this event from the smithsonian associates is about two hours. >> today, of the four presidential assassinationsthe one that i find the most absolutely fascinating and interesting is the one we're going to discuss tonight, james garfield. for quite a number of reasons. first of all, garfield is one of the most intelligent presidents we have ever had. i mean, he is up there in the top half dozen, and when we go through his life, by the end of it or the middle of it, you're going to start laughing because you're just going to say, no, that can't be. he can't that be good in that field, it is just not possible. and then we'll find something else and then, no. he's just incredibly bright. and the hope for his presidency was enormous. and so we're going to discuss an absolutely brilliant human being. i was chatting with a friend before and he asked me if i thought garfield was the most intelligent. i don't know how you test something like that. it's not as if you give presidents iq tests. it's a lot easier with things that are easy to measure, tall and short. we all know madison was our shortest pres

ginsburg and justice sotomayor have each shared their fascinating stories with us as part of our smithsonian associates program, and they are both represented in the national portrait gallery on nelson shank's painting "four justices," which also features justice kagan and former justice objection connor. i invite you, if you haven't, to see it on display at the portrait gallery through october. the national postal museum has stamps that feature legal giants like justice william brennan, louis brandeis, and this very museum has in its collection the robe sandra day o'connor wore as she was sworn in as the first woman justice on the supreme court. the seismic shifts in our nation's history have typically been characterized in part by struggle. the politics have frequently been hotly contested, but as this year's contentious presidential election unfolds, it's good to remember that politics can end at the edge of a plate. this is because food brings us all together. it is communal. it is ritual. food has always bound civilization, as is evident in a centuries-old phrase and tradition of breaking bread. o

ginsburg and justice sotomayor have each shared their fascinating stories with us as part of our smithsonian associates program, and they are both represented in the national portrait gallery on nelson shank's painting "four justices," which also features justice kagan and former justice objection connor. i invite awful you, if you haven't, to see it on display at the portrait gallery through october. the national postal museum has stamps that feature legal giants like justice william brennan, louis brandeis, and this very museum has in its collection the robe sandra day o'connor wore as she was sworn in as the first woman justice on the supreme court. the seismic shifts in our nation's history have typically been characterized in part by struggle. the politics have frequently been hotly contested, but as this year's contentious presidential election unfolds, it's good to remember that politics can end at the edge of a plate. this is because food brings us all together. it is communal. it is ritual. food has always bound civilization, as is evident in a centuries-old phrase and tradition of breaking br

roger currently the associate director for collections and affairs at the smithsonian institution. to his right is dr. eric conway, historian and former langley historian. he spent some time year before jpl, and then our last, currently with aims. and let's go to bill. will moderate our panel and give us some great stories. thanks, bill. [applause] bill: thanks, everybody, and this is a great opportunity,

this event from the smithsonian associates is about two hours. >> today, of the four presidential assassinations, the one that i find the most absolutely fascinating and interesting is the one we're going to discuss tonight, james garfield. for quite a number of reasons, first of all, garfield is one of the most intelligent presidents we have ever had. i mean, he is up there in the top half dozen and when we go through his life, you're going to start laughing because you're going to say, no, that can't be, he can't that be good in that field, it is just not possible. and then we'll find something else and then, no. he's just incredibly bright. and the hope for his presidency was enormous. and so we're going to discuss an absolutely brilliant human being. i was chatting with a friend before and he asked me if i thought garfield was the most intelligent. i don't know how you test something like that. it's not as if you give presidents iq tests. it's a lot easier with things that are easy to measure, tall and short. we all know madison was our shortest president, lincoln was our tallest. because th

this event from the smithsonian associates is about two hours. for quite a number of reasons i find the assassination fascinating. first of all, garfield is one of the most intelligent presidents we've had. when we go through his life, but the end or the middle of it, you'll start laughing. because you're going to say, no, that can't be. he can't be that good in that field. it's just not possible. the hope for his presidency was enormous. we're going to discuss an absolutely brilliant human being. i was chatting with a friend before, and he asked me if i thought garfield was the most intelligent. i don't know how you test something like that. it's not as if you give presidents iq tests. it's a lot easier with things that are easy to measure, tall and short. we all know madison was our shortest president, lincoln was our tallest. i don't know how you know the most intelligent. certainly the two adams, madison, jefferson. but garfield is right up there. so one of the reasons it's so exciting is because of who he was and how he could have changed am

it was cohosted by the smithsonian and the american historical association. >> good late afternoon. my name is steven hahn. i teach at the university of pennsylvania, but soon new york university. i would like to welcome you to our session on capitalism and the making and unmaking of black america. let me begin as my predecessors have in thinking not only the organizers but especially lonnie and jim grossman. foruld like to thank them not only enabling me to be part of what has turned into a extraordinary

it was cohosted by the smithsonian and the american historical association. >> good late afternoon. my name is steven hahn. i teach at the university of pennsylvania, but soon new york university. i would like to welcome you to our session on capitalism and the making and unmaking of black america. let me begin as my predecessors have in thinking not only the organizers but especially lonnie and jim grossman. foruld like to thank them not only enabling me to be part of what has turned into a extraordinary conference, but also for the vision they have brought to the tasks. they are truly visionaries. it is unfortunately don't have the opportunity of having this conference in the new museum space. but when you look over at the national museum of african american history and recognize that a few short years ago, there was nothing there, and what lonnie has accomplished is mind-boggling. the idea that lonnie and jim have had about making this engagementand an with the past as a central aspect of opening the museum to the american public is really quite terrific. i must say i feel uneasy

this was part of a three-day conference cohosted by the smithsonian national museum of african american museum and culture, and the us oracle associationthe

was part of a three-day conference cohosted by the smithsonian national museum of african american museum and , and the american historical association. it was called the future of the .frican-american past

roger currently the associate director for collections and affairs at the smithsonian institution. to his right is dr. eric conway, historian and former langley historian. he spent some time year before jpl, and then our last, currently with aims. and let's go to bill. will moderate our panel and give us some great stories. thanks, bill. [applause] bill: thanks, everybody, and this is a great opportunity, what hath than 40 on years ago today and tomorrow. happened 40 years ago today and tomorrow. hat happened. reason, it is really attempting to land on mars. no one has been able to do it before. of until six attempts that point, and none of them completely successful. were about 40 seconds of data transmission. 3 not a great success. we got to the moon in the first 20 years, but getting to mars was harder. rooms many of you in the as i guess from the looks at things might have been involved in that project, or were younger and were not there, but it was an exciting time, reaching out to try to take a big leap in terms of understanding if there was life on mars. step. a big, difficu

roger launius, currently the associate director for collections and affairs at the smithsonian institution. to his right is dr. erik conway, who is the jpl historian and former langley historian. he spent some time year before we set him to jpl, and then our last panelist, glenn bugos, currently with ames. and with that, let's go to dr. bill barry. he's going to moderate our panel and begin -- give us the beginnings of some great stories. thanks, bill. [applause] bill: thanks, walt. good afternoon, everybody. this is a great opportunity, what happened 40 years ago today and tomorrow. i would imagine that 40 years ago today, the 19th of july, 1976, there was a lot of nailbiting and concerned going on around here. for good reason. getting to mars is hard to do. no one had done it before successfully. not that people had tried. the soviets had made at least six attempts to land something on mars until that point. none of them had been successful. they did get something on the surface but it lasted for about 40 seconds of data transmission. so mars 3 not a great success. folks here were unders

was part of a three-day conference cohosted by the smithsonian national museum of african american museum and , and the american historical association. it was called the future of the .frican-american past this is an hour and 45 minutes. eric foner: i am eric foner from the columbia university, moderating this second session on slavery and freedom. i want to begin by thanking the organizers of this excellent conference. we all know how much work went into, you know, putting this whole thing together. so thanks to those at the museum , and the american historical association that have been so active in getting this conference organized. two weeks ago, i gave my last class at columbia university. i am now riding off into the sunset -- [applause] eric foner: -- of retirement. and so i ask if you will indulge me for just a minute as i reflect briefly on my own experience in relation to this field of african american history. which is a little, it is sort of emblematic of the many things that have happened the last couple of generations. i grew up in a family in which african-american history, although utterly ignored in the school educa

smithsonian infamous museum is looking for a beer historian to research, document and collect american brewing history, aka drink beer on the job. that is right. a three-year project funded by the brewer's association and the position, get this, pays $65,000 per year with benefits. the position's focus would be on craft beers. so you get paid and you don't have to pay for the beer, either. beer for breakfast, beer for lunch, beer for dinner -- >> i wonder if i could take a three year leave of absence. >> that is your dream job, right >> right? [ laughing ] >> did you hear about that beer contest in london where they had people drinking beer after running a mile and the guy ran a mile in 4:30 and he was from kenya! [ laughing ] >> i will take champagne after that. why not? he won. i am not much of a beer drinker but -- >> we will get you on that side. >> okay. >> it is quiet on this side of the set! >>> oh, gosh. let's take a look at traffic. an update northbound 101 at kelly road, the right lane is blocked. cars are moving about 26 miles per hour. you can see the red there. and northbound 280 at trusdale drive it is clearing after a crash there. and mesa westbound downtown will take you 13 minutes.

leadership of the white house historical association as well as with the new african-american history museum in washington, d.c. being opened by the smithsonian just a month or two to work together to try to help tell a more clear, fully laid out story about the african-americans, and particularly the shyfax family here at arlington. i believe that while the story of robert e. lee and george washington parke custus is important, there are so much richer story in terms of the enslaved people that looifd here. our goal is to really try to help inform the public about what actually occurred there. what actually occurred there. one of the things that we would like to do as a result of the land being taken away is to really recognize the lives and the efforts that people put into this. you know, one of the goals that i have for this is that one day we would be able to -- in the tours that we have here at arlington, to be able to say, this area over sheerhere is where they lived. they had a role along with many other enslaved americans who are free and have done things for our country. >> on this 100th anniversary, we are live from arlington house,

roger launius, currently the associate director for collections and affairs at the smithsonian institution. to his right is dr. erik conway,