Podcasts about Smithsonian Institution

This episode is presented by Create A Video – In a congressional hearing, Rep. Brandon Gil peppered the Director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of History about some of the "woke" ideology permeated all aspects of the operations, educational materials, trainings, and exhibits.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-kaliner-show--6946691/support.Subscribe to the podcast My preferred podcast platform: SpreakerAll the links to Pete's Prep are free!Get exclusive content here!Media Bias Check: GroundNews promo code!Advertising and Booking inquiries: Pete@ThePeteKalinerShow.com  

This episode is presented by Create A Video – A 160-page report on the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History shows deep ideological rot, with leftist leaders more focused on demoralizing visitors about the nature and heritage of the United States. The museum's director found herself on the hotseat in Congress yesterday.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-kaliner-show--6946691/support.Subscribe to the podcast My preferred podcast platform: SpreakerAll the links to Pete's Prep are free!Get exclusive content here!Media Bias Check: GroundNews promo code!Advertising and Booking inquiries: Pete@ThePeteKalinerShow.com  

This episode is presented by Create A Video – In a discussion about the critical race theory that has been injected into the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of History, I angered a listener named Marie who texted (a lot) and then called in to explain how stupid I am. But I'm not sure it worked out very well for her.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-kaliner-show--6946691/support.Subscribe to the podcast My preferred podcast platform: SpreakerAll the links to Pete's Prep are free!Get exclusive content here!Media Bias Check: GroundNews promo code!Advertising and Booking inquiries: Pete@ThePeteKalinerShow.com  

Scripture says that God is the Father of Lights. All good things come from the Father of lights. Why therefore do men desire to keep things hidden in darkness?There are secret societies that exist to keep information and truth from people. The power structures in our world seem to gravitate to secrecy. Why? This podcast explores the dynamic between hiding things and exposing them. Of particular concern is why artifacts and information about giants and their skeletons have come to light and then are mysteriously hidden again by our very own Smithsonian Institution. The question is why?Come listen to LA Marzulli discuss his perspective on the movie "Disclosure Day". What is this film trying to say? Why is it being shown now? Why has our government so focused on keeping the population; it's own citix

Sean Noble is back with another solo episode, this time breaking down a newly released White House report examining the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of American History. Sean walks through the report's findings, including changes to the museum's mission, the growing role of activism inside historical institutions, and why he believes museums should educate rather than advocate. He discusses the Smithsonian's updated mission statement, leadership comments about "decolonizing" museums, exhibits centered on social justice, and internal training materials that labeled concepts such as objectivity, individualism, and perfectionism as elements of "white supremacy culture." Sean also explains why it's possible to honestly confront America's failures—including slavery and discrimination—without abandoning the nation's founding principles or treating history as a political project. This episode is a conversation about American history, civic institutions, and why preserving public trust requires historians to pursue truth rather than activism. Faith, Freedom, and Free Enterprise. #Smithsonian #AmericanHistory #HistoryEducation #Museums #Politics #PrattPodcasting Subscribe for weekly conversations on Faith, Freedom & Free Enterprise with Sean Noble and Chris Clements. The Battle for American History Light Beer Dark Money Website: lightbeerdarkmoney.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LightBeerDarkMoney/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightbeerdarkmoney/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lbdmpodcast?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/light-beer-dark-money/ Blog: https://lightbeerdarkmoney.com/hypocrisy-and-the-aoc-oh-sandy/

Last spring, President Donald Trump issued the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order, taking aim at federal parks, monuments, museums, and sites that have cast the United States's “founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.” On the Fourth of July this year, the White House published its 162-page “Saving America's Story,” attacking the Smithsonian Institution directly for “anti-white activism,” “illegal alien activism,” “transgender activism,” and more broadly for adopting “an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens.”“We're in this moment where we are fighting over how America tells its past,” journalist Rebecca Nagle tells The Intercept Briefing. “It can be scary in a moment when it feels like the stakes are really high to really interrogate the myths that we all carry, that we all hold about who our country is and where it started because it's really tempting to want to think, 'OK, if we just wind the clock back 10 years, if we just go back a few election cycles, we'll be back to a democracy that's strong, that's stable, that's solid, and we'll all be fine.' It's much more scary to say, ‘Oh, actually, if we want to talk about where authoritarianism comes from in the United States, it's actually at the foundation.'”As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday this year, the Trump administration has been ramping up its efforts to erase not just the dark parts of U.S. history but also the contributions of basically anyone who isn't a white, Christian man. That project has included taking concrete steps to remove all traces of the history of people who don't fit that description, Black people, immigrants, civil rights advocates, women and gay and trans people — including the first people to live on this land: Native Americans.This week on the podcast, Nagle speaks to host Akela Lacy about her new podcast series “First America,” which examines how Native people have been largely written out of the American story, and how that story informs the current political crisis in the U.S.“One of the big claims that the series makes is that the foundation is in itself is a myth. Because at the same time that our founders were building a democracy, they were also building an empire. The way that you govern an empire, the way that you govern other people by force, is not democratic,” says Nagle, a citizen of Cherokee Nation. “This identity crisis we're having around authoritarianism and democracy, and how could authoritarianism be sneaking into our democracy — what we argue is that it's actually always been there.”“A lot of what is happening now — it's not new, it's not un-American, it's not unprecedented. Sometimes it's not even unconstitutional! It's actually just taking these parts of our government that for a long time most Americans didn't know was there or didn't really think about, and Trump is just pulling it into the center,” says Nagle. Full transcript: https://interc.pt/44WnPj7Keep our investigations free and fearless at theintercept.com/join. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Navajo Highways”, a children's show using puppets to teach youth the Diné language, recently won Emmys gold. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio caught up with the creator and has more. After just a single season that included six episodes and a Christmas special, “Navajo Highways” won one regional Emmy award for informational-instructional content and another for best set design. “I really wanted it for the crew – the crew who believed in me – and I wanted them to feel validated that I wasn't just some crazy kook that came up with the puppet show, you know.” Utah-based creator Pete Sands, who films in Moab, says he is still awestruck, even weeks after coming back from the La Jolla ceremony. “I guess I've been out of the artist world, living in my own bubble for so long. Dipping a toe back into it, I was like, ‘Yeah, I kinda like my Utah life, keeping to myself.' And our culture is still alive.” The Star Princess in Ketchkan, Alaska, May, 2026. (Courtesy Carnival) An Alaska cruise ship recently set sail powered by liquid natural gas (LNG), the first cruise vessel in the state to do so. The Alaska Highway ferry system, which serves as the state’s public transportation network, hopes to follow suit, but operational and funding challenges have created obstacles, as Mark Moran reports. The Alaska cruise ship industry leaves a sizable carbon footprint with its emissions. The maiden Alaska voyage of the Star Princess this spring was powered entirely by LNG, which the industry says is “as clean as it gets.” Harly Penner, president of Seaspan Energy, which fuels giant, clean-burning ships, says using LNG in large vessels reduces potent and toxic emissions, like nitrogen (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx). “Those are the carcinogens that live in our port and most important to the people in those port communities. The NOx, the SOx, and the black carbon are greatly reduced.” At this point, Alaska Marine Highway still has no ferries operating on natural gas or any other alternative fuel, but they say the fleet will be designed to do so in the future. The agency is reliant on state funding for any upgrades, which has dwindled in recent years. Penner says engine, scrubber, and emissions technology on large vessels will continue to evolve, and believes LNG is the most effective way to reduce emissions among large fleets. Companies must measure the costs of retrofitting ships to run on LNG while balancing the pillars of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. “If you knock one of those pillars out, you really have a hard time making that sale in the boardroom. And one of those pillars is financial viability. Like, if you’re not financially viable, it’s hard to make a sustainable decision on that.” Data from the International Maritime Organization estimates that in the next three years, between 1,600-1,700 vessels will be powered completely by LNG. This introductory video from the ongoing exhibit “Nation to Nation” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian was named in the White House report. On the heels of America's quarter millenial, the White House is questioning the world's largest museum and its depiction of the U.S. being founded on stolen Indigenous land, as Judith Ruiz-Branch reports. The nearly 200-hundred page report was quietly published over the holiday weekend. It criticizes exhibits in the Smithsonian Institution for reinforcing narratives that the U.S. government forcibly pushed Indians from their ancestral lands. The White House argues these interpretations place too much emphasis on racial injustice while downplaying the nation's founding ideals and accomplishments, but Native scholars like Dan Lewerenz contend land dispossession and treaty violations are essential parts of the American story. “I think it’s important to remember history accurately. A part of that is remembering for purposes of the Declaration of Independence, Indians were sort of used as a propaganda tool by the colonists.” Lewerenz argues the United States has long used American Indians to serve its interests and agendas. The report was issued as part of President Donald Trump's effort to reshape how federally supported institutions are presenting American History. Experts say it sets the stage for further heightened debate over how U.S. history is told and who gets to be included. Although North Dakota's history also involves a painful past for Native people, Lewerenz says the state has made strides in repairing past harms and improving relations with Indigenous people. He says efforts like the Government to Government conference and policies to improve Tribal programs all point to a growing partnership. “Tribal sovereignty and the ability of tribes and tribal members to govern their own communities and live by their own ways has sometimes been respected and sometimes not. But tribes have to remain hopeful.” As part of the newly unveiled Theodore Roosevelt Library in Medora, N.D., a medicinal garden marks a renewed dedication to Tribal alliance. Library trustees say the monument does not ignore Roosevelt’s racist views on Indigenous people, but confronts history honestly with a call to honor and commit to a more vibrant future. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, July 10, 2026 — New report: Native student discipline disparities persist at New Mexico school district

Harriet Tubman's Shawl and Hymnal. Abraham Lincoln's Hat. Chuck Berry's Red Cadillac.  These are just a few of the estimated 157 million items currently held by the Smithsonian Institutions. Spread across 21 museums, 21 libraries, 14 education and research centers, a zoo, and various other facilities, the Smithsonian was created by the federal government in 1846, and named after its founding donor british scientist James Smithson. In Smithson's bequest, he willed the money “to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian institution, an establishment for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men”.  Today, about two thirds of the  Smithsonian Institution's $1.25 billion annual budget comes from taxpayers. And those taxpayers are asking some significant questions about the way that the Smithsonian is spending their money. A recent report from the Trump Administration highlights, in particular, abuses at the National Museum of American History, where American history seems to have taken a backseat to political activism. I sat down with Heritage Senior Fellow Mike Gonzalez to understand what's going on. --- Next-Gen Marxism by Mike Gonzalez & Katie Gorka: https://www.amazon.com/NextGen-Marxism-What-How-Combat/dp/1641773537  White House Report: Saving America's Story: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Smithsonian-Report-Saving-Americas-Story.pdf Email us at heritageexplains@heritage.org 

A new 162-page report just released by the White House flags a museum exhibition for what it says is “radical, activist ideology” that “seeks to teach disdain and inspire disgust of our great country.” The report faults Native land acknowledgements, mentions of stolen land, and the use of the term “genocide” connected to an ongoing exhibition by the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The report by the White House Domestic Policy Council argues leaders at the Smithsonian Institution have pushed an agenda of social justice advocacy instead of objective historical research. We'll talk with Native historians and curators about this new escalation of the Trump administration's drive to change existing narratives about Native history. GUESTS Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and Hodulgee Muscogee), a founding trustee of NMAI, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the first Native woman elected to the oldest learned societies in the U.S. – the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Rick Hill Sr. (Tuscarora), vice president of the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations Dr. Samuel Torres (Mexica/Nahua), deputy CEO of the National Native America Boarding School Healing Coalition Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau (Kchi Wiikwedong Anishinaabe), author of “What the Ancestors Say”, award-wining journalist, and reporting specialist for Miigwech Inc. Break 1 Music: War Dance Song 1 (song) Burton Fisher, George Fisher, Charles Little Oldman, & Clifford Bighead (artist) 12 Northern Cheyenne Songs (album) Break 2 Music: Medicine Wheel (song) Logan Staats (artist) Rainwater (album)

Seth takes a critical look at the recent accusations of sexual abuse against U.S. Senate candidate Graham Plattner in Maine and the media's handling of it, highlighting the double standard that exists when it comes to reporting on allegations against politicians when they are Democrats. The conversation touches on the idea that the Left has a long history of dismissing allegations against its own, while being quick to condemn those against Republicans. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History has been accused of promoting “extreme ideological activism” in a recent report from the White House’s Domestic Policy Council. We’re joined by Don Spini from Sun Valley Wealth. Seth talks about the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s 2020 guidelines for talking about race.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NASA is working with the Smithsonian Institution, monitoring vegetation changes to aid in earlier eruption warnings.

A new 162-page report just released by the White House flags a museum exhibition for what it says is “radical, activist ideology” that “seeks to teach disdain and inspire disgust of our great country.” The report faults Native land acknowledgements, mentions of stolen land, and the use of the term “genocide” connected to an ongoing exhibition by the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The report by the White House Domestic Policy Council argues leaders at the Smithsonian Institution have pushed an agenda of social justice advocacy instead of objective historical research. We'll talk with Native historians and curators about this new escalation of the Trump administration's drive to change existing narratives about Native history. GUESTS Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and Hodulgee Muscogee), a founding trustee of NMAI, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the first Native woman elected to the oldest learned societies in the U.S. – the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Rick Hill Sr. (Tuscarora), vice president of the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations Dr. Samuel Torres (Mexica/Nahua), deputy CEO of the National Native America Boarding School Healing Coalition Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau (Kchi Wiikwedong Anishinaabe), author of “What the Ancestors Say”, award-wining journalist, and reporting specialist for Miigwech Inc. Break 1 Music: War Dance Song 1 (song) Burton Fisher, George Fisher, Charles Little Oldman, & Clifford Bighead (artist) 12 Northern Cheyenne Songs (album) Break 2 Music: Medicine Wheel (song) Logan Staats (artist) Rainwater (album)

Today's West Coast Cookbook & Speakeasy Podcast for our especially special Daily Special, River City Hash Mondays is now available on the Spreaker Player!Starting off in the Bistro Cafe, Patriot Front and Trump tried to ruin the Fourth of July weekend.Then, on the rest of the menu, the Neo Confederate MAGA White House branded the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution as radical leftists who cannot be trusted; Trump will not seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool but will “use the same company, because they did a fantastic job;” and, a decline in PH.D. admissions could imperil “a generation of new talent.”After the break, we move to the Chef's Table where a Belgian diamond group that won tariff relief, gifted Trump a lavishly encrusted ring that would be illegal in any other administration; and, Australia and Fiji signed a new bilateral defense alliance against Chinese influence in the South Pacific.All that and more, on West Coast Cookbook & Speakeasy with Chef de Cuisine Justice Putnam.Bon Appétit!The Netroots Radio Live PlayerKeep Your Resistance Radio Beaming 24/7/365!“I was never a spy. I was with the OSS organization. We had a number of women, but we were all office help.” — Julia Child Justice PutnamBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/west-coast-cookbook-speakeasy--2802999/support.

A White House report calls the leadership at the Smithsonian Institution radical activists who cannot be trusted. AP correspondent Donna Warder reports.

As America prepares to turn 250, organisers had been hoping that the celebrations would bring the country together. The reality though is somewhat different, with many upset that President Trump appears to be making the nation's anniversary about himself. It comes as the Trump administration is continuing to attack America's diverse cultural heritage, and attempting to dictate how the country should view itself. Lonnie G. Bunch III is the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, a role which has often put him at loggerheads with President Trump. Bunch speaks to Christiane about reflecting on America's full and complex history ahead of its anniversary.   Also on today's show: Dave Eggers, Author, "Contrapposto"; Jon Meacham, Executive Producer, "World War II with Tom Hanks"    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Depuis son retour à la Maison Blanche en janvier 2025, Donald Trump, et plus généralement l'ensemble de la sphère Maga, s'emploient à imposer leur propre vision de l'Amérique. Illustration en Pennsylvanie, là où la Déclaration d'Indépendance des États-Unis fut signée le 4 juillet 1776. De notre envoyé spécial de retour de Pennsylvanie, Elles sont alignées comme à la parade, le nom de leur propriétaire collé sur le pare-brise, le capot relevé pour mieux apprécier ce qu'elles ont dans le ventre. Il y en a pour tous les goûts : un antique pick-up Chevrolet bleu turquoise, un coupé Buick de 1973, plusieurs Dodge Challenger, et même un corbillard. Des dizaines au total. Penchés au-dessus des moteurs, des visiteurs de tous âges. Beaucoup arborent des tee-shirts aux couleurs des États-Unis ou floqués du mot « liberté ». Le parti républicain du comté de Lackawanna a choisi ce cinéma en plein air pour célébrer les 250 ans de l'Indépendance du pays. Le 4-Juillet n'est que dans trois semaines, mais ici, sur les hauteurs de Dickson City, la fête bat déjà son plein. Tout a été prévu pour la rendre mémorable : un défilé de motos, de quoi se restaurer, des concerts, deux films sur écran géant… Mais le clou de la journée, c'est cette exposition de véhicules d'exception.  Tout un symbole. « C'est une part d'histoire. Ce sont des voitures qui ont marqué notre jeunesse. Ce sont aussi des voitures qui ont été construites ici et exportées partout dans le monde. Cela permet de montrer aux jeunes ce qui a contribué à faire la richesse de notre pays », s'enthousiasme Dan Naylor, le président des Républicains du comté de Lackawanna, avant de s'adresser à la petite foule présente pour convoquer une nouvelle fois l'histoire, plus ancienne celle-là.  « Le plus grand pays au monde » Il y est question de Paul Revere, un orfèvre de Boston devenu célèbre pour avoir averti les patriotes américains de l'arrivée imminente de l'armée britannique à Lexington en 1775. « Et qui répondit à ce cri ? Ce furent des gens ordinaires, qui se mobilisèrent, qui vainquirent les Anglais et qui fondèrent ce pays ! », lance Dan Naylor au micro. « Nous devons donc être reconnaissants envers ces personnes qui ont sacrifié leurs vies pour faire de ce pays ce qu'il est, et nous devons le préserver. Et souvenez-vous : nous sommes le plus grand pays au monde et c'est ce que nous pouvons célébrer aujourd'hui. » Un discours en écho à celui de la Maison Blanche, bien décidée à faire de ce 250è anniversaire celui d'une nation glorieuse, purgée de l'esclavage et du racisme. « Je ne vois pas les couleurs. Ok ? Pour moi, on a tous le sang rouge », balaie ainsi JoAnne Mayer, l'organisatrice de l'événement, lorsqu'on l'interroge sur cette Amérique blanche et chrétienne que cherchent à promouvoir Donald Trump, son administration et le mouvement Maga en général. « Cette administration met l'accent sur les valeurs de l'individu, indépendamment de sa race, de son âge, de son origine ethnique, de son sexe ou de toute autre caractéristique qui fait de lui ce qu'il est », défend Rob Coco, responsable de la branche locale de l'association ultra-conservatrice Turning Point USA. Enveloppé dans un drapeau américain, l'étudiant de 22 ans semble oublier les attaques contre les droits des femmes et des personnes LGBTQIA+, les opérations de la police de l'immigration apparemment guidées par le simple délit de faciès, ou encore le redécoupage électoral favorable aux Afro-Américains remis en cause en Louisiane.  « Je pense qu'il ne faut pas catégoriser les gens. Nous sommes tous des habitants de cette Terre, s'enflamme le jeune homme dans un élan missionnaire. Nous venons tous du même Créateur, et nous avons tous la chance d'être ici aujourd'hui, car la vie est sacrée. Alors, au lieu de juger, au lieu de parler de ce qui nous différencie, nous devrions simplement apprécier le fait d'être ici aujourd'hui et d'avoir la possibilité de l'être. » Une ode à l'unité qui peine à masquer la réalité d'un pays fracturé. À lire aussiTrumpisme au Canada: comment les idées MAGA gagnent du terrain   Progressisme et armes à feu À 200 kilomètres de là, une dizaine de personnes se sont donné rendez-vous dans une armurerie de Lancaster. Elles sont toutes membres du Liberal Gun Club (LGC), un club de tir classé à gauche. « C'est une association de possesseurs d'armes à feu qui partagent les mêmes convictions, qui croient aux droits civils et aux droits constitutionnels. C'est un groupe composé de personnes vraiment, vraiment formidables ! », vante Christopher Caruana, le secrétaire de la branche pennsylvanienne du LGC. Sa longue barbe blanche, son verre de lunette fumé et ses bras tatoués donnent à ce septuagénaire un air de pirate.  L'endroit fait aussi stand de tir. Au bout de la rangée, Molly teste des pistolets de différents calibres avec son père. À 22 ans, elle vient de terminer le college, le premier cycle universitaire, et s'apprête à quitter le domicile familial. Il lui faut donc une arme. Reste à trouver la bonne. « Je fais 1 mètre 50 et je ne me sens pas capable de me défendre toute seule sans une arme », justifie la jeune femme. Un sentiment d'insécurité renforcé, dit-elle, par la façon dont « Trump et son entourage ont encouragé les hommes à considérer les femmes comme inférieures à eux et comme des objets sexuels ». Le Liberal Gun Club compte aujourd'hui quelque 5 000 adhérents à l'échelle nationale. En novembre 2024, juste avant la seconde élection de Donald Trump, ils étaient moins de 3 000. Ceux qui sont là aujourd'hui sont quant à eux des membres de plus longue date. Mais tous font part de leur inquiétude au sujet de ce président que certains qualifient de « fasciste ».  C'est le cas de Sam, longtemps opposé aux armes à feu, jusqu'à ce que la première élection de Donald Trump et l'attaque à la voiture-bélier commise par un sympathisant néo-nazi à Charlottesville en 2017 le fassent changer d'avis. « Je suis juif, ma femme est d'origine portoricaine, témoigne-t-il. J'ai acheté des armes par précaution lors du premier mandat, mais quand il a été réélu, avec ma famille, on a songé à quitter le pays. Aujourd'hui, on essaie d'avoir des amis partout où l'on peut. » À écouter aussiÉtats-Unis: les républicains toujours pour le port d'armes malgré les tentatives d'assassinat contre Donald Trump Des livres interdits Tandis que certains songent à quitter le pays ou à se battre arme au poing, d'autres résistent déjà. Liz et Linda sont de ceux-là. Les deux vénérables retraitées font partie des Freedom Readers, un club de lecture fondé il y a quatre ans. « À la base, c'est juste un petit groupe de dames intéressées par la lecture de livres susceptibles d'être contestés ou qui l'ont déjà été par des personnes cherchant à promouvoir cette idée d'une Amérique blanche et chrétienne », explique Liz, chemisier imprimé léopard et brushing impeccable. Ce jour-là, c'est dans sa maison d'un quartier cossu d'Elizabethtown qu'elles tiennent salon. Deux livres sont posés sur la table basse : Le Château de verre, de Jeannette Walls, et La Petite Fille de la rue Mango, de Sandra Cisneros. En novembre 2025, les deux ouvrages ont été bannis du programme et des bibliothèques scolaires d'Elizabethtown, au même titre que le film Roméo et Juliette et La Haine qu'on donne, un roman d'Angie Thomas sur la question du racisme et des violences policières. Pourquoi ? Mystère. « Le conseil d'établissement ne donne jamais les raisons de ces interdictions. Mais l'un de ses membres a apporté une image déformée du personnage central de ce livre, relate Liz à propos de La Petite Fille de la rue Mango. Il a affirmé qu'elle cherchait à attirer l'attention des hommes pour les manipuler. C'était une description complètement faussée. » L'association Etown Common Sense s'est aussi emparée de la question, l'une des nombreuses sur lesquelles elle ferraille avec ceux qu'elle désigne comme des « nationalistes chrétiens ». « En tant que parents et citoyens, nous voulons que nos écoles publiques restent véritablement publiques, ouvertes, libres et impartiales pour l'ensemble de notre communauté », insiste Kelly Fuddy, présidente de l'association et mère de deux enfants scolarisés au collège du district. À lire aussiCensure de livres aux États-Unis: le rempart conservateur contre le wokisme Le tournant Covid L'interdiction des livres par les conseils d'établissement n'est pas un phénomène nouveau, que ce soit en Pennsylvanie ou ailleurs aux États-Unis. Mais le « Keystone State » est l'un des plus touchés. En 2022, il figurait même à la deuxième place du classement établi par PEN America des États recensant le plus grand nombre de livres interdits. Un comble pour ce territoire fondé par William Penn selon les principes de tolérance et de liberté. « Cela a vraiment pris de l'ampleur en 2020 et 2021 avec le Covid-19, observe Kelly Fuddy. Beaucoup de gens qui n'étaient peut-être pas impliqués politiquement se sont mobilisés et continuent de l'être. Il s'agit pour l'essentiel d'électeurs de Donald Trump. »  La mère de famille pointe aussi la responsabilité d'organisations nationales, telles que Moms for Liberty ou la Heritage Foundation, qui ont trouvé dans ce comté de Lancaster « un terrain fertile » pour cultiver leur projet politique. Les ouvrages jugés contraires aux bonnes mœurs ou faisant l'apologie de « l'idéologie woke » sont les premiers ciblés. « Ils prétendent défendre les enfants, mais ils déforment en réalité la définition de ce qui est sexuellement explicite, de ce qu'est la pornographie, reproche Kelly Fuddy. Et ils nient l'expertise professionnelle de nos éducateurs à qui nous confions nos enfants. » Et gare aux enseignants qui tentent de faire barrage aux censeurs. Kristy Moore l'a appris à ses dépens. Cette professeure d'anglais raconte avoir été victime de menaces de mort et de violences. Elle a aussi été la cible de photomontages publiés sur les réseaux sociaux, l'accusant de vouloir permettre aux collégiens d'accéder à des contenus pornographiques. Mais pas question pour elle d'abdiquer : « Si je les laisse m'intimider, je ne pourrai plus continuer à faire mon travail. » Nous avons contacté l'organisation Moms for Liberty et la présidente du conseil d'établissement d'Elizabethtown. Toutes deux ont répondu qu'elles ne souhaitaient pas participer à ce reportage. Des esclaves invisibilisés Au-delà de ces interdictions menées à l'échelle locale, le pays est aussi le théâtre d'une vague de censure dirigée depuis le sommet de l'État. Ce sont des milliers de photos d'archives de l'armée rendues inaccessibles, des dizaines et des dizaines de mots bannis de la communication gouvernementale. Ou encore ce décret signé par Donald Trump en mars 2025 pour « rétablir la vérité et le bon sens dans l'histoire américaine ». L'ordre est donné de retirer des parcs nationaux et des sites historiques tous contenus qui « dénigre de manière inappropriée les Américains, qu'ils soient vivants ou décédés ». À Philadelphie, cela se traduit par le retrait de l'exposition consacrée aux neuf esclaves de George Washington à la President's House, l'ancienne demeure du premier président des États-Unis et de son successeur John Adams. « Une super exposition, estime Dan, qui en assure la visite. Elle raconte qui étaient ces neuf esclaves et quel était leur rôle. » La ville et différentes organisations contre-attaquent au tribunal. Ordre est donné de la réinstaller, avant qu'une nouvelle décision de justice ne stoppe tout. Dan ne s'en remet pas. « Il y a encore des murs vides, des vidéos qui ne fonctionnent pas… Je trouve ça plutôt horrible au moment où l'on célèbre nos 250 ans. »  Namrta, elle, est parfaitement remontée. Les yeux braqués vers la caméra d'un téléphone portable, la responsable de Get Free Philly dit tout le mal qu'elle pense de cette censure à ses abonnés. « Ce que vous voyez, vitupère la jeune femme, c'est juste un nouvel exemple de la façon dont le mouvement Maga et le gouvernement révisent l'histoire. Aujourd'hui, nous sommes à l'heure du choix : continuer ainsi pendant 250 ans à faire l'autruche ou alors nous ranger du bon côté de l'histoire en assumant et en réparant nos erreurs. »  Le décret de Donald Trump ordonne aussi au ministère de l'Intérieur, qui gère les parcs nationaux et les espaces publics, de remettre en place les statues et monuments démontés ou dégradés lors du mouvement Black Lives Matter. Il cible également les musées de la Smithsonian Institution, notamment le futur Musée national de l'histoire des femmes à Washington, pour l'empêcher de « reconnaître les hommes comme des femmes ». Référence aux femmes transgenres. À lire aussiÉtats-Unis: Charlottesville déboulonne ses statues confédérées après des années de polémique « L'Amérique n'a jamais été un grand pays » Dans la capitale fédérale, malgré les tentatives de l'administration de l'effacer, la mémoire de l'esclavage reste vive dans le quartier d'Anacostia. Et particulièrement en ce 19 juin. Les habitants célèbrent Juneteenth, le jour de l'Émancipation. Le 19 juin 1865, à Gavelston, au Texas, les esclaves afro-américains apprenaient qu'ils étaient libres. « Mais que signifiait être libre pour les personnes noires à cette époque ? », s'interroge Sir Harvey Fitz, l'animateur de la journée. C'est précisément la question à laquelle doivent répondre les quelques centaines de personnes qui font face à la scène. « La liberté, c'est l'amour », affirme quelqu'un. « La liberté, c'est avoir suffisamment d'espace pour être soi-même », estime un autre. À l'ombre d'un arbre, Maleka écoute en souriant.  Lorsqu'on lui demande si elle se sent libre, elle, aujourd'hui, aux États-Unis, la quadra aux grandes boucles d'oreilles colorées pousse d'abord un long soupir. « Je suis libre de plein droit, mais je ne me sens pas toujours libre certains jours, à cause de la nature oppressive de notre régime politique. » Elle dénonce pêle-mêle les atteintes aux libertés civiles et individuelles, la remise en cause de l'héritage du mouvement pour les droits civiques, qu'elle pensait pourtant acquis. « Même si je suis libre, poursuit Maleka, je suis très consciente que c'est une chose fragile et que je dois continuer à me battre pour ça, à m'exprimer et à m'opposer aux injustices. » Elle juge aussi le mouvement Maga – Make America Great Again – totalement absurde. « À quel moment l'Amérique a été grande ? Ça a toujours été un pays en quête de grandeur, mais ça n'a jamais été un grand pays, considère-t-elle. C'est insupportable, en tant que femme noire, de vivre littéralement à moins de sept kilomètres de la Maison Blanche et de celui qui y réside. Alors que ce sont des esclaves qui l'ont construite, la Maison Blanche ne reconnaît pas que le pays a construit son économie sur le dos de l'esclavage. » De l'autre côté du fleuve, le National Mall se prépare à accueillir la grande foire imaginée par Donald Trump pour célébrer le 4-Juillet. Plusieurs États démocrates ont d'ores et déjà annoncé la boycotter. La Pennsylvanie, elle, a finalement choisi d'y participer.

The establishment of the Smithsonian Institution raised some unusual Constitutional questions on the watch of one Tennessee president, and the matter was resolved under another. Plus the local news for July 1, 2026 and this week's edition of What Where Whens-day. Credits: This is a production of Nashville Public RadioHost/producer: Nina CardonaEditor: LaTonya TurnerAdditional support: Mack Linebaugh, Tony Gonzalez, Megan Jones and the staff of WPLN and WNXP

James Smithson was an Englishman who never set foot in the United States. He bequeathed his estate to his nephew on one condition: if the nephew died without an heir, the money would go to the United States to found “the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

In an era when medicine was still finding its footing, John Romulous Brinkley built an empire on impossible cures, relentless ambition, and astonishing lack of a moral compass. In a shocking display of charm and manipulation, he managed to sell his patients on a cure for diseases they didn't even know they had, frequently involving the surgical insertion of a goats testicle into their body. His rise to fame was inspired, and for a while, his power was almost unstoppable, until one man on a crusade took it upon himself to prove otherwise. SOURCES Brock, Pope (2008) Charlatan: The Fraudulent Life of John Brinkley. Orion Publishing, London, UK. Griffenhagen, George B. & Young, James (1959) Old English Patent Medicines in America. Contributions from The Museum of History and Technology: Paper 10. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the show by visiting our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://author.to/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dark Histories merch is available here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3GChjk9⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with us on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or find us on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://twitter.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or you can contact us directly via email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@darkhistories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or join our Discord community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every storyteller has a tool: a notebook, a camera, a microphone. For legendary author Octavia Butler, it was a powder blue typewriter. That typewriter is now in the Smithsonian Institution's Anacostia Community Museum, and acting curator Jennifer Sieck explains Butler's influence on the country's history. And, the megalodon was one of the biggest fish that ever lived, with seven-inch-long teeth and jaws with 40,000 pounds of bite force. Don't worry: The megalodon swam between 3.6 and 23 million years ago. But you can still see a model hanging from the ceiling in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. Curator Nick Pyenson explains why Americans remain fascinated with megalodons.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Show Notes:River cruising has officially gone mainstream — and a recent US News & World Report ranking proves it. For the first time, they ranked river cruise lines based on expert and traveler ratings, industry awards, pricing, and itineraries. AmaWaterways took the top spot, followed by Uniworld Boutique and Viking River Cruises. Ryan and Julie dig into what makes river cruising so compelling, and then go beyond the basics to highlight four specialty cruise experiences that match your interests — not just your dates.Christmas Market Cruises If you've ever considered river cruising, this has probably crossed your mind. AmaWaterways' Taste of Christmas sailings take you along the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel, stopping in Cologne, multiple German towns, and Strasbourg, France — famously described as the real-life town from Beauty and the Beast. Each stop features multiple Christmas markets, onboard holiday celebrations, and seasonal local events. Pack an extra bag.Golf Cruises AmaWaterways' golf itineraries let you play up to five championship courses in Europe with a dedicated guide, luxury Mercedes transfers, club care, and lunch with beer and wine included at each course. Along the Seine, courses include Paris Saint-Germain Golf Club — ranked 14th in Europe and host to the French Open nine times. You'll go home with a scorecard and some serious bragging rights.Oktoberfest & Beer Cruises This seven-night Danube sailing from Germany to Slovakia weaves Oktoberfest experiences into every port. Think underground tours of historic beer tunnels, monastic brewery visits, cellar tastings, and — yes — a hike up to a castle (optional, apparently). The beer comes to you in Passau, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest.Smithsonian Journeys For the intellectually curious traveler, AmaWaterways partners with the Smithsonian Institution to offer sailings with two onboard Smithsonian experts for the entire cruise. Exclusive excursions include a behind-the-scenes tour of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, a visit to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, and a guided tour of the UNESCO-designated Neuf-Brisach Citadel. Same river, deeper experience.Where in the World? Ryan is sending a couple on an incredible Canadian Rockies adventure — Rocky Mountaineer, Banff, Jasper National Park, the Columbia Icefield Skyway, and Glacier National Park in Montana. A trip built for a photography-obsessed traveler and his wife.Next week: stay tuned for another episode of All Things Travel!Wonder and Beyond Travel → wonderandbeyondtravel.comSupport the showLove the podcast? Help us continue to create great travel content by supporting the show. You can do that here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1197029/supporters/newReady to plan your vacation?  Most families are confused and overwhelmed when planning a vacation. We work with you to plan a trip perfect for your family. Saving you time, money, and stress! Visit our website www.allthingstravelpodcast.com and click on "Plan Your Next Vacation"Join the travel conversations and the fun in our Facebook Page and Instagram Page!Please share the show with your travel buddies!!  Click this link and share the show!Never miss an episode and help us take you to the top with us by following and leaving a 5-Star review on your favorite podcasting app!

Roseburg Schools and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians have announced a partnership to help preserve the tribe's ancestral language, as KLCC's Brian Bull reports. Starting this fall, both Native and non-Native high school students can take the Takelma language for official language credit. The last known speaker died more than a century ago, but linguists and audio recordings from the Smithsonian Institution have helped revive it. Lindsay Campman, a spokesperson with the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua, says the tribe has deemed language as important to its citizens. “And that continues to make our people strong. It’s a link to have something in common with your ancestors who lived a very, very different life centuries ago. But being able to speak that same language that they did, that’s a powerful connection.” The Cow Creek Band is also partnering with Roseburg Schools on a statewide program to improve Native students' attendance and is gifting the district half a million dollars towards renovating Roseburg High School's sports complex. Myles Lewallen, left, his client Indigenous Design Studio + Architecture founder Tamarah Begay, and his co-counsel Jake Curtis testify before the Budget and Finance Committee on June 17, 2026. (Courtesy Navajo Nation Council) The Navajo Nation Council has paused its public hearing into the ZenniHome scandal until next month, but in testimony last week, a key witness made a bombshell allegation against her ex-business partner. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio has details. Tamarah Begay is the founder of Indigenous Design Studio and Architecture, which hired the now-bankrupt ZenniHome as a subcontractor to make 160 modular homes for the Navajo Nation. Zenni built only 18 after getting $24 million. “I am not a thief, and I am not a criminal.” But under oath, Begay leveled an accusation against ZenniHome CEO Bob Worsley. “He went ahead and actually forged my name under HozhoniHomes and submitted that to the state of Arizona.” That 2023 filing created an LLC, naming Begay's firm as a member. Her legal counsel clarifies they have not “seen any documents with her signature forged,” but insists this entity was formed “without her consent and against her express direction.” Neither Worsley nor his attorney, who signed off on the LLC, immediately responded to KJZZ's request for comment. (Courtesy Lomakatsi Restoration Project) Nine tribal members have graduated from a forestry and wildland firefighting training program in southern Oregon that blends modern fire management with traditional Indigenous knowledge. The graduates completed 18 weeks of paid training through the Tribal Ecological Forestry Training Program, operated by the Lomakatsi Restoration Project. Participants learned wildland firefighting, forest restoration, fuels reduction, chainsaw operation and cultural burning practices. For thousands of years, Indigenous communities across the West used carefully managed burns to improve forest health, encourage the growth of important plants and reduce vegetation that can fuel large wildfires. Many of those practices were restricted after federal fire suppression policies took hold. Today, tribes and land managers are increasingly looking to traditional fire knowledge as a tool for reducing wildfire risk. Program leaders say the training not only prepares Native youth for careers in forestry and firefighting, but also helps reconnect participants with cultural traditions tied to caring for the land. The program serves tribal communities in Oregon and northern California, where increasingly severe wildfire seasons have threatened forests, wildlife habitat and rural communities. Organizers say graduates leave with industry certifications and hands-on experience that can lead directly to employment in wildland firefighting and natural resource management. As fire seasons grow longer and more intense across the West, supporters say Indigenous knowledge and the next generation of Native fire practitioners will play an important role in protecting forests and communities. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Monday, June 22, 2026 — Rebecca Nagle's ‘First America' amplifies Native voices amid the din of America 250 celebrations

Tell me your favorite episode for the 6th anniversary show!In 1829, a British scientist who had never visited the United States left his fortune to a foreign country across the ocean.  His instructions were simple, vague, and enormously ambitious: create an institution for the increase and diffusion of knowledge. From that bequest grew the Smithsonian, a collection of museums, research centers, priceless artifacts, scientific discoveries, and national memories unlike anything else in the world.  Learn more about the Smithsonian and its remarkable history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Saily Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code everythingeverywhere at checkout. Download the Saily app or go to https://saily.com/everythingeverywhere ButcherBox Get your choice between chicken breast or top sirloin for a year OR ground beef for life, PLUS $20 off when you go to ButcherBox.com/everything Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Mint Mobile Save 50% on Unlimited premium wireless plans starting at $15/month at MintMobile.com/EED TrueWerk Get 15% off your first order at truewerk.com with code everything DripDrop Go to dripdrop.com and use promo code everything for 20% off your first order! Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Ds7Rx7jvPJ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As America's institution, the Smithsonian is honored to help lead the commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary. For nearly 200 years, the Smithsonian has preserved the objects, discoveries, and ideas that tell the American story by documenting the nation's achievements, advancing scientific innovation and examining the ongoing pursuit of the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence.To mark this historic milestone, the Smithsonian has launched Our Shared Future: 250, a nationwide initiative featuring all-new exhibitions, programs and events unfolding across all 21 Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo and communities throughout the country. This initiative brings together the Smithsonian's unparalleled collections, scholarship and expertise to explore America's past, illuminate its present and invite Americans to imagine the future they are shaping together.To discuss this initiative is Monique M. Chism, Under Secretary for Education at the Smithsonian Institution. Responsible for establishing the Institution's educational priorities, Chism oversees the Smithsonian's collective initiatives, communication strategies and funding for programs with the goal of bringing the Smithsonian into every classroom in America. Before joining the Smithsonian in 2021, she served as vice president for education policy and strategic initiatives at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C.As Independence Day approaches, this interview offers a timely opportunity to explore how history, education, and shared ideals connect Americans across generations and how the Smithsonian is helping bring those stories to life nationwide. It also comes as the Institution prepares for its upcoming National Education Summit, a free, three-day event convening in July focused on new approaches to civics teaching and engaging the next generation around the nation's founding ideals.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

As America's institution, the Smithsonian is honored to help lead the commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary. For nearly 200 years, the Smithsonian has preserved the objects, discoveries, and ideas that tell the American story by documenting the nation's achievements, advancing scientific innovation and examining the ongoing pursuit of the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence.To mark this historic milestone, the Smithsonian has launched Our Shared Future: 250, a nationwide initiative featuring all-new exhibitions, programs and events unfolding across all 21 Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo and communities throughout the country. This initiative brings together the Smithsonian's unparalleled collections, scholarship and expertise to explore America's past, illuminate its present and invite Americans to imagine the future they are shaping together.To discuss this initiative is Monique M. Chism, Under Secretary for Education at the Smithsonian Institution. Responsible for establishing the Institution's educational priorities, Chism oversees the Smithsonian's collective initiatives, communication strategies and funding for programs with the goal of bringing the Smithsonian into every classroom in America. Before joining the Smithsonian in 2021, she served as vice president for education policy and strategic initiatives at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C.As Independence Day approaches, this interview offers a timely opportunity to explore how history, education, and shared ideals connect Americans across generations and how the Smithsonian is helping bring those stories to life nationwide. It also comes as the Institution prepares for its upcoming National Education Summit, a free, three-day event convening in July focused on new approaches to civics teaching and engaging the next generation around the nation's founding ideals.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the Smithsonian Institution is gearing up for a summer of festivities that will bring the country's rich history to life. From special exhibits to festivals, the Smithsonian is offering a unique opportunity to explore America's past, present, and future.This episode of the podcast takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Smithsonian's plans for the 250th anniversary celebration. Joining the conversation is Ellen Stofan, Undersecretary for Science and Research at the Smithsonian and former chief scientist for NASA. Ellen shares her insights on the significance of the anniversary and the Smithsonian's role in preserving America's story. From artifacts like Thomas Jefferson's desk to Sally Ride's spacesuit, the Smithsonian is showcasing the country's history in a way that's both informative and engaging.One of the highlights of the episode is Ellen's discussion of the Smithsonian's plans to bring the institution to people across the country. With a range of exhibits and festivals planned, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The National Zoo is also getting in on the action, with a unique program that's using camera traps to record wildlife along the Lewis and Clark Trail.If you're interested in learning more about the Smithsonian's 250th anniversary celebration and the fascinating stories behind America's history, tune in to this episode to hear Ellen Stofan's insights and learn about the exciting plans in store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the some of the most culturally significant pieces of comedy in American history? A Marx Brothers film? A Carol Burnett sketch? An infamous puffy shirt? The initial question inspires further questions: what qualifies as an important reflection of our society; how well known does the material need to be; does staying power matter? From vaudeville performers to satirists like Mark Twain to sitcoms like "Seinfeld," a new book explores the way comedy shapes how we see each other as humans and as Americans. "Funny Stuff: How Comedy Shaped American History" is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the National Comedy Center. This hour, we discuss some of the best comedy of all time — and its impact — with center director Journey Gunderson. Our guest:Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center---Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to our donation page to become a WXXI member today, support the show, and help us close the gap created by the rescission of federal funding.---Connections airs every weekday from noon-2 p.m. Join the conversation with questions or comments by phone at 1-844-295-TALK (8255) or 585-263-9994, email, Facebook or Twitter. Connections is also livestreamed on the WXXI News YouTube channel each day. You can watch live or access previous episodes here.---Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections.

Museum lobbies have a huge influence on visitor experience. But what makes a good lobby?What is a “liminal space” in a museum? How does research actually work? What does “peer-reviewed research” actually mean? What do researchers hope their outcomes will be? Which department of a museum is even responsible for the lobby, and all the other “spaces in between”?Dan Clevenger (Principal), Monika Smith (Principal), and Helen Ho (Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher) from DLR Group discuss “Liminal Space Research” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).Along the way: wonder, awe, gaps in the literature, and all the spaghetti you can throw at a cupboard.Talking Points:1. DLR Group and the research team2. What is a “liminal space”?3. How research works4. The peer review process5. What the outcome will be6. Sneak peek: things learned so farHow to Listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311  Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G  Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast  Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/  Guest Bios:Dan Clevenger, AIA, LEED BD+C, Principal, Global Cultural + Performing Arts Leader, DLR Group. Dan Clevenger is an award-winning arts and cultural programmer, designer, and leader with more than two decades of experience across all phases of design and project development. His portfolio spans art museums, science centers, history museums, and natural history institutions, including the Heard Museum, Arizona Science Center, Chandler History Museum, C.N. Gorman Museum at UC Davis, the Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the University of Arizona Arts Master Plan. His work reflects a consistent commitment to institutions that strengthen their communities with purpose and longevity. Dan serves as a board member of the Western Museum Association and the Arizona State University Art Museum Creative Impact Board. Monika Smith, AIA, Principal, Cultural+Performing Arts Design Leader, DLR Group. Monika Smith brings a rigorous design craft to some of the most complex museum environments in the country. A senior designer with 28 years of experience in cultural facilities and historic preservation, she is known for technically demanding work across new construction, adaptive reuse, and landmark renovation. Her portfolio includes the Albany Museum of Art, Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, Library of Congress Conservation Lab, and the Smithsonian Institution. Monika is a juror for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Buildy Awards.Helen Ho, PhD, EDAC, Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher, DLR Group. Helen Ho helps cultural institutions make informed, community-centered design decisions. With more than a decade of mixed-methods research experience, she connects stakeholder engagement, post-occupancy evaluation, and evidence-based frameworks to outcomes that matter: visitor wellbeing, spatial equity, and long-term institutional impact. She translates complex community needs into clear design metrics and research-informed strategies that support meaningful, people-centered spaces. Helen holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan. She is an EDAC professional and an AIA Associate Member.About Making the Museum:Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio.Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/  Links for This Episode:Dan Clevenger: dclevenger@dlrgroup.com  Monika Smith: msmith@dlrgroup.com  Helen Ho: hho@dlrgroup.com  The Cultural+Performing Arts / Museums Practice at DLR Group   Strategic Research Partnerships Yield Museum Design Insights, at DLR Group  Heard Museum by DLR Group  Albany Museum of Art Adaptive Reuse by DLR Group  Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery by DLR Group  Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast:Contact Making the Museum:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact  Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger  Email Jonathan Alger:alger@cgpartnersllc.com  C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/  Making the Museum, the Newsletter:Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.)Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management.Subscribe to the newsletter:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/ 

Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. Mace consistently invite us to enter a meditative state. Whatever the medium, each piece seems to raise more questions than provide answers. The artists, respected for their innovative work, have concluded the series for which they are most known, large-scale blown glass fruit and vegetable forms. Their subsequent work includes life-size figurative wood and glass sculptures as well as outdoor bronze installations and glass work that features blown vessels and cast panels with illustrations of the 'first facts' of bird identification realized through applied glass powder drawings. Most recently, the artists have been working on their Botanicals, a body of work that preserves real flowers in composite and glass.  Kirkpatrick and Mace have worked collaboratively for the past 47 years after meeting at the Pilchuck Glass School in 1979. The artists have consistently explored seminal themes: principles of drawing as incorporated into glass, the metaphoric content of human relationship to nature and the appropriation of materials to support a visual idea. They recently installed a large public art project at the Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington.  Kirkpatrick (born in Des Moines, Iowa, 1952) and Mace (born in Exeter, New Hampshire, 1949) have exhibited, lectured and taught extensively throughout the world. They taught for 12 years at Pilchuck Glass School. Their collaborative work is included in collections and museums around the world including the Corning Museum of Glass, NY; The Detroit Institute of Art Detroit, MI; The Boston Museum of Fine Art, Boston, MA; Hokkaido Museum, Japan; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY; Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Lausanne, Switzerland; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA; Toledo Art Museum, Toledo, OH and The National Museum of American Art, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.  Mark Doty, wrote in the introduction of the book, Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C Mace: "This might be the most complex yoking of all, the way that two sensibilities overlap, merge, separate, conflict and resolve. A continuing dynamic, itself both unstable and solid, evolving, transforming materials and processes as it transforms itself." Kirkpatrick and Mace were recognized in 2019 for their outstanding achievement in the field of contemporary glass art by the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, and have been elected to the American Craft Fellows in 2005, interviewed for the Smithsonian Archives of American Art in 2006 and given the 2001 Chateau Ste. Michelle Libensky Award by Pilchuck Glass School honoring outstanding contemporary artists working in glass. Kirkpatrick served as a trustee on the board of Pilchuck Glass School for 16 years.  Now, the artists split their time between a home and studio in Seattle, Washington, and a farm on the Olympic Peninsula near the Washington Coast. Their current Botanical sculptures grew out of a desire to capture the essence of a plant by preserving it through portraiture. Each plant is harvested as it shares its bloom, brought into the studio, deconstructed, dried and reassembled. The specimen is then suspended within layers of composites and glass. The finished work has been recreated through the artist's hand and dependent on the artist's view of the specimen by observing in life, the plant's structure, the result, a portrait of a flower. Of their Botanical sculpture, Daniel J. Hinkley, plantsman wrote: "The works of Joey Kirkpatrick and Flora C. Mace capture the improbable if not the impossible, the apprehension of not just a moment reflecting the magic and majesty of our natural world but the abduction and amplification of a precise moment of perfection. To say that the paragon of their subjects has been frozen in time implies incorrectly that what you observe in their work is not simply an expiration and preservation of a plant at its floral zenith. These flowers embody the mystery and beauty, comprehended and embraced by the artists, to such a degree that one might actually perceive its ultimate drop of petal, abscission of leaf or growth of root." A selection of Kirkpatrick and Mace works is also on view now at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, in Tough Stuff: Women in the American Glass Studio. The exhibition showcases the groundbreaking creators who shaped the past and future of glass art.   

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. has faced unprecedented scrutiny and government interference since President Trump came to power. Now, its long cherished plans for a Smithsonian American Women's History Museum on the National Mall in D.C. have been dealt a blow because the US House of Representatives has struck down a bill to build the museum. Ben Luke talks to Elena Goukassian, The Art Newspaper's senior editor of museums and heritage in New York, about the partisan rift that led to failure of the bill, as well as other developments relating to the Smithsonian. As part of London Gallery Weekend, which begins on 5 June, the British artist Oliver Beer will show new paintings and related sound and video works in an exhibition, The Sky in the Cave, at Thaddaeus Ropac. The show relates to Beer's opus Resonance Project: The Cave, in which he brought eight singers into a prehistoric painted cave in the Dordogne in France to respond to its particular acoustic frequencies. Among them was the singer songwriter Rufus Wainwright, and Ben speaks to Oliver and Rufus about their collaboration. And this episode's Work of the Week is Painting with Two Balls by Jasper Johns. It is part of a new retrospective of the American artist's work at the Guggenheim Bilbao, Night Driver. Ben talks to the exhibition's curator, Enrique Juncosa.Oliver Beer: The Sky in the Cave, Thaddaeus Ropac, London, 5 June—31 July. Oliver and Rufus will be in conversation at the gallery on Friday 5 June, 12.00;Visit rufuswainwright.comJasper Johns: Night Driver, Guggenheim Bilbao, 29 May-12 October. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deborah Santana is an author, activist, philanthropist, and business leader dedicated to peace, justice, and women's empowerment. The founder of the nonprofit, Do a Little, she advocates for women and girls through global education and health initiatives and has worked with the Smithsonian Institution, The Children's Defense Fund, and other important organizations. She has also produced five documentary films highlighting the work of non-profits in Africa. And she's the author of two memoirs— something you can do only if you've lived an exceptionally interesting life. The first was Space Between the Stars, which was about coming of age as the child of a pioneering interracial couple. The other is a new release, Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom, which is about the spiritual awakening and rebirth that followed her decision to leave her 34-year marriage to music legend Carlos Santana. Running through it all is a dedication to a multi-faceted spiritual path, which includes earning a masters degree in philosophy and religion with a concentration in women's spirituality. It was a warm, delightful, and illuminating conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House Appropriations Committee wants to reduce EPA's budget for fiscal 2027 by $1.8 billion or 20%. At the same time as part of the Interior, Environment and related agencies spending bill, lawmakers are increasing funding for the Interior Department by almost $700 million. The funding bill also supports President Trump's effort to unify Interior firefighting entities and cuts funding for climate programs. Additionally, the bill would reduce funding for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art and the National Endowment for the Humanities.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8:05PM: The American Academy of Pediatrics finds kids of all ages K-12 need regular recess for physical and mental health. First new guidance in 13 years about this unstructured time at school and how it needs to be protected. Guest: Dr. Charles Hannum, MD, General Pediatrician at Tufts Medical Center 8:15PM: Boston 2026 World Expo offers 8 days of free, first-class fun for all ages. Happening May 23-30, 2026 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.- Sponsored by the United States Postal Service, Boston 2026 will play host to all sorts of collectors, former collectors and folks interested in history, geography and art. With over 1,000 fascinating displays and 300+ presentations on all sorts of topics (many of them provided by the Smithsonian Institution). Guest: Lloyd de Vries - former ABC/CBS/NPR Writer/Producer - President of two of the stamp collecting organizations participating in this show, the Writers Unit and the American First Day Cover Society. Both have meetings and seminars at the show. 8:30PM: Red Sox inconsistency, clubhouse dynamics, trade deadline outlook, and front-office scrutiny. Guest: Peter Abraham – Boston Globe sportswriter and columnist 8:45PM: Women’s football finally gets its Olympic spotlight & Women’s flag football could become an NCAA sport… Guest: Andra Douglas - former national champion in rugby and quarterback in women’s tackle football, she later became a creative executive at Atlantic Records—and for nearly two decades owned the two-time national champion New York Sharks women’s pro football team, She also wrote a book that just came out: Changing Cadence: Friendship, Football and the Art of TransitionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you build a museum?How do you build the right project team? How do you engage with community? What does it mean to plan a museum? What does it mean to design a museum? How do you align your budget with your purpose? How do you build the story of your museum project?Jamē Anderson, Monteil Crawley, Sarah Ghorbanian, and Chris Wood from SmithGroup discuss “Building a Museum: This is Not a Manual (the New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).Along the way: a one-year process that took ten years, a mystery fifth guest, and branching out to herbal supplements.Talking Points:1. Why a book like this?2. How do I build the right project team, and what does it mean to engage with the community?3. What does it mean to plan and design a museum?4. How do I align budget with purpose?5. How do you write a book?6. How do I learn more from my network?How to Listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311  Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G  Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast  Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/Guest Bios:Jamē Anderson is a vice president and director of SmithGroup's national team of architects, planners, and engineers who focus exclusively on cultural capital projects. Her career is dedicated to cultural institutions, having held roles at the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Institution in addition to her tenure at SmithGroup. Monteil Crawley is a senior principal at SmithGroup and a leading expert in the design of museums and cultural facilities, shaping a unique design vision for each facility and institution. He has spent his career with SmithGroup designing prominent spaces and places that celebrate and reveal the history and culture of the United States. Sarah Ghorbanian is a principal at SmithGroup who specializes in the planning and project management of complex cultural projects. She is an expert at coordinating the intersection of architecture and exhibition design to create compelling, holistic, and engaging experiences for museum audiences. Chris Wood is a vice president at SmithGroup and leads the firm's Washington, D.C., studio of design and engineering specialists devoted to cultural projects. He leads design teams for cultural capital projects of all scales and is a recognized expert in the planning and design of museums and collections facilities. About Making the Museum:Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio.Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode:The Book: https://www.smithgroup.com/buildingamuseum  SmithGroup: https://www.smithgroup.com  Jamē Anderson: Jame.Anderson@smithgroup.com Monteil Crawley: Monteil.Crawley@smithgroup.com  Sarah Ghorbanian: Sarah.Ghorbanian@smithgroup.com  Chris Wood: Chris.Wood@smithgroup.com Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast:Contact Making the Museum:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger:alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter:Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.)Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management.Subscribe to the newsletter:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/ 

BYU-Idaho is partnering with the Smithsonian Institution to conduct research on the Lewis and Clark trail. Volunteers will set up motion-sensing cameras in BYUI's section of the trail to analyze the wildlife activity.

Over his 40+-year career, Sohn Lewis has reupholstered thousands of pieces of furniture and other items, including antiques, walls, and automobile and boat interiors. One of his more notable projects includes upholstering hundreds of replicated seats for the 2000s renovation of Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. His work also appears in the Smithsonian Institution, a few embassies, and the Maryland governor's office, Senate chambers, and statehouse. He's done work for Joseph Furniture Restoration (Columbia), Johnson Berman (Baltimore), Ibello Upholstery (Baltimore), and Iatesta Studio (Kent Island). He is the lead upholsterer and instructor at The Cavanagh House in Baltimore.   The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by;     Klimaka Studios   The Workroom Channel   Scarlet Thread Consulting   The WCAA   The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library   National Upholstery Association   Workroom Tech    

298# The Grand Canyon Cover-Up | Egypt in America?tonight we're heading somewhere unexpected—somewhere vast, ancient… and hiding a story that doesn't quite fit the official narrative.Because buried deep within the walls of the Grand Canyon, one of the most studied natural landmarks on Earth, there's a claim that shouldn't exist… and yet, it does.Back in 1909, a report surfaced—published in the Arizona Gazette—describing a discovery that sounds more like something out of a lost chapter of history than reality itself. A hidden underground complex. Massive chambers carved into the rock. Artefacts resembling those of ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphs. Mummified remains.And then… silence.No follow-up. No confirmed excavation. No official acknowledgment from institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, who were supposedly involved. Just a story that appeared… and then seemed to vanish into the canyon itself.So what was it?A hoax? A misinterpretation? Or something that was quietly buried—literally and historically—because it challenged everything we think we know about ancient civilizations and their reach?Tonight, we're pulling apart the legend of the Egyptian tomb in the Grand Canyon. We'll look at the original report, the missing evidence, and the theories that range from the plausible… to the completely mind-bending.Because if even a fraction of this story is true… then history, as we understand it, might not just be incomplete—…it might be entirely wrong.

What if I told you that one of the most important stories ever told… isn't finished yet—and you're part of it? Right now, in Putnam County, something remarkable is happening. A traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution has made its first stop in Georgia—not in Atlanta, not in Savannah—but right here in our own backyard. It's called Voices and Votes: Democracy in America… and it's far more than a walk through history. This exhibit brings to life nearly 250 years of the American experiment—how a nation built on the idea of “of, by, and for the people” has been shaped, challenged, tested, and reimagined by every generation. But what makes this truly special… is that it doesn't just tell the national story. It tells our story. Alongside the national exhibit is a powerful look at the history of democracy right here in Putnam County—real people, real voices, and real moments that have helped shape this community in ways most of us have never fully seen or understood. And here's the thing—this isn't a passive experience. It's interactive. It's engaging. It might even challenge the way you think about your role in the ongoing story of this country. Because democracy isn't something that just happened. It's something that continues to happen—through action, through participation… and through people. Today, I'm joined by Chip Bell of the Georgia Writers Museum to talk about this incredible exhibit, why it matters right now, and why this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community. So whether you're a history buff… a curious learner… or just someone who wants to better understand the story we're all living in— You're going to want to hear this. And more importantly… you're going to want to experience it. Guests: Chip Bell, Georgia Writers Museum Board of Directors For more information: Georgia Writers Museum Voices & Votes Website: https://www.georgiawritersmuseum.org/voices-and-votes/ GWM Website: https://www.georgiawritersmuseum.org/ Phone: 706-991-5119 Sponsors: Tim Broyles State Farm Insurance https://mydowntownagency.com/ Lake Oconee Family Fitness & Fero Fit https://loffc.net/ Second Chance Boutique https://colinc.org/second-chance-boutique/

Media Rurality (Duke UP, 2026), edited by Darin Barney and Patrick Brodie, investigates the centrality of rural places and people within the media systems and technologies that shape daily life in and across rural and urban settings alike. Edited by Darin Barney and Patrick Brodie, from the boglands of Ireland to data centers in the Oregon countryside to the homemade media systems of rural Tanzania, the contributors to this volume show how rural territories are highly mediated, technologized spaces profoundly enmeshed with global capitalism and colonialism. Approaching the study of rurality through a materialist lens that foregrounds infrastructure, this collection shows how rural spaces often bear the environmental brunt of capitalist development while being relegated to the economic and cultural periphery.Contributors: Christopher Ali, Patrick Bresnihan, Patrick Brodie, Darin Barney, Jenna Burrell, Jordan B. Kinder, Burç Köstem, Cindy Lin, Emily Ng, Lisa Parks, Anne Pasek, Esther Peeren, Nicole Starosielski, Ishita Tiwary, Hunter Vaughan, Ayesha Vemuri, Megan Wiessner, Assatu Wisseh.  This episode features a conversation with host Sadie Couture, editors Patrick Brodie and Darin Barney, and contributors Burç Köstem and  Megan Wiessner.  Sadie Couture is a PhD candidate in Communication Studies at McGill University, and an incoming Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. https://www.sadiecouture.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Media Rurality (Duke UP, 2026), edited by Darin Barney and Patrick Brodie, investigates the centrality of rural places and people within the media systems and technologies that shape daily life in and across rural and urban settings alike. Edited by Darin Barney and Patrick Brodie, from the boglands of Ireland to data centers in the Oregon countryside to the homemade media systems of rural Tanzania, the contributors to this volume show how rural territories are highly mediated, technologized spaces profoundly enmeshed with global capitalism and colonialism. Approaching the study of rurality through a materialist lens that foregrounds infrastructure, this collection shows how rural spaces often bear the environmental brunt of capitalist development while being relegated to the economic and cultural periphery.Contributors: Christopher Ali, Patrick Bresnihan, Patrick Brodie, Darin Barney, Jenna Burrell, Jordan B. Kinder, Burç Köstem, Cindy Lin, Emily Ng, Lisa Parks, Anne Pasek, Esther Peeren, Nicole Starosielski, Ishita Tiwary, Hunter Vaughan, Ayesha Vemuri, Megan Wiessner, Assatu Wisseh.  This episode features a conversation with host Sadie Couture, editors Patrick Brodie and Darin Barney, and contributors Burç Köstem and  Megan Wiessner.  Sadie Couture is a PhD candidate in Communication Studies at McGill University, and an incoming Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. https://www.sadiecouture.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Media Rurality (Duke UP, 2026), edited by Darin Barney and Patrick Brodie, investigates the centrality of rural places and people within the media systems and technologies that shape daily life in and across rural and urban settings alike. Edited by Darin Barney and Patrick Brodie, from the boglands of Ireland to data centers in the Oregon countryside to the homemade media systems of rural Tanzania, the contributors to this volume show how rural territories are highly mediated, technologized spaces profoundly enmeshed with global capitalism and colonialism. Approaching the study of rurality through a materialist lens that foregrounds infrastructure, this collection shows how rural spaces often bear the environmental brunt of capitalist development while being relegated to the economic and cultural periphery.Contributors: Christopher Ali, Patrick Bresnihan, Patrick Brodie, Darin Barney, Jenna Burrell, Jordan B. Kinder, Burç Köstem, Cindy Lin, Emily Ng, Lisa Parks, Anne Pasek, Esther Peeren, Nicole Starosielski, Ishita Tiwary, Hunter Vaughan, Ayesha Vemuri, Megan Wiessner, Assatu Wisseh.  This episode features a conversation with host Sadie Couture, editors Patrick Brodie and Darin Barney, and contributors Burç Köstem and  Megan Wiessner.  Sadie Couture is a PhD candidate in Communication Studies at McGill University, and an incoming Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. https://www.sadiecouture.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/communications

(Host: Christine) In the mid-18th century, the illegitimate son of a British noble was born in France. In the mid-19th century, the Smithsonian Institution was founded in the United States. What do these two seemingly unrelated things have to do with each other? Find out in this week's episode of Footnoting History, as we look at the history of James Smithson–the man behind the creation of the Smithsonian Institution.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

What if the stories and legends concerning ancient giants are more than just myth—and what if some of the evidence was quietly hidden? In this episode I sit down with Jim Vieira, author of the new book "Footprints of the Gods: Extra Digits and the Mark of Giants" to explore the controversial claims surrounding giant skeleton discoveries and the role of the Smithsonian Institution, including allegations of a long-standing coverup. Separating documented history from speculation, we dive into the ancient legends, historical accounts, and the unanswered questions that continue to fuel this mystery. Is there a giant cover-up? Watch and decide for yourselfGET JIM'S BOOK HEREJOIN ME ON A 2026 TOUR

https://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?sid=tindogpodcast&_pgn=1&isRefine=true&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l49496 Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a 2001 American animated science fiction adventure film directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Tab Murphy. Produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, it stars Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer, Don Novello, Phil Morris, Claudia Christian, Jacqueline Obradors, Florence Stanley, David Ogden Stiers, John Mahoney, Jim Varney, Corey Burton and Leonard Nimoy. Set in 1914, the film follows young linguist Milo Thatch, who gains possession of a sacred book, which he believes will guide him and a crew of mercenaries to the lost city of Atlantis. Development of the film began after production had finished on The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Instead of another musical, directors Trousdale and Wise, producer Hahn, and screenwriter Murphy decided to do an adventure film inspired by the works of Jules Verne. Atlantis: The Lost Empire was notable for adopting the distinctive visual style of comic book artist Mike Mignola, one of the film's production designers. The film made greater use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) than any of Disney's previous traditionally animated features and remains one of the few to have been shot in anamorphic format. Linguist Marc Okrand constructed an Atlantean language specifically for use in the film. James Newton Howard provided the film's musical score. The film was released at a time when audience interest in animated films was shifting away from traditional animation toward films with full CGI. Atlantis: The Lost Empire premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on June 3, 2001, and went into its general release on June 15. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Budgeted at around $90–120 million, Atlantis grossed over $186 million worldwide, $84 million of which was earned in North America; its lackluster box office response was identified as a result of being released in competition with Shrek, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Fast and the Furious and Dr. Dolittle 2. As a result of the film's box office failure, Disney cancelled a planned spin-off animated television series, Team Atlantis; an underwater Disneyland attraction; and a volcanic Magic Kingdom attraction based on it. Atlantis was nominated for several awards, including seven Annie Awards, and won Best Sound Editing at the 2002 Golden Reel Awards. The film was released on VHS and DVD on January 29, 2002, and on Blu-ray on June 11, 2013. Despite its initial reception, reception in later years became favorable and has given Atlantis a cult following[5] and reappraisal from critics as a mistreated classic, due in part to Mignola's unique artistic influence.[6][7] A direct-to-video sequel, Atlantis: Milo's Return, was released in 2003. Plot In 1914 Washington, D.C., archaeo-linguist Milo Thatch obsesses over finding the legendary lost city of Atlantis, believed to have sunk thousands of years ago. His employers ridicule his theories, but he gains an unexpected ally in eccentric millionaire Preston B. Whitmore, a friend of Milo's deceased adventurer grandfather who also sought the city. Determined to honor his old friend's quest, Whitmore recruits Milo for an expedition to Atlantis, having recently uncovered the Shepherd's Journal, an ancient Atlantean manuscript that contains directions to the lost city. Aboard the submarine Ulysses, Milo meets his teammates: Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke, Lieutenant Helga Sinclair, demolitions expert Vincenzo Santorini, geologist Gaetan "Mole" Molière, medical officer Joshua Sweet, mechanic Audrey Ramirez, radio operator Wilhelmina Packard, mess cook Jebidiah "Cookie" Farnsworth, and a platoon of mercenaries. Upon reaching a cave entrance leading to the lost city, the submarine is destroyed by a massive mechanical leviathan, killing most of the crew. Milo and the survivors escape in smaller craft, navigating through the cave to emerge among ancient ruins. Milo translates the journal, guiding the team through caves beneath a dormant volcano until they reach the worn remains of Atlantis. There, they are greeted by Princess Kidagakash "Kida" Nedakh, who, despite being around 8,500 years old, has the appearance of a young woman. She leads them to her father, King Kashekim, who orders them to leave. Learning that Milo can read their language—a skill lost to the Atlanteans over millennia—Kida asks for his help in uncovering their forgotten history and highly-advanced technology, without which the city has declined and resources have dwindled. Milo learns that Atlantis is powered by the Heart of Atlantis, a massive crystal that grants longevity and health to its citizens through the smaller crystals they carry. Rourke betrays Milo and the Atlanteans, revealing his true intention to steal the Heart for profit, despite knowing the Atlanteans will perish without it. He mortally wounds the King while seizing control and uncovers the crystal's hidden location beneath the city. Sensing the danger, the crystal merges with Kida, who is then captured by Rourke. He departs with the crystallized Kida and his mercenaries, except for Vincenzo, Molière, Sweet, Audrey, Packard, and Cookie, who refuse to take part in the Atlanteans' destruction. Before dying, the King reveals that Atlantis was devastated by a megatsunami after he attempted to weaponize the crystal's vast power. To protect the city, the crystal merged with a royal family member, Kida's mother. This created a protective dome over the city's inner district, shielding it from total destruction as Atlantis sank beneath the waves, but Kida's mother never returned. To prevent the crystal from ever merging with Kida, the King hid it, inadvertently accelerating Atlantis' decline. He warns Milo that Kida will be lost forever if she is not soon separated from the crystal and pleads with him to save her. Alongside his allies, Milo rallies the Atlanteans to reactivate their long-dormant flying machines. Together, they eliminate Rourke and his mercenaries in the volcano. Milo and the others fly the crystallized Kida back to Atlantis as the volcano erupts. Kida ascends into the air and awakens Stone Guardians, who erect a barrier that shields the city from the lava flow. With Atlantis saved, the crystal separates from Kida and remains suspended in the sky. Milo chooses to stay in Atlantis with Kida, having fallen in love with her. Before returning to the surface, Vincenzo, Molière, Sweet, Audrey, Packard, and Cookie each receive a small crystal and a share of treasure. The six reunite with Preston on the surface and agree to keep their adventure a secret to protect Atlantis. Preston opens a package from Milo containing his own crystal and a note thanking him. The newly crowned Queen Kida and Milo carve a stone effigy of her father to join those of past rulers floating beside the Heart of Atlantis, as the city stands restored to its former glory. Voice cast Production layout sketch of Milo and Kida. Milo's character design was based in part on sketches of the film's language consultant, Marc Okrand. Michael J. Fox as Milo James Thatch, a linguist and cartographer at the Smithsonian who was recruited to decipher The Shepherd's Journal while directing an expedition to Atlantis. James Garner as Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke, the leader of the band of mercenaries for the Atlantean expedition. Cree Summer as Kidagakash "Kida" Nedakh, the Princess of Atlantis and Milo's love interest. Natalie Strom provided dialogue for Kida as a young child. Summer also voiced the unnamed Queen of Atlantis, Kida's mother and Kashekim's wife who was "chosen" by the Crystal during the sinking of the city. John Mahoney as Preston B. Whitmore, an eccentric millionaire who funds the expedition to Atlantis. Lloyd Bridges was originally cast and recorded as Whitmore, but he died before completing the film. Mahoney's zest and vigor led to Whitmore's personality being reworked for the film.[8] Claudia Christian as Lieutenant Helga Katrina Sinclair, Rourke's German-born second-in-command. Don Novello as Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini, an Italian demolitions expert. Phil Morris as Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweet, a medic of African-American and Arapaho descent. Jacqueline Obradors as Audrey Rocio Ramirez, a Puerto Rican mechanic and the youngest member of the expedition. Corey Burton as Gaetan "Mole" Molière, a French geologist who acts like a mole. Jim Varney as Jebidiah Allardyce "Cookie" Farnsworth, a Western-style chuckwagon chef. Varney died in February 2000, before the production ended, and the film was dedicated to his memory. Steven Barr recorded supplemental dialogue for Cookie. Florence Stanley as Wilhelmina Bertha Packard: an elderly, sarcastic, chain-smoking radio operator who is also the expedition's photographer. Leonard Nimoy as Kashekim Nedakh, the King of Atlantis and Kida's father. David Ogden Stiers as Fenton Q. Harcourt, a board member of the Smithsonian Institution who dismisses Milo's belief in the existence of Atlantis. Production Development The production team visited New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns to get a sense of the underground spaces depicted in the film. The idea for Atlantis: The Lost Empire was conceived in October 1996 when Don Hahn, Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, and Tab Murphy lunched at a Mexican restaurant in Burbank, California. Having recently completed The Hunchback of Notre Dame,[9] the producer, directors and screenwriter wanted to keep the Hunchback crew together for another film with an "Adventureland" setting rather than a "Fantasyland" setting.[10] Drawing inspiration from Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), they set out to make a film which would fully explore Atlantis (compared to the brief visit depicted in Verne's novel).[11] While primarily utilizing the Internet to research the mythology of Atlantis,[12] the filmmakers became interested in the clairvoyant readings of Edgar Cayce and decided to incorporate some of his ideas—notably that of a mother-crystal which provides power, healing, and longevity to the Atlanteans—into the story.[13] They also visited museums and old army installations to study the technology of the early 20th century (the film's time period), and traveled underground in New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns to view the subterranean trails which would serve as a model for the approach to Atlantis in the film.[14] The filmmakers wanted to avoid the common depiction of Atlantis as "crumbled Greek columns underwater", said Wise.[15] "From the get-go, we were committed to designing it top to bottom. Let's get the architectural style, clothing, heritage, customs, how they would sleep, and how they would speak. So we brought people on board who would help us develop those ideas."[16] Art director David Goetz stated, "We looked at Mayan architecture, styles of ancient, unusual architecture from around the world, and the directors really liked the look of Southeast Asian architecture."[17] The team later took ideas from other architectural forms, including Cambodian, Indian, and Tibetan works.[18] Hahn added, "If you take and deconstruct architecture from around the world into one architectural vocabulary, that's what our Atlantis looks like."[19] The overall design and circular layout of Atlantis were also based on the writings of Plato,[18] and his quote "in a single day and night of misfortune, the island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea"[20] was influential from the beginning of production.[9] The crew wore T-shirts which read "ATLANTIS—Fewer songs, more explosions" due to the film's plan as an action-adventure (unlike previous Disney animated features, which were musicals).[21] Language The Atlantean letter A, created by artist John Emerson. Kirk Wise noted that its design was a treasure map showing the path to the crystal, "The Heart of Atlantis". Main article: Atlantean language Marc Okrand, who developed the Klingon language for the Star Trek television and theatrical productions, was hired to devise the Atlantean language for Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Guided by the directors' initial concept for it to be a "mother-language", Okrand employed an Indo-European word stock with its own grammatical structure. He would change the words if they began to sound too much like an actual, spoken language.[16] John Emerson designed the written component, making hundreds of random sketches of individual letters from among which the directors chose the best to represent the Atlantean alphabet.[22][23] The written language was boustrophedon: designed to be read left-to-right on the first line, then right-to-left on the second, continuing in a zigzag pattern to simulate the flow of water.[24] The Atlantean [A] is a shape developed by John Emerson. It is a miniature map of the city of Atlantis (i.e., the outside of the swirl is the cave, the inside shape is the silhouette of the city, and the dot is the location of the crystal). It's a treasure map. — Kirk Wise, director[25] Writing Joss Whedon was the first writer to be involved with the film but soon left to work on other Disney projects. According to him, he "had not a shred" in the movie.[26] Tab Murphy completed the screenplay, stating that the time from initially discussing the story to producing a script that satisfied the film crew was "about three to four months".[27] The initial draft was 155 pages, much longer than a typical Disney film script (which usually runs 90 pages). When the first two acts were timed at 120 minutes, the directors cut characters and sequences and focused more on Milo. Murphy said that he created the centuries-old Shepherd's Journal because he needed a map for the characters to follow throughout their journey.[28] A revised version of the script eliminated the trials encountered by the explorers as they navigated the caves to Atlantis. This gave the film a faster pace because Atlantis is discovered earlier in the story.[29] The directors often described the Atlanteans using Egypt as an example. When Napoleon wandered into Egypt, the people had lost track of their once-great civilization. They were surrounded by artifacts of their former greatness but somehow unaware of what they meant. — Don Hahn, producer[30] The character of Milo J. Thatch was originally supposed to be a descendant of Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard the pirate. The directors later related him to an explorer so he would discover his inner talent for exploration.[31] The character of Molière was originally intended to be "professorial" but Chris Ure, a story artist, changed the concept to that of a "horrible little burrowing creature with a wacky coat and strange headgear with extending eyeballs", said Wise.[32][33] Don Hahn pointed out that the absence of songs presented a challenge for a team accustomed to animating musicals, as action scenes alone would have to carry the film. Kirk Wise said it gave the team an opportunity for more on-screen character development: "We had more screen time available to do a scene like where Milo and the explorers are camping out and learning about one another's histories. An entire sequence is devoted to having dinner and going to bed. That is not typically something we would have the luxury of doing."[16] Hahn stated that the first animated sequence completed during production was the film's prologue. The original version featured a Viking war party using The Shepherd's Journal to find Atlantis and being swiftly dispatched by the Leviathan. Near the end of production, story supervisor John Sanford told the directors that he felt this prologue did not give viewers enough emotional involvement with the Atlanteans. Despite knowing that the Viking prologue was finished and it would cost additional time and money to alter the scene, the directors agreed with Sanford. Trousdale went home and completed the storyboards later that evening after visiting a strip club where he boarded the new sequence on a napkin.[34] The opening was replaced by a sequence depicting the destruction of Atlantis, which introduced the film from the perspective of the Atlanteans and Princess Kida.[35] The Viking prologue is included as an extra feature on the DVD release.[36] Casting Kirk Wise, one of the directors, said that they chose Michael J. Fox for the role of Milo because they felt he gave his characters his own personality and made them more believable on screen. Fox said that voice acting was much easier than his past experience with live action because he did not have to worry about what he looked like in front of a camera while delivering his lines.[37] The directors mentioned that Fox was also offered a role for Titan A.E.; he allowed his son to choose which film he would work on, and he chose Atlantis.[38] Viewers have noted similarities between Milo and the film's language consultant, Marc Okrand, who developed the Atlantean language used in the film. Okrand stated that Milo's supervising animator, John Pomeroy, sketched him, claiming not to know how a linguist looked or acted.[24] Kida's supervising animator, Randy Haycock, stated that her actress, Cree Summer, was very "intimidating" when he first met her; this influenced how he wanted Kida to look and act on screen when she meets Milo.[39] Wise chose James Garner for the role of Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke because of his previous experience with action films, especially war and Western films, and said the role "fits him like a glove". When asked if he would be interested in the role, Garner replied: "I'd do it in a heartbeat."[40] Producer Don Hahn was saddened that Jim Varney, the voice of Jebidiah Allardyce "Cookie" Farnsworth, never saw the finished film before he died of lung cancer in February 2000, but mentioned that he was shown clips of his character's performance during his site sessions and said, "He loved it." Shawn Keller, supervising animator for Cookie, stated, "It was kind of a sad fact that [Varney] knew that he was not going to be able to see this film before he passed away. He did a bang-up job doing the voice work, knowing the fact that he was never gonna see his last performance." Steven Barr recorded supplemental dialogue for Cookie.[41] John Mahoney, who voiced Preston Whitmore, stated that doing voice work was "freeing" and allowed him to be "big" and "outrageous" with his character.[42] Dr. Joshua Sweet's supervising animator, Ron Husband, indicated that one of the challenges was animating Sweet in sync with Phil Morris' rapid line delivery while keeping him believable. Morris stated that this character was extreme, with "no middle ground"; he mentioned, "When he was happy, he was really happy, and when he's solemn, he's real solemn."[43] Claudia Christian described her character, Lieutenant Helga Katrina Sinclair, as "sensual" and "striking", and was relieved when she finally saw what her character looked like, joking, "I'd hate to, you know, go through all this and find out my character is a toad."[44] Jacqueline Obradors said her character, Audrey Rocio Ramirez, made her "feel like a little kid again" and she always hoped her sessions would last longer.[45] Florence Stanley felt that her character, Wilhelmina Bertha Packard, was very "cynical" and "secure": "She does her job, and when she is not busy, she does anything she wants."[46] Corey Burton mentioned that finding his performance as Gaetan "Mole" Molière was by allowing the character to "leap out" of him while making funny voices. To get into character during his recording sessions, he stated that he would "throw myself into the scene and feel like I'm in this make-believe world".[47] Kirk Wise and Russ Edmonds, supervising animator for Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini, noted Vinny's actor Don Novello's unique ability to improvise dialogue while voicing the role. Edmonds recalled, "[Novello] would look at the sheet, and he would read the line that was written once, and he would never read it again! And we never used a written line, it was improvs, the whole movie."[48] Michael Cedeno, supervising animator for King Kashekim Nedakh, was astounded at Leonard Nimoy's voice talent in the role, stating that he had "so much rich character" in his performance. As he spoke his lines, Cedeno said the crew would sit there and watch Nimoy in astonishment.[49] Animation For comparison, the top image (panoramic view of Atlantis) is cropped to Disney's standard aspect ratio (1.66:1); the bottom image was seen in the film (2.35:1). At the peak of its production, 350 animators, artists and technicians were working on Atlantis[50] at all three Disney animation studios: Walt Disney Feature Animation (Burbank, California), Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida (Orlando), and Disney Animation France (Paris).[51] The film was one of the few Disney animated features produced and shot in 35mm anamorphic format. The directors felt that a widescreen image was crucial, as a nostalgic reference to old action-adventure films presented in the CinemaScope format (2.35:1), noting Raiders of the Lost Ark as an inspiration.[52] Because switching to the format would require animation desks and equipment designed for widescreen to be purchased, Disney executives were at first reluctant about the idea.[16] The production team found a simple solution by drawing within a smaller frame on the same paper and equipment used for standard aspect ratio (1.66:1) Disney-animated films.[52] Layout supervisor Ed Ghertner wrote a guide to the widescreen format for use by the layout artists and mentioned that one advantage of widescreen was that he could keep characters in scenes longer because of additional space to walk within the frame.[53] Wise drew further inspiration for the format from filmmakers David Lean and Akira Kurosawa.[16] The film's visual style was strongly based upon that of Mike Mignola, the comic book artist behind Hellboy. Mignola was one of four production designers (along with Matt Codd, Jim Martin, and Ricardo Delgado) hired by the Disney studio for the film. Accordingly, he provided style guides, preliminary character, and background designs, and story ideas.[54] "Mignola's graphic, the angular style was a key influence on the 'look' of the characters," stated Wise.[55] Mignola was surprised when first contacted by the studio to work on Atlantis.[56] His artistic influence on the film would later contribute to a cult following.[57] I remember watching a rough cut of the film and these characters have these big, square, weird hands. I said to the guy next to me, "Those are cool hands." And he says to me, "Yeah, they're your hands. We had a whole meeting about how to do your hands." It was so weird I couldn't wrap my brain around it. — Mike Mignola[56] The final pull-out shot of the movie, immediately before the end-title card, was described by the directors as the most difficult shot in the history of Disney animation. They said that the pull-out attempt on their prior film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, "struggled" and "lacked depth"; however, after making advances in the process of multiplaning, they tried the technique again in Atlantis. The shot begins with one 16-inch (40.6 cm) piece of paper showing a close-up of Milo and Kida. As the camera pulls away from them to reveal the newly restored Atlantis, it reaches the equivalent of an 18,000-inch (46,000 cm) piece of paper composed of many individual pieces of paper (24 inches [61 cm] or smaller). Each piece was carefully drawn and combined with animated vehicles simultaneously flying across the scene to make the viewer see a complete, integrated image.[58] Scale model of Ulysses submarine by Greg Aronowitz, used by digital animators as reference during production.[59] At the time of its release, Atlantis: The Lost Empire was notable for using more computer-generated imagery (CGI) than any other Disney traditionally animated feature. To increase productivity, the directors had the digital artists work with the traditional animators throughout the production. Several important scenes required heavy use of digital animation: the Leviathan, the Ulysses submarine and sub-pods, the Heart of Atlantis, and the Stone Giants.[60] During production, after Matt Codd and Jim Martin designed the Ulysses on paper, Greg Aronowitz was hired to build a scale model of the submarine, to be used as a reference for drawing the 3D Ulysses.[59] The final film included 362 digital-effects shots, and computer programs were used to seamlessly join the 2D and 3D artwork.[61] One scene that took advantage of this was the "sub-drop" scene, where the 3D Ulysses was dropped from its docking bay into the water. As the camera floated toward it, a 2D Milo was drawn to appear inside, tracking the camera. The crew noted that it was challenging to keep the audience from noticing the difference between the 2D and 3D drawings when they were merged.[62] The digital production also gave the directors a unique "virtual camera" for complicated shots within the film. With the ability to operate in the z-plane, this camera moved through a digital wire-frame set; the background and details were later hand-drawn over the wireframes. This was used in the opening flight scene through Atlantis and the submarine chase through the undersea cavern with the Leviathan in pursuit.[63] Music and sound Since the film would not feature any songs, the directors hired James Newton Howard to compose the score after they heard his music on Dinosaur. Approaching it as a live-action film, Howard decided to have different musical themes for the cultures of the surface world and Atlantis. In the case of Atlantis, Howard chose an Indonesian orchestral sound incorporating chimes, bells, and gongs. The directors told Howard that the film would have a number of key scenes without dialogue; the score would need to convey emotionally what the viewer was seeing on screen.[64] Gary Rydstrom and his team at Skywalker Sound were hired for the film's sound production.[65] Like Howard, Rydstrom employed different sounds for the two cultures. Focusing on the machine and mechanical sounds of the early industrial era for the explorers, he felt that the Atlanteans should have a "more organic" sound utilizing ceramics and pottery. The sound made by the Atlantean flying-fish vehicles posed a particular challenge. Rydstrom revealed that he was sitting at the side of a highway recording one day when a semi-truck drove by at high speed. When the recording was sped up on his computer, he felt it sounded very organic, and decided to use it in the film. Rydstrom created the harmonic chiming of the Heart of Atlantis by rubbing his finger along the edge of a champagne flute, the sound of sub-pods moving through the water with a water pick, while a ceramic pot from a garden store was used for the sounds of the movement of the Giant stone guardians.[66] Release Atlantis: The Lost Empire had its world premiere at Disney's El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on June 3, 2001[67] and a limited release in New York City and Los Angeles on June 8; a wider release followed on June 15.[4][61] At the premiere, Destination: Atlantis was on display, featuring behind-the-scenes props from the film and information on the legend of Atlantis with video games, displays, laser tag, and other attractions. The Aquarium of the Pacific also loaned a variety of fish for display within the attraction.[68] Promotion Atlantis was among Disney's first major attempts to utilize internet marketing. The film was promoted through Kellogg's, which created a website with mini-games and a movie-based video game give-away for UPC labels from specially marked packages of Atlantis breakfast cereal.[50] The film was one of Disney's first marketing attempts through mobile network operators, and allowed users to download games based on the film.[69] McDonald's (which had an exclusive licensing agreement on all Disney releases) promoted the film with Happy Meal toys, food packaging and in-store decor. The McDonald's advertising campaign involved television, radio, and print advertisements beginning on the film's release date.[70] Frito-Lay offered free admission tickets for the film on specially marked snack packages.[71] Home media Atlantis: The Lost Empire was released on VHS and DVD on January 29, 2002.[72] During the first month of its home release, the film led in VHS sales and was third in VHS and DVD sales combined.[73] Sales and rentals of the VHS and DVD combined would eventually accumulate $157 million in revenue by mid-2003.[74] Both a single-disc DVD edition and a two-disc collector's edition (with bonus features) were released. The single-disc DVD gave the viewer the option of viewing the film either in its original theatrical 2.39:1 aspect ratio or a modified 1.33:1 ratio (utilizing pan and scan). Bonus features available on the DVD version included audio and visual commentary from the film team, a virtual tour of the CGI models, an Atlantean-language tutorial, an encyclopedia on the myth of Atlantis, and the deleted Viking prologue scene.[72] The two-disc collector's edition DVD contained all the single-disc features and a disc with supplemental material detailing all aspects of the film's production. The collector's-edition film could only be viewed in its original theatrical ratio, and also featured an optional DTS 5.1 track. Both DVD versions, however, contained a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and were THX certified.[72][75] Disney digitally remastered and released Atlantis on Blu-ray on June 11, 2013, bundled with its sequel Atlantis: Milo's Return.[76] Reception Box office Before the film's release, reporters speculated that it would have a difficult run due to competition from Shrek and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Regarding the market's shift from traditional animation and competition with CG-animated films, Kirk Wise said, "Any traditional animator, including myself, can't help but feel a twinge. I think it always comes down to story and character, and one form won't replace the other. Just like photography didn't replace painting. But maybe I'm blind to it."[61] Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly noted that CGI films (such as Shrek) were more likely to attract the teenage demographic typically not interested in animation, and called Atlantis a "marketing and creative gamble".[77] With a budget of $100 million,[3] the film opened at #2 on its debut weekend, behind Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, earning $20.3 million in 3,011 theaters.[78] During its second weekend, it would drop into fourth place behind the latter film, Dr. Dolittle 2 and The Fast and the Furious, making $13.2 million.[79] The film's international release began September 20 in Australia and other markets followed suit.[80] During its 25-week theatrical run, Atlantis: The Lost Empire grossed over $186 million worldwide ($84 million from the United States and Canada).[4] Responding to its disappointing box-office performance, Thomas Schumacher, then-president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, said, "It seemed like a good idea at the time to not do a sweet fairy tale, but we missed."[81] Critical response Atlantis: The Lost Empire received mixed reviews from critics,[82][83][84] many of whom criticized its story.[85] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 48% of 144 professional critics have given Atlantis: The Lost Empire a positive review; the average rating is 5.5/10. The site's consensus is: "Atlantis provides a fast-paced spectacle, but stints on such things as character development and a coherent plot".[86] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 52 out of 100 based on 29 reviews from critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[87] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[88] While critics had mixed reactions to the film in general, some praised it for its visuals, action-adventure elements, and attempt to appeal to an older audience. Roger Ebert gave Atlantis three-and-a-half stars out of four. He praised the animation's "clean bright visual look" and the "classic energy of the comic book style", crediting this to the work of Mike Mignola. Ebert gave particular praise to the story and the final battle scene and wrote, "The story of Atlantis is rousing in an old pulp science fiction sort of way, but the climactic scene transcends the rest, and stands by itself as one of the great animated action sequences."[89] In The New York Times, Elvis Mitchell gave high praise to the film, calling it "a monumental treat", and stated, "Atlantis is also one of the most eye-catching Disney cartoons since Uncle Walt institutionalized the four-fingered glove."[90] Internet film critic James Berardinelli wrote a positive review of the film, giving it three out of four stars. He wrote, "On the whole, Atlantis offers 90 minutes of solid entertainment, once again proving that while Disney may be clueless when it comes to producing good live-action movies, they are exactly the opposite when it comes to their animated division."[91] Wesley Morris of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote positively of the film's approach for an older audience: "But just beneath the surface, Atlantis brims with adult possibility."[92] Other critics felt that the film was mediocre in regards to its story and characters, and that it failed to deliver as a non-musical to Disney's traditional audience. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C+ rating, writing that the film had "gee-whiz formulaic character" and was "the essence of craft without dream".[93] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said the storyline and characterizations were "old-fashioned" and the film had the retrograde look of a Saturday-morning cartoon, but these deficiencies were offset by its "brisk action" and frantic pace.[94] Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote, "Disney pushes into all-talking, no-singing, no-dancing and, in the end, no-fun animated territory."[95] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon wrote of Disney's attempt to make the film for an adult audience, "The big problem with Disney's latest animated feature, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, is that it doesn't seem geared to kids at all: It's so adult that it's massively boring."[96] Rita Kempley of The Washington Post panned the film, calling it a "new-fashioned but old-fangled hash" and wrote, "Ironically Disney had hoped to update its image with this mildly diverting adventure, yet the picture hasn't really broken away from the tried-and-true format spoofed in the far superior Shrek."[97] In 2015, Katharine Trendacosta at io9 reviewed the film and called it a "Beautiful Gem of a Movie That Deserved Better Than It Got" and said that the film deserves more love than it ended up getting.[6] Lindsay Teal considers "Atlantis" to be "a lost Disney classic". Describing the film as highly entertaining, she praises the writing and characterisation – in particular, Sweet, Helga and Kida.[7] In particular, much praise has been given to the character of Kida.[98] Summer has regarded the character of Kida as one of her favourite roles and even considers the character among the official Disney Princess line-up. Themes and interpretations Several critics and scholars have noted that Atlantis plays strongly on themes of anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism. M. Keith Booker, academic and author of studies about the implicit messages conveyed by media, views the character of Rourke as being motivated by "capitalist greed" when he pursues "his own financial gain" in spite of the knowledge that "his theft [of the crystal] will lead to the destruction of [Atlantis]".[99] Religion journalist Mark Pinsky, in his exploration of moral and spiritual themes in popular Disney films, says that "it is impossible to read the movie ... any other way" than as "a devastating, unrelenting attack on capitalism and American imperialism".[100] Max Messier of FilmCritic.com observes, "Disney even manages to lambast the capitalist lifestyle of the adventurers intent on uncovering the lost city. Damn the imperialists!"[101] According to Booker, the film also "delivers a rather segregationist moral" by concluding with the discovery of the Atlanteans kept secret from other surface-dwellers in order to maintain a separation between the two highly divergent cultures.[102] Others saw Atlantis as an interesting look at utopian philosophy of the sort found in classic works of science fiction by H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.[103] Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water controversy When the film was released, some viewers noticed that Atlantis: The Lost Empire was similar to the 1990-91 anime Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, particularly in its character design, setting, and story.[104] The similarities, as noted by viewers in both Japan and America, were strong enough for its production company Gainax to be called to sue for plagiarism. According to Gainax member Yasuhiro Takeda, they only refrained from doing so because the decision belonged to parent companies NHK and Toho.[105] Another Gainax worker, Hiroyuki Yamaga, was quoted in an interview in 2000 as saying: "We actually tried to get NHK to pick a fight with Disney, but even the National Television Network of Japan didn't dare to mess with Disney and their lawyers. [...] We actually did say that but we wouldn't actually take them to court. We would be so terrified about what they would do to them in return that we wouldn't dare."[105] Although Disney never responded formally to those claims, co-director Kirk Wise posted on a Disney animation newsgroup in May 2001, "Never heard of Nadia till it was mentioned in this [newsgroup]. Long after we'd finished production, I might add." He claimed both Atlantis and Nadia were inspired, in part, by the 1870 Jules Verne novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas.[106] However, speaking about the clarification, Lee Zion from Anime News Network wrote, "There are too many similarities not connected with 20,000 Leagues for the whole thing to be coincidence."[107] As such, the whole affair ultimately entered popular culture as a convincing case of plagiarism.[108][109][110] In 2018, Reuben Baron from Comic Book Resources added to Zion's comment stating, "Verne didn't specifically imagine magic crystal-based technology, something featured in both the Disney movie and the too similar anime. The Verne inspiration also doesn't explain the designs being suspiciously similar to Nadia's."[110] Critics also saw parallels with the 1986 film Laputa: Castle in the Sky from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli (which also featured magic crystals, and Atlantis directors Trousdale and Wise both acknowledged Miyazaki's works as a major influence on their own work)[104] and with the 1994 film Stargate as Milo's characteristics were said to resemble those of Daniel Jackson, the protagonist of Stargate and its spinoff television series Stargate SG-1 — which coincidentally launched its own spinoff, titled Stargate Atlantis; the plot of the 1994 film is also paralleled involving a group visiting an unknown world, a fictional language made for the other world's people, the main protagonist having apparent knowledge of the people's culture, falling in love with one of the female locals and electing to stay behind when the others return home.[111] Accolades Award Category Name Result 29th Annie Awards[112] Individual Achievement in Directing Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise Nominated Individual Achievement in Storyboarding Chris Ure Nominated Individual Achievement in Production Design David Goetz Nominated Individual Achievement in Effects Animation Marlon West Nominated Individual Achievement in Voice Acting – Female Florence Stanley Nominated Individual Achievement in Voice Acting – Male Leonard Nimoy Nominated Individual Achievement for Music Score James Newton Howard Nominated 2002 DVD Exclusive Awards[113] Original Retrospective Documentary Michael Pellerin Nominated 2002 Golden Reel Award[114] Best Sound Editing – Animated Feature Film Gary Rydstrom, Michael Silvers, Mary Helen Leasman, John K. Carr, Shannon Mills, Ken Fischer, David C. Hughes, and Susan Sanford Won Online Film Critics Society Awards 2001[115] Best Animated Feature Nominated 2002 Political Film Society[116] Democracy Nominated Human Rights Nominated Peace Nominated World Soundtrack Awards[117] Best Original Song for Film Diane Warren and James Newton Howard Nominated Young Artist Awards[118] Best Feature Family Film – Drama Walt Disney Feature Animation Nominated Related works Main article: Atlantis (franchise) Atlantis: The Lost Empire was meant to inspire an animated television series entitled Team Atlantis, which would have presented the further adventures of its characters. The series would have been akin to an animated steampunk version of The X-Files and feature a crossover with Gargoyles. However, because of the film's underperformance at the box office, the series was not produced.[119] On May 20, 2003, Disney released a direct-to-video sequel titled Atlantis: Milo's Return, consisting of three episodes planned for the aborted series.[120] Disneyland planned to revive its Submarine Voyage ride with an Atlantis: The Lost Empire theme with elements from the movie. These plans were canceled and the attraction was re-opened in 2007 as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, its theme based on the 2003 Pixar film Finding Nemo, which was far more successful commercially and critically.[121] In addition, after the Submarine Voyage's Magic Kingdom counterpart, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage, closed down in 1994, four years before Disneyland's, there were proposals of a new attraction that would take its place, with one of them a volcano attraction inspired by that film's Vulcania location, being approved for the Magic Kingdom's Adventureland area. Around 1999, during development of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, it was decided that it would be themed to the movie, with it taking place in 1916, two years after the film's events. The ride would have focused on Preston Whitmore, a character from the film, seeking to make Atlantis existence public and offer expeditions to visitors in newly developed vehicles. However, due to mishaps, the vehicles would be forced to make a detour through the lava-filled caverns of the volcano. The attraction would have used a unique hybrid ride system, in which it would start as a standard coaster before the trains hook up to a suspended track midway through to fly through the caverns. The attraction would have been accessed by a new canyon path in between Pirates of the Caribbean and a re-routed Jungle Cruise that would have led to a Whitmore Enterprises base camp at the edge of the Walt Disney World Railroad path, with the mountain itself being built outside the berm. However, like the previous Submarine Voyage retheme, the ride was cancelled due to the film's disappointment in the box office.[122]

Lowriders have long turned city streets into moving works of art. Now, a new exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution is tracing the history of lowriding from its roots in Chicano communities to its influence on art and activism. Anthea Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History, talks about perhaps the most famous lowrider of all time, "Gypsy Rose." Then, in 1939, a Black aviator named Chauncey Spencer flew in a fragile biplane from Chicago to Washington, D.C., to advocate for Black representation among military pilots. Smithsonian curator Joseph Abel tells the story of that journey and the impact it made.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It's a batch of great questions from the Crowdpurr library! This episode's topic: APRIL FOOLS PRANKS Host your own amazing quiz nights and bingo shows with Crowdpurr! New customers can get 25% off their first month on any upgraded plan and 10% off any annual plan using code BUDDS. Check it all out at www.crowdpurr.com/budds Fact of the Day: James Smithson, the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution, never visited the US or had any known tie to the country. Triple Connections: Struck, Gate, Fish THE FIRST TRIVIA QUESTION STARTS AT 01:20 SUPPORT THE SHOW MONTHLY, LISTEN AD-FREE FOR JUST $1 A MONTH: www.Patreon.com/TriviaWithBudds INSTANT DOWNLOAD DIGITAL TRIVIA GAMES ON ETSY, GRAB ONE NOW!  GET A CUSTOM EPISODE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES:  Email ryanbudds@gmail.com Theme song by www.soundcloud.com/Frawsty Bed Music:  "Laser Groove" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://TriviaWithBudds.com http://Facebook.com/TriviaWithBudds http://Instagram.com/ryanbudds Book a party, corporate event, or fundraiser anytime by emailing ryanbudds@gmail.com or use the contact form here: https://www.triviawithbudds.com/contact SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL MY AMAZING PATREON SUBSCRIBERS, INCLUDING:   Samantha Wheeler Mark Kloppenburg Amber Shiels Alan Kreisel Rich Sommer Joe Heiman Waqas Ali Logan Booker Bringeka Sam Nathan Stenstrom Brooks Martin Robyn Price Gee Brian Clough Lauren Schuette Evan Lemons AnneMarie Mattacchione Yves Bouyssounouse Kenny Zail York yates Gay Geek Fabulous Mollie Dominic Nathalie Avelar Natasha raina leslie gerhardt Diane White Youngblood Trophy Husband Trivia Lynnette Keel Lillian Campbell Jerry Loven Jamie Greig Jeremy Yoder Adam Jacoby rondell Adam Suzan Tiffany Poplin Bill Bavar Sarah Daniel Hoisington Keith Martin Sue First Steve Hoeker Jessica Allen Lauren Glassman Brian Williams Brett Livaudais Linda Elswick Carter A. Fourqurean Justly Maya Brandon Lavin Kathy McHale Chuck Nealen Courtney French Nikki Long Mark Zarate Laura Palmer  JT Dean Bratton Kristy Erin Burgess Trenton Sullivan Jen and Nic Michael Redman Timothy Heavner Jeff Foust Richard Lefdal Myles Bagby Jenna Leatherman Vernon Heagy Albert Thomas Kimberly Brown Tracy Oldaker Sara Zimmerman Madeleine Garvey Jenni Yetter Patrick Leahy Dillon Enderby James Brown Christy Shipley Clayton Polizzi Alexander Calder Ricky Carney Paul McLaughlin Willy Powell Robert Casey Matthew Frost Brian Salyer Greg Bristow Megan Donnelly Jim Fields Mo Martinez Luke Mckay Simon Time Feana Nevel

March 28,2026Trump is attempting to rewrite our nation's history, Administration calls for putting Trump's ideology in place in federal historic sites, national parks, and museums, The Smithsonian Institution has been charged with aligning the work of all of its museums with Trump's effort to rewrite the past, On the anniversary of January 6, the White House released a website blaming the Democrats for the attack on the Capitol, When the National Park Service took down displays about the enslavement of black Americans at the Philadelphia home of George Washington, the city sued, American people are pushing back against the erasure of American history. Citizen historians are preserving the country's heritage, On March 28, millions gathered at No Kings demonstrations nationwide, remembering our complicated history and the true lessons of the past.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

Episode No. 751 features artist Kahlil Robert Irving and curator Rebecca Head Trautmann. Irving is included in "Monuments," at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. The exhibition juxtaposes decommissioned Lost Cause monuments with artworks that address the histories the Lost Cause aimed to whitewash. "Monuments" features two Irvings: New Nation (States) Battle of Manassas - 2014, 2024-25; and Viewfinder, 2024 which address the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson, Missouri and its aftermath. The exhibition, which is on view through May 3, was curated by Hamza Walker, Kara Walker, and Bennett Simpson with Hannah Burstein and Paula Kroll. The museum says that a catalogue is forthcoming. Irving has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and at the Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis; he's been featured in group exhibitions at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and more. He was also a guest on Episode No. 591 in 2023. Trautmann is the curator of "Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe" at the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. "Water's Edge" is the first career-length survey of Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) artist. It is on view through January 1, 2027. Smithsonian Books published a catalogue of the exhibition; Amazon and Bookshop offer it for about $33-37. Instagram: Kahlil Robert Irving, Tyler Green. Air date: March 26, 2026.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we are joined by Laurie Gwen Shapiro, a bestselling author, journalist, and adjunct professor at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. A member of the Explorers Club, her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. She is the author of The Stowaway, the true story of a teenager who stowed away on a ship bound for Antarctica during the Jazz Age, and The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon, a New York Times Editors' Choice and one of the best books of the year by NPR, The New Yorker, and Smithsonian Magazine.But before our conversation with Laurie, we set the stage, because the Amelia Earhart story is deeply a Pan Am story.On January 9, 1929, three defining figures of the aviation age stood on the tarmac of Pan Am's new Miami terminal, Juan Trippe, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhart. Trippe invited Earhart aboard Pan Am's Fokker F-10A, captained by Edwin Musick, for the inaugural flight to Havana.At the center of that relationship was Fred Noonan, Pan Am's greatest navigator, who charted the transpacific routes. When Earhart assembled her team in 1937, Noonan was the navigator every conversation kept returning to. Trippe extended Pan Am's full cooperation, and Pan Am mechanics spent a week on her Lockheed Electra in Miami. On July 2, 1937, Earhart and Noonan departed Lae, New Guinea, bound for Howland Island - 2,556 miles of open ocean...and vanished.This episode also features rare archival audio from the Elgen and Marie Long oral history collection...aired publicly for the first time. Their 220-plus hours of recordings are preserved at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum as the Amelia Earhart Project Recordings. Among those voices is Pan Am's Harry Canaday, recorded in 1985 at age 76, reflecting on Noonan, the Pacific survey flights, and the world that produced the Earhart flight.These recordings are presented courtesy of David Jourdan of Nauticos and the Smithsonian Institution's Amelia Earhart Project.Support the showVisit Us for more Pan Am History! Support the Podcast!Donate to the Museum!Visit The Hangar online store for Pan Am gear!Become a Member! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!A very special thanks to Mr. Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC and president of the Pan Am Historical Foundation and  Pan Am Brands for their continued and unwavering support! 

Get to know Frida Kahlo with Beth Evans, Youth and Family Programs Coordinator for the National Portrait Gallery at Smithsonian Institution. Beth tells us what we can learn from Frida's example, and what makes her art and life so special. [This episode originally aired in the app in 2022.]