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We're not a museum. We're 19 of them! (Plus a zoo & 9 research centers.) Follow : | Legal:

Washington, DC
Joined March 2008
Born 10 August

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  1. Pinned Tweet
    19 Nov 2020

    Due to rising regional and national cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, will temporarily close to the public starting Monday, Nov. 23. We are not announcing a reopening date at this time.

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  2. Learn more about each of these stories from across the Smithsonian's collections:

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  3. Retweeted

    💜 Happy birthday to singer, Selena Quintanilla who would have turned 50 today. 💜 Known as the "Queen of Tejano Music," Selena brought wide recognition to this South Texas blend of Mexican and American musical styles. 📷: Al Rendon, 1993.

    Sepia-toned photograph of singer, Selena Quintanilla. She is facing the camera, looking directly at the viewer. Her right hand is on her hip and her left holds her jacket in front of her. She wears a black bustier and patterned jacket with black high waisted pants.
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  4. The Names Project Foundation's AIDS Memorial Quilt is made up of handmade panels dedicated to those who have died of AIDS. These 1989 photos are in 's collection.

    Aerial view of a field in front of the White House, filled with multicolored squares.
    Two people crouching on a large quilt outside.
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  5. The red ribbon was created in 1991 by artists from the organization Visual AIDS. It's become an internationally recognized symbol for HIV and AIDS awareness, support, and remembrance for those who have died. James Arpad designed this pin, ca. 1992, in our .

    Jeweled pin in the shaped of a looped red ribbon.
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  6. Apr 15

    Kadir Nelson painted Henrietta Lacks missing two buttons—for her cells taken without permission during cancer treatment. They led to thousands of medical advances, including the polio vaccine. This portrait is shared by our and :

    Painting of Henrietta Lacks. She is wearing a red dress with white buttons, a yellow hat, and is holding a bible.
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  7. Apr 14

    1900s health guidance to stop the spread of tuberculosis: please don't spit in the street. TB patients used flasks like this one in our to dispose of coughed up matter or possibly infected saliva.

    Blue glass flask with caps at the top and bottom.
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  8. Apr 13

    This 1899 wooden paddle with a nail-studded face was used to perforate mail for fumigation against yellow fever. It didn't work. (Yellow fever, as scientists later verified, is transmitted through mosquito bites.) The paddle is now in our 's collection.

    Wooden paddle with nails sticking out from its face.
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  9. Apr 13

    Researchers from have been studying bats in Myanmar. Last year they discovered six new coronaviruses (not closely related to those known to cause disease in humans). Identifying diseases early in animals helps us investigate potential threats.

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  10. Retweeted

    Ramadan mubarak! ✨Wishing a happy to our friends around the world as the holiest month of the Islamic calendar begins. This steel & gold ornament bears the "basmala," which is said before starting any activity, like breaking fast at dusk today.

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  11. Apr 12

    Most new infectious diseases in humans originate in other animals—like this bat. Why are bats effective at spreading pathogens? They: •live in groups •seem to carry viruses without getting very sick •live everywhere people do •fly long distances to new populations

    Large flying fox, a species of bat, hanging upside down from a branch.
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  12. Apr 12

    This vial contained some of the first known COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the U.S. Our has added it to their collection. How else can the Smithsonian help us understand our current moment? Follow along for more stories on disease and public health.⤵️

    Small glass vial with text label for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
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  13. Apr 7

    For , learn about homebrewing's early history with women and enslaved people from our :

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  14. Apr 7

    Just leaving this here. This very academic photo comes from the Sally L. Steinberg Collection of Doughnut Ephemera (that's its real name) in our 's Archives Center.

    Man pointing at chart with text "size of the donut hole down through the years" and three images of donuts.
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  15. Apr 5

    Whale hello, did you know our has a collection of whale earwax? Scientists can analyze the layers of these waxy time capsules to trace pollution and stress levels throughout the animal's life.

    Glass cylinder holding an irregularly shaped brown and tan specimen.
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  16. Apr 4

    Happy Easter! Eggs like this one in our are traditional for Easter in Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Many immigrants have brought these traditions with them to the U.S. Learn how these designs are created:

    Egg decorated in a geometric pattern with red, yellow, green and black.
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  17. Apr 1

    We have a new kind of cherry blossom in ' Enid A. Haupt Garden. These three sculptures are part of 's project. Sponsored by the Embassy of Japan, they'll be on display near through May 31.

    Three sculptures shaped like cherry blossoms sitting on a brick walkway. They each have a colorful design.
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  18. Mar 31

    This , we've shared stories of women who organized their communities to make change, like the Delta Sigma Theta members who distributed books throughout the segregated South. See more in our video playlist:

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  19. Retweeted

    Happy , DC! The Japanese word for cherry blossoms, sakura 桜, is derived from saku 咲, which means to bloom, or alternately to smile or laugh. The 口 in 咲 indicates an open mouth. Learn more: 🌸

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  20. Mar 29

    Blanketing ourselves in images of cherry blossoms while D.C.'s are at . 🌸🌸🌸 Kasamatsu Shiro's “Cherry Blossom Flurry at Kambayashi Hot Spring" (1939) is in our 's collection. Celebrate the cherry blossoms with the museum online:

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  21. Mar 27

    Tonight is the first night of . A. Nedby—a 10-year-old student at the Educational Alliance Art School in Manhattan—made this textile of a seder in the late 1930s. It's now in our :

    Textile with repeating image of a group sitting at a table set with plates and a candle holder. A girl stands nearby. The illustration is in shades of orange and blue.
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