smithsonian has a long and valued connection with the supreme court. by tradition, the chief justice is a member of the board of regents and our collections encompass countless holdings that help us tell the story of the courts vital role in shaping our democracy. justices sonia sotomayor, ruth bader ginsburg, sandra day o'connor, antonin scalia have all taken part in memorable smithsonian events. and justice breyer joins that esteemed list in 2016, and we are honored to invite him back. justice breyer, as you probably know, has a long history as a legal educator, and a continuing affiliation with harvard university. in fact, the book that he will discuss tonight, "the authority of the court and the peril ofil politics," had its beginning in august 2021 at the presentation for the harvard law schools scalia lectured series. and educators voice is present throughout the book as he talks about the importance of judicial power, the rule of law, and the role that the judiciary plays in the american body politic. for example, he talks t about te landmark ca

four years after the smithsonian's establishment. he brought with him to entire railroad cars of specimens, including 4000 bird skins that he had collected himself during his early life. this served as the basis of the smithsonian's collections in this early period. he was a tremendous logistical manager and networker. his greatest talent was identifying and collecting scientists. hayden had written to baird in 1853, very early on in his career, asking for advice and for funding for a fossil collecting trip to the upper missouri river badlands, which geologist were already calling the bone yard for it's amazing collection of fossils and distribution across the fossil record. these of course were lakota lands. we will talk about that a little bit later. spencer baird wrote him back immediately, sent him some money and some advice about how to collect and pack fossils. of course, in return asked for several of the specimens for the smithsonian's collections. this began a multi decade friendship and partnership, hayden was establishing

and baird was establishing the smithsonian as a world-class scientific institution. so both men took a little bit time off during the civil war hayden didn't really want to go to war but sort of with forced into it in 1862 and served as a physician because he had a medical degree because that's how you actually did the coursework that would enable you to become a geologist during this period of time so he went off to the war came back in 1865 and then started as i noted to lead to surveys on his own. at this point yellowstone really was one of the only unmapped places in the nation. as i noted before when we had the poll yellowstone is hard to get to now it was even harder to get to thanally before 1869 with a completion of the transcontinental railroad. there were some amateur explorers who were getting in there though. there had been some scouts and some trappers who had gone into yellowstone and came out with stories of you know exploding geysers and bubbling upon bubbling streams and mud volcanoes and cliffs made of glass and nobody believed them right because sc

this is the very first time we've been back in person at the smithsonian. i have to say we have the added bonus this is justice buyers first in person washington d.c. he couldn't say in the world he was up at the 92nd street we have extra special things you also something even better because today was the first time that the press and the eight justices minus justice kavanaugh were in the courtroom for oral arguments. they had not been to gather on the bench to hear a case since march 4, 2020. this was quite a big day. joanne breyer was there watching justice kennedy the retired justice kennedy roberts was there how do i feel to you? what was it like for you? and everybody here. second to your question how did it feel? it felt better. [laughter] clicks it if you like business as usual to just feel you were able to get more out of the case? >> it's organized we had to tell that you know a telephone, i would do it in turn. the virtue ... that is minute we each have a turn of two or three minutes as you focus on your question and you focus on the answer. and t

undersecretary chism brings many years of public education experience to the smithsonian or before june 20 us in june she

remarks from president gerald ford, who presided over ribbon cutting ceremony at the opening of the smithsonian's national air and space museum on july 1st of 1976. this film was recorded by the naval photographic center, provided by the gerald our ford presidential library. >> president of the united states on the vice president of the united states. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i guess i came the wrong way. ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> thank you very much, that was beautiful. thank you very much, mr. chief justice, mister vice president, distinguished members of congress, secretary ripley, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen. this beautiful new museum and it's exciting exhibits of the mastery of air and space is a perfect birthday present from the american people to themselves. although it's almost impolite to boast, perhaps we can say with patriotic pride that the flying machines we see here, from the wright brothers 12 horsepower plane to the latest space vehicle were mostly made usa. the story of powered flight is an american saga, the wonder is that it has all happened within the lifetime and the memory of livi

artifacts outside of the smithsonian, and the largest collection of soviet artifacts outside of moscow, which puts us in the definitive position to tell a story of the space race. we do that with quick counter points basis. yesterday we had a big anniversary celebration, our own liberty bell seven spacecraft, that mission was 60 years old, yesterday. a big celebration. here today to talk about eisenhower's role in developing nasa. a lot of people don't really understand the role the eisenhower administration played in the development of the creation of nasa. so it's an incredibly important topic in the development of nasa. something that obviously still resonates today, as space exploration continues to go forward. but before nasa started, the first entity that had oversight of aeronautics in this country who has the naca, the national advisory council for aeronautics. it was developed in 1950, luminaries such as the wright brothers were part of that initial group. it was developed to determine or look at how the united states could develop aeronautics, coming out of world war i, europ

he is contributed to the smithsonian. serving on this project executive committee. checked he is founder, cofounder of public enemy writing the lyrics behind the ear and told -- behind the anthem five the power, bring the noise and a state of the union while establishing a new voice of black centers activism. chuck d is a rock and roll hall of fame and dr. e, lifetime achievement award winner, one of ssl's top 20 emcees of all times a best-selling author and a member of the library of congress. and has audible.com release entitled songs that shook the planet hip hop's trustee takes listeners off on a journey along has path as the music and invader. if you can order your copies of this recording at audible.com. he's going to be joined by to talk -- to call these from the national museum of american history and culture tiffany bernstein, museum specialist worked closely with owners and colleagues to build collections and develop exhibitions and programs that offer complex representations of history and cultural expressions. for -- her background includes territorial r

has been exhibited in various spots around the house generally shown in the mansion including the smithsonian 1967. for many years of display, exposure to late light and stress on the fibers by hanging at have compounded to the fragility of the remarkable object. sometimes it is the worst enemy. that make it more sensitive and those to be involved in the processing of black fabric and then that structure and also increases the rate so also to be sensitive to changes of temperature and humidity as well as exposure to uv rays. with the many years of display and needed the intervention. since 2005 and only put out for special occasions and here is jennifer with the associate justice sotomayor or when she came to the house to pay a visit. and in partnership with the john marshall center civics and then to support the conservation effort. many of whose names are listed on the slide in and very capable hands of the textile conservation working on priceless artifacts from around the world from the chinese to the very own kermit the frog. so that was fascinating i encourage you for a webinar that we

all over that had hardware and all of that belong to nasa by loss smithsonian has ride a first refusal. so anything that nasa would dispose of or excess out of their property would be offered to smithsonian first. overnight, uh nasa had three to four thousand objects that it was wanting to dispose of smithsonian turned those down and agreed that those objects could come to the cosmosphere center. out they're interesting. i will say that you know, we two days ago we saw. blue origin go up into space aboard the the new shepherd. i think we're at a similar spot today as we were back in the the late 50s and early 60s when when eisenhower and his administration began to place an emphasis on on getting humans into space. doing exactly what the mercury project did 60 years ago. blue origin and virgin galactic a couple weeks ago basically replicated what alan shepard and gus grissom did they did suborbital flights. they got up into space. they came back safely. and i think we're at the dawn of a new era of space exploration. um space exploration is cool again. it's in the media spacex obviousl

. -- including to the smithsonian in 1967. over many years of display, exposure to light and stress on the fibers caused by hanging have all compounded before agility of this remarkable object. the road itself is sometimes its worst enemy, the silk. it's an inherent vice, attributes that are inherent to that material that makes its more sensitive to damage and makes it happen faster. -- so cocoons in to the woven black fabric, and that undermines the strength of the structure that we. it also increases the rate at which it deteriorates. sulk is also especially sensitive as a fiber, the changes to temperature and humidity as well as exposure to uv rays. it has been between as inherent vices and its many years of display, the road an intervention. since 2005, more than 15 years, it has been off view, only pulled out for special occasions and visitors. here's jennifer with what might be another familiar face to, you will associate justice sonia sort of minor when she came to the house to pay a visit. in 2019, preservation virgini

remarks from president gerald ford, who presided over ribbon cutting ceremony at the opening of the smithsonian'srecorded by the naval photographic center, provided by the gerald our ford presidential library. >> president of the united states on the vice president of the united states. ♪ ♪ ♪

it has only been 80 years since the smithsonian it likely launched his amanda pardo for half-mile flightll us something even more important about ourselves on earth. the hallmark of the american inventors has been the willingness of the minute and eagerness to reach for the unknown. for three and a half centuries, americans and their ancestors have been explorers and inventors. pilgrims and pioneers all searching for something new across the ocean at, across the continent, across the solar system, across the frontiers of science and beyond the boundaries of the human mind. and find within these walls and windows, are the products of american men and women is imagination and determination could not be confined. there is nothing no more american than saying you don't succeed, try try again. good americans be going to the atlantic seaboard, the wide open spaces of lured americans from our beginnings the frontier shaped and molded our society and our people. gertrude stein once wrote, in the united states, there is more space when nobody is man where anybody is. this is what makes america wh

shane: yeah, i don't think we can compete with the smithsonian there, but we've done our best to do thatresent, you know, briefly kind of setting the context before that but then moving people through the stages of change on the east side. damian: yeah, well, this is great, and it's a great exhibit for--you mentioned school kids. it's great for them to stop by and visit this exhibit. again, it's happening--we're gonna show some information, through september actually. so it'll be up for a while at the mlk library in downtown san josé, "east side dreams: the untold story of east san josé," through september 24. there is the web address for more information. we'll be back and talk more about this great venture when we continue here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us. damian: we're talking today about "east side dreams: the untold stories of east san josé," a new exhibit at the mlk library, right in the heart of downtown san josé. now, i live on the east side, and i guess this might be a way for folks who might be "afraid" to travel east of highway 101 to see that it's actually beautifu

visiting this smithsonian museums and particularly the smithsonian art museums has been one of my favorite pastimes here in washington. so it's a special honor to have my portrait displayed in these halls and thanks for working to unveil these portraits early while president bush is still in office upstairs. i saw that dolly madison's portrait is praised for offering a glimpse of the aging mrs. madison. that's exactly the type of complement. i was hoping to avoid. when your image is captured for posterity, my motto is the sooner the better. with so many familiar faces here today. it gives me the opportunity to thank all of you for your support and friendship over the past eight years. president bush and i have had such a special privilege of being able to represent the people of the united states. will return to texas with cherished memories of our friends our staff and our time at the white house. thank you for joining us at this moment of reflection and celebration. may god bless you all. thank you for joining us on american history tv for laura bush and her own words next week michelle

is it the smithsonian museum? i just made it past a character in the book made it passing reference. i had got a letter from the smoke smithsonian that i saved to this day and i don't have in front of me, but it a wonderful straight straight face tone the curator of whatever department that would be said no contrary to rumors a week. we do not have that and have never had john dillinger death. and so i think i was on smithsonian letterhead. i thought this this is pretty good. well, yeah. well there that's that's two feet. this is out with the um, you're a great aficionado of art and are you a collector as well? you know, what happened is when i was quite young. i fell in where they got to know quite well quite substantial number of brilliant indian artists and and and i began to collect bits of their stuff, you know, really because i knew them and in those days. indian art was just obscenely cheap. nobody nobody had discovered it, you know the in the international art market. wasn't aware of the fact that there wa

so by the mid 19th century they have of these and they built what's now the smithsonian american art museum and national portrait gallery building in order to put these on display for the public, but you know, if you imagine people visiting this gallery, they could purchase a guidebook, but there would all be a lot of different people interacting with these objects at once you would have patent office clerks and examiners who are using these to to adjudicate, you know, competing claims to to the novelty of an invention, but you also would have visitors to this gallery kind of alongside each other and i guess finally, you know, i mentioned at the beginning that you know a number of these museums were attached to different kinds of educational institutions. so whether that's an academy or even a college and university and so, you know, for example at harvard the the museum of comparatives zoology, which was founded in 1859, there were numerous students who worked there, you know spending hours and hours comparing, you know specimens in the collections, but you had these women assistant

she is at the smithsonian in 1995 donating her inaugural ground to their collection. we are also grateful that this museum and the curators within it care so much about displaying the entire history of our country and giving some context historically socially and politically to the women whose gowns are often one of the most sought after visits in washington as tourists and americans and people really from all over the world stand in line. we now will be able to share with these visitors. not only the beauty of the gowns, but also something more about the women who wore them. i must say, this is a bittersweet moment to give this dress up. it is not something that i came to lightly and as you'll notice we're into the third year of my husband's term before this has occurred. i hope all of you will have a chance not only to admire the gowns, but also to look carefully at the rest of the exhibition with historic photographs and illustrations campaign memory. abelia furniture silver and china from martha, washington to barbara bush and now to me we can gain a new appreciat

um at the smithsonian museum in washington dc they have a piece of a slave ship on display. it's about the size of a brick it came from a south african slave ship that sank in port in brazil had nothing to do with the american trade. the clotilde is the only ship that brought people from africa to america ever found and here it is and it's intact. it's sitting in a river. just a few miles north of africa. so the most important thing to do is dig that ship up put it on display in a world-class museum in africa. we have a new museum in montgomery, alabama. that's the legacy museum and it's a national monument for lynchings that happen. it brought a billion dollar economic impact to montgomery. so what i want to see in africa town is a national monument to the enslaved and it is dedicated to the clotilda story. i talked about the clotilda story as a proxy for the stories of everyone who had been enslaved. well, let's make a museum using their stories for what they are. this is the stories of everyone who arrived here in the whole of a boat and we have them. so let's tell them r

brings many years of public education and experience to the smithsonian before joining us in june she served as vice president for education policy and strategic initiatives at the american institute for research. so now please join me in welcoming

she unveils her official portrait at the smithsonian's national portrait gallery. this was only weeks before the bushes left washington to return home to texas. >> so, if the first lady would please join me in the unveiling of her portrait for the national portrait gallery. [applause] >> you're ready? [applause] >> visiting the smithsonian's museum, and particular this must billions art museums has been one of my favorite pastimes here in washington. so, it's on a special honor to have my portrait displayed in these halls., and thanks for working to unveil these portraits early while president bush is still in office. upstairs, i saw that dolley madison's portrait is praised for offering a glimpse of the aging mrs. madison. that's exactly the type of compliment i was hoping to avoid. when your images captured from prosperity, my motto is, the sooner the better. with so many familiar faces here today, it gives me the opportunity to thank all of you for your support, and friendship over the past eight years. president bush and i have had such a special privilege of b