By Jen Giambrone, Historian One hundred years ago today, the Tennessee General Assembly voted to ratify the 19th Amendment, becoming the 36th state to do so and the last required to make the amendment the law of the land. By …
Reopenings: The Mob Museum
By Megan Anderson, Manager of Exhibits & Interpretive Planning Our friends at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, reopened their doors to the public at the end of May when state and local authorities lifted restrictions. I chatted with …
Reopenings: Whitesbog Historic Village
By Megan Anderson, Manager of Exhibits & Interpretive Planning Unlike most museums, the Whitesbog Historic Village in Browns Mills, New Jersey, is primarily an outdoor site, so hasn’t faced some of the same challenges as cultural institutions that welcome guests …
Risk, Reward, and Reopening: The Dilemma Facing Cultural Institutions
By Megan Anderson, Manager of Exhibits & Interpretive Planning As we enter August – and our sixth month since COVID-19 turned life in the U.S. upside down– many museums and historical sites are struggling with the question of whether or …
Breaking Ground: The United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum Opens to the Public
By Mimi Eisen, Historian Last week, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum (USOPM) in Colorado Springs first opened to the public, and HAI is proud to have worked with design firm Gallagher & Associates on content development for the …
The Great American Outdoors Act: What is it, why do we need it, and what are the next steps?
By Scott Vierick, Historian Since its formation in 1916, the National Park Service has managed an ever-growing number of resources, from small historic sites to vast stretches of wilderness. Today, there are 419 distinct units in the NPS system, which …
“In the Eye of a Hurricane”: Taking a Stand at the 1968 Olympics
By Mimi Eisen, Historian If not for the coronavirus pandemic, we would currently be in the midst of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, watching awestruck as Simone Biles flew and twisted in midair and no doubt enjoying the …
A Dining Experience to Remember: A Brief History of the Automat, Part 2
By Colleen Kim, Historian If you haven’t already, learn about the origins of the Automat in Part 1 of this blog. No Glorified Slot Machine Despite its mechanical novelty, the Automat was “far from being a glorified slot machine,” as …
A Dining Experience to Remember: A Brief History of the Automat, Part 1
By Colleen Kim, Historian As the country begins to reopen and establish a “new normal,” the question of what the restaurant experience will look like in the coming months looms large. Today, we’re exploring the history of a long-forgotten, low-contact …
Picture This: Historical Approaches to Data Visualization
By Mimi Eisen, Historian Lately, I’ve been thinking about the work data visualization can do to make meaning and provoke action. Every day, it seems, we are inundated with new charts and figures that present as objective demographic and geographic …
The View from Abroad: Lessons from the Reopening of Libraries and Archives in Europe
By Janet Holsinger, Senior Historian Libraries and archives, like other institutions and businesses, are trying to figure out how to adapt to the challenges of reopening arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Because most serve on-site researchers and patrons, staff need …
Malady & Memory: Historic Sites that Preserve the Legacy of Resisting Disease
By Scott Vierick, Historian Disease and pandemics have always been a part of human history, but for every illness, there have been countless people who have worked to study and create treatments and cures. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, HAI historians …