30 this month. For an independent retailer, the run is astonishing—and increasingly so for a business depending on the teetering book industry.

The trick to sticking around long enough to be beloved, of course, is to change constantly while extending the illusion of familiarity. P&P’s customers still come and go, browsing, arguing, listening, eating, drinking, and recommending, all the while joining in the evolution of Bradley Graham and his wife, Lissa Muscatine—who took the lead from founders Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 2011—from booksellers to literary impresarios.

“The key has been to strike a balance between preserving the store’s ethos and adjusting to new industry challenges,” says Muscatine.

To continue reading this story, which 1st appeared in The Washingtonian, click here.

Washington Monument Once Suffered from 'Geological Tuberculosis'

Welcome to this week's Friday Flashback. Each Friday in the Flashback we offer a post about some part of the past and its relationship to DC. Sometimes, we will write a new entry. Others times, we will showcase articles that previously appeared in The Prices Do DC or some other online publications. But no matter who does the writing, you can trust that you will learn something important from the Flashback.

Unfinished Washington Monument, circa 1960

The Washington Monument reopened this spring, after being closed for repairs needed to repair damage suffered during an August 2011 earthquake. The latter included cracks that developed in the monument's marble panels and damage to the mortar that holds the 555-foot-tall structure together. 

But those problems aren't the first woes that have plagued the monument, which will mark the130th anniversary of its completion in December. 

To continue reading this post, which 1st appeared in Boundary Stones, click here.

Civil Rights Hero John Lewis @National Book Fest

John Lewis , then 23, was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington.

This week we are introducing our new companion blog, By the Book DC, If you are a reader or a book lover, you should like our new site. We hope you check it out and become a regular reader.

Lewis walks to his book talk

Last Saturday, the Library of Congress held its annual National Book Festival. More than 100 authors participated. Rep. John Lewis, current Congressman from Georgia and one of the greatest heroes from the Civil Rights era, was one those authors. Here is what Lewis, co-author of the graphic novel March: Book 1 (a 3-part trilogy that will explain his years in the Civil Rights Movement) with Andrew Aydin, had to say.

When he was a boy in Troy, Alabama, John Lewis' parents were sharecroppers. One of Lewis duties was to take care of the chickens. But at a very early age, Lewis decided he wanted to be a preacher. So he would encourage his siblings and cousins to gather all the chickens together and he would practice a sermon.

"Now those chickens never quite say 'Amen,' but I think they listened to me better than some of my (Congressional) colleagues do today. And some of those chickens were more productive," Lewis told the crowd.

To continue reading this post, which was published in our new companion blog By the Book DC, click here,

Alan Greenspan @The National Book Fest

Today, we are introducing our new companion blog, By the Book DC, If you are a reader or a book lover, you should like our new site. We hope you check it out and become a regular reader.

Last Saturday, the Library of Congress held its annual National Book Festival. More than 100 authors participated. Alan Greenspan, who served as chairman for the Federal Reserve for 13 years, spoke about his years one of the nation's most influential economist and The Map and the Territory: Risk, Human Nature, and the Future of Forecasting. was one those authors. He answered a series of questions posed by David Rubenstein, co-founder and Chief Executive of the Carlyle Group.

Economist Alan Greenspan answers 

questions form David Rubenstein

Question: Who is here to find out what the economy is going to do?

Greenspan: Raises his hand high, to much laughter from the crowd.

Question: What do you expect from the economy?

Greenspan: It is edging higher and that is likely to continue for a while. But we are in an area where we have never been before.

Question: Where do you invest?

Greenspan: I try to find out what Carlyle is doing (again, much laughter from the crowd).

Question: Did you really give up the clarinet to become an economist:

Greenspan: I was a very good amateur. I used to sit next to Stan Getz (a jazz great) and I realized that I can never play what this kid is playing. I am in the wrong profession.

Question: Who was the smartest president who ever worked with?
Greenspan: There were two - Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. Now there were a few things wrong with Richard Nixon. I don't have time to enumerate them. I heard in person what you heard on the (Nixon secret) tapes. My general idea was he hated everybody.

To continue reading this post, which was published in our new companion blog By the Book DC, click here,

Page to Stage @The Kennedy Center

It's too late for this year, but next year, if you are in the DC area over Labor Day weekend, you might want to consider attending the annual 3-day Page-to-Stage new play festival at the Kennedy Center.

This year marked the 13th staging of the event. More than 40 DC-area theater companies participated in the festival, which paid tribute to the Women's Voices Theater Festival - an initiative by 50 local theaters to each produce a world premiere play by a female dramatist in the fall of 2015. Thirty of Page-to-Stage programs showcased created by females.

We attended 2 of the performances.

Author Walter Dean Myers

In His Own Words: A concert tribute to Walter Dean Myers

Presented in collaboration with the University of Maryland and the Kennedy Center, the theatrical tribute combined music, dance, and the spoken word to honor noted young adult black writer Walter Dean Myers. 

Myers, who died in July of this year at 86, wrote more than 100 books in a career spanning 45 years.

Included in the program were excepts from his picture book We Are America, his gritty teen novel Monster, and his memoir Bad Boy. Segments from 2 Kennedy Center-commissioned adaptations of his work - Harlem and Blues Journey - were also performed by the 10-member cast.

Talented cast members from the Venue Theater

Witches Vanish

Members of the local Venus Theater staged a reading of the still-in-development play Witches Vanish written by Claudia Barnett, who attended the 90-minute performance.

In the surrealistic play, the 3 witches from William Shakespeare's classic Macbeth ("Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble") are involved in the stories of women who have disappeared in real life such as Virginia Dare, Amelia Earhart, and the scores of young Mexican girls missing from Juarez. The theme is given extra poignancy as the weird sisters recite a litany of names prior to each of the 10 scenes in the 1-act play. There are also vignettes featuring fractured fairy tale accounts of young heroines such as Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.

When it is actually produced by the Venus company in 2105, the play will include a boiling cauldron, puppets, and mutilated doll figures. I will definitely put this one on my calendar of plays to see.

The Museum of the American Indian By the Numbers

DC's Smithsonian museums (there are 17 of them here in the city) are among America's most visited and treasured places. But the Smithsonian also publishes a series of some of the most interesting, fact-filled blogs appearing anywhere on the internet. Each Sunday, The Prices Do DC re-posts an entry either about the Smithsonian or that 1st appeared in 1 of the institution's blogs. Hope you enjoy and maybe we'll see you soon at the Smithsonian.

Anniversaries collide this fall at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, marking the first decade of its distinctive building on the Mall at Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW.

Celebrations have been occurring nearly every weekend all year, with a big streak coming Sept. 18-21 that includes a new exhibit, a symposium and a gala ball.

Even while the celebrating is happening, keeping all the anniversary numbers straight may take some concentration.

To continue reading this post, which 1st appeared in The Washington Post, click here.

Was DC Really Built on a Swamp?

Each week in our Saturday Supplement we re-post an entry of interest to both residents of the Washington area and visitors to DC that first appeared in another publication's web site.

There’s a story that D.C. residents like to tell young interns whenever the summer weather gets particularly hot or sticky or unbearable.

The city, they say, was built atop a swamp, its location selected by George Washington. Washington wanted to be close to his  beloved Mount Vernon home (about 15 miles away). He cared little about D.C.’s heat index, the intense humidity, the never-ending heat waves.

It’s a great story, like the one about our first president chopping down a cherry tree.

But it isn’t true. At least, it’s not true enough to warrant its prevalence.

To continue reading this post, which 1st appeared in The Washington Post, click here.

The Return of the Annual National Book Festival

Welcome to this week's Friday Flashback. Each Friday in the Flashback we offer a post about some part of the past and its relationship to DC. Sometimes, we will write a new entry. Others times, we will showcase articles that previously appeared in The Prices Do DC or some other online publications. But no matter who does the writing, you can trust that you will learn something important from the Flashback.

Tomorrow is the National Book Festival. Although it used to take place over 2 days on the National Mall, this year it be held on a single day in the Walter E. Washongton Convnetion Center. Here is a post from last year's event.

There are probably as many reasons to attend the National Book Festival as there are attendees. However, the avid reading enthusiasts who yearly congregate on the National Mall for one of America's largest book celebrations can loosely be arranged in 1 of 3 categories - some come for a particular type of book, others come for a particular author or authors, and still others come to grab the free reading goodies offered, which includes large, brightly-colored book bags (this year orange) to carry those items home.

Margaret Atwood prepares to take the stage

Take Anne Rhome. The 67-year-old Virginia resident could be found Saturday on the 2nd row of chairs in the Fiction and Mystery tent, where she planned to spend the entire 7 hours of the festival, which is sponsored by the Library of Congress.

"I come here to hear the authors talk about both their new books and their older books," Rhome says. "I've only missed 1 (of the 12) festivals. I stay mostly in the fiction tent because that is what I read."

So how come she wasn't in the 1st row? You could blame her late arrival for not getting the closest seats. On this particular Saturday, the book festival started at 10 a.m.with an appearance by Dom DeLillo, one of America's most acclaimed writers. In 2006, a New York Times survey of writers and literary experts chose his novel Underworld as the 2nd best novel of the past 25 years. When Rhome arrived shortly after 9 a.m., she was told the front row had been filled by 8:45.

Rhome says she never tires of the DC festival, which allows her to continue her life-long passion with books and reading. "When I was young, I loved being in the library and being surrounded by books," she said.

Then there are readers like Carolyn Hoy, a high school teacher who had traveled with 2 friends from Lancaster, Pa. for Saturday's programs. There were 2 reasons she was there - one was named Margaret Atwood; the other was Daniel Pink. In fact, we encountered Hoy as she was taking pictures of Pink, who was minutes away from delivering an engaging talk on his newest book entitled To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Persuading, Convincing, and Influencing Others.

"Don't you just love him," Hoy said as she snapped away. As a teacher, she readily agrees with Pink's contention that everyone is a salesmen and therefore should know the best ways to persuade and convince.
"I use all of his books in class," says Hoy, who teaches seminar classes to mixed groups of gifted students in grades 9 through 12. She said Pink's works are ideal for learning concepts of creativity and motivation.

As Pink prowled the stage animatedly distributing the wisdom he had gathered from social scientists around America, you could spot Hoy furiously scribbling down ideas to take back to her classroom.

In the final category you would be hard pressed to find a better example than my wife (and doting grandmother of our 2 grandkids, 5-and-half-year-old Audrey and 4-year-old Owen). Now while Judy did plan to see some authors (her 2 choices for this Saturday were Linda Ronstadt with her new memoir Simple Dreams and Christina Garcia, a Cuban-American writer whose latest book is a darkly comic novel featuring a fictionalized Fidel Castro entitledKing of Cuba) that wasn't her main reason for her attendance.

For much of the day, you could find Judy prowling the tents, filling her bright orange book bag with age-appropriate, reading-related materials for Audrey (who is already reading on her own) and Owen (who still prefers to be read to).

"I love the festival because they have a lot of fun, free, educational things that you can take home for your children or your grandchildren," Judy said. "And a lot of the items you couldn't even buy in stores if you wanted to".

My wife says she can't wait to bring Audrey and Owen (who currently live in suburban Atlanta) to the festival. I support that idea. Maybe then they can carry their own bags. But until that day comes, that is a task for Grandpop. Thank goodness I love books and my grandkids and I look good in orange.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
To book lovers, the National Book Festival is like a rock festival. But like the New Orleans Fest or Bonaroo, the multiple-stages setup prompts some tough decisions. Here are some I faced this past weekend ... Linda Ronstadt or Dom DeLillio? .... James McBride or Daniel Pink? ...Terry McMillan or Benjamin Percy? Alfredo Corchado or Joyce Carol Oates? Taylor Branch (whom I have seen before) or lunch? What a wonderful problem to have.

Back to the 60s: Science and Technology

1964. The Beatles had kicked off the musical British Invasion. LBJ was president. The Cold War was heating up in places like Vietnam. A World's Fair in New York City was promising a new tomorrow of technology and wonder.  And on January 23 of that year the Smithsonian opened the Museum of American History.

Today, all of the above are gone with the exception of the History Museum. To celebrate its founding year, the facility is showcasing 3 exhibits dealing with the time of its early 1960s establishment.

Here is a post of 1 of those exhibits including pictures of some of what you will see if you visit.

When the museum first opened it doors, it was called the Museum of History and Technology.

In 1980, the museum was renamed The National Museum of American History to represent its mission of the collection, care, study, and interpretation of objects that reflect the experience of the American people.

However, despite the name change, the museum continues to showcase science, technological, and health advances as they relate to the American experience.

In the early 1960s, we searched the skies as students hid under desks as part of nuclear drills.

In the early 1960s, scientists began making models of DNA and other genetics.

A look at early calculating and computing

Back to the 60s: History and Culture

1964. The Beatles had kicked off the musical British Invasion. LBJ was president. The Cold War was heating up in places like Vietnam. A World's Fair in New York City was promising a new tomorrow of technology and wonder.  And on January 23 of that year the Smithsonian opened the Museum of American History.

Today, all of the above are gone with the exception of the History Museum. To celebrate its founding year, the facility is showcasing 3 exhibits dealing with the time of its early 1960s establishment.

Here is a post of 1 of those exhibits including pictures of some of what you will see if you visit.

Of course, as a history museum, the Smithsonian Museum of American History deals with ... are you ready for this ... history.

But history is more than just dry facts and forgettable dates that you may have suffered in a boring history class. It is people, and activism, and service, and culture, and the arts and entertainment. It's lunch boxes and LPs. It's signs and sounds. It's from the past and gone, but it still has a life and lives. Sort of like these things:

Back to the 60s - Mustang Sally Special

1964. The Beatles had kicked off the musical British Invasion. LBJ was president. The Cold War was heating up in places like Vietnam. A World's Fair in New York City was promising a new tomorrow of technology and wonder.  And on January 23 of that year the Smithsonian opened the Museum of American History.

Today, all of the above are gone with the exception of the History Museum. To celebrate its founding year, the facility is showcasing 3 exhibits dealing with the time of its early 1960s establishment.

Here is a post of 1 of those exhibits including pictures of some of what you will see if you visit.

In April of 1964, the Ford Motor Company debuted its Ford Mustang at its pavilion at the New York World's Fair, 6 months before it normally would. The company promised that this was a new type of car for a new generation.

It had a sporty look, a compact size, and, for the time, a low price. It evoked the spirit and the excitement of the open road. Unlike Ford's actual sports car. the T-Bird, it could seat 4 people.

Immediately the 1964 car seen in the picture above did live up to its trendsetting pledge. By 1966, more than 1 million Mustangs had been sold. It had even become the subject of a top-selling record by Wilson Pickett.

The Mustang was shepherded through production by a young man who himself would become quiet a name in the auto industry. That man was Lee Iacocca.