By Scott Vierick, Historian From the mangrove forests of Everglades National Park in Florida to the frozen tundra of Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska, the National Park Service (NPS) protects a vast variety of natural, cultural, and …
Web Archiving: Think the Web is Permanent? Think Again.
Originally published in June 2019. For further reading on this topic, see “Archiving to Connect During a Crisis: How We Can Unite to Document COVID-19.” The websites, tweets, blog posts, Facebook updates, videos, and online articles that we create today …
Near Beer and Wine Bricks: Loopholes and Innovation During Prohibition
By Jen Giambrone, Historian One hundred years ago, the United States was months into a “noble experiment”—Prohibition. Officially in effect as of January 17, 1920, the nationwide prohibition on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of “intoxicating liquors” conjures up images …
Celebrating 30 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act
By Jenna Hill, Research Historian Just weeks ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turned 30 years old. Signed on July 26, 1990, the ADA was a groundbreaking piece of legislation that today impacts 61 million Americans. The Act prohibits …
Straddling the Color Line: The Leland Giants and the Negro Leagues at 100
By Justin Broubalow, Research Historian Major League Baseball has finally returned after the COVID-19-induced shutdown that began in March. Aside from the impact of the global pandemic, this season is particularly noteworthy because MLB, along with players past and present, …
‘Hurrah, and vote for suffrage!’: The Fight to Ratify the 19th Amendment
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 …