Sidedoor
by Smithsonian Institution
More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults. But where the public’s view ends, Sidedoorbegins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers and astrophysicists, host Lizzie Peabody sneaks listeners through the Smithsonian’s side door, telling stories that can’t be heard anywhere else. Check out si.edu/sidedoor and follow @SidedoorPod for more info.
Copyright: © Smithsonian 2016
Episodes
Wronging the Wrights
34m · PublishedIt took pride, deceit, and a giant catapult to set off the feud between the Wright brothers and the Smithsonian. On December 17, 1903, the Wrights made history when they flew across a blustery beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The airplane they flew that day is now a centerpiece of the National Air and Space Museum’s collection. This is the story of how it nearly wasn’t.
Guests:
Peter Jakab, senior curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
Tom Crouch, senior curator emeritus at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
Who Built the White House?
24m · Published"I wake up every morning in a house built by slaves." After Michelle Obama said those words at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, thousands of Americans flooded the White House Historical Association with calls. Who were the enslaved African Americans who built the White House? This led historians from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and the White House Historical Association on a years-long journey that turned up some interesting answers and even bigger questions.
Guests:
Lina Mann, historian, the White House Historical Association
Mary Elliott, curator of American slavery, Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture
Spooked at the Smithsonian
37m · PublishedThe Smithsonian Institution was founded on principles of reason and scientific inquiry. So why is the museum home to countless tales of unexplained phenomena and —dare we say — ghost sightings? Inspired by an apparition at the National Museum of American History, we creak across the floorboards of the museum's attics, sneak into an old house in the woods, and even travel back in time to bring you a collection of spooky stories that can only be found at the Smithsonian.
Guests:
Molly Horrocks, Collections Manager, Division of Political and Military History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Pamela Henson, Institutional Historian at the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Cpl. Ronald Howlin, Security Officer at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Deborah Hull-Walski, Collections Manager, Education Collections at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History
Melissa Johnson, daughter of Deb Hull-Walski and former skeptical teenager
Kim Dixon, former volunteer at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Did Meat Make Us Human?
25m · PublishedEating meat is what made us human. At least, that's one of the leading theories to explain how our brains got so big. The theory says that our human ancestors evolved bigger brains as a result of switching from a plant-based to a nutrient-rich meat diet. But earlier this year a Smithsonian researcher discovered that this theory may not have as much meat on its bones as previously believed.
Guests:
Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist; research scientist and museum educator with the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
Becky Malinsky, curator of primates, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Andrew Barr, paleoanthropologist; assistant professor of anthropology, The George Washington University
Love in the Time of Emoji
28m · PublishedWhen LOL just isn't enough to respond to a friend's killer joke, emoji are there for you. But for many people, there isn't an emoji to represent them or the things they want to say. This has pushed activists, designers, and straight up regular folks to create their own emoji. It's not as easy an undertaking as you might think, but every now and then one of these new emoji is so innovative it breaks the digital mold and finds itself in the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In this episode of Sidedoor, we explore how one groundbreaking emoji is changing digital representation and the future of museum collections.
Guests:
Jennifer 8 Lee, Founder of EmojiNation
Andrea Lipps, Contemporary Design Curator at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
Evan Bonnstetter, Director of Product Policy for Tinder
Keith Broni, Deputy Emoji Officer for Emojipedia
Dynamo Dot
29m · PublishedDorothy Liebes was a whirlwind in the weaving world. Throughout the 1930s, she spun luxury fabrics so bold and colorful that their style could only be described as the "Liebes Look." But when the United States entered World War II, she wondered how an artist like herself could be helpful at a time when “there would be no need for luxuries.” What she didn’t know was that wartime would bring an opportunity to put her weaving skills to work in an entirely new way. Joining forces with the American Red Cross, she brought professional artists to the bedsides of wounded soldiers - with results that surpassed Dynamo Dot's wildest expectations.
Guests:
Alexa Griffith, manager of content and curriculum at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
Susan Brown, acting head of textiles at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
Sumo Wrestlers vs. Firefighters
24m · PublishedIn 19th century Japan, two sumo wrestlers faced down dozens of firefighters in a brawl so epic it inspired a Kabuki play. But the story of what really happened —and who the heroes are— is all a matter of perspective. Underdogs, antiheroes and villains. How do we decide who plays what role?
Guests:
Kit Brooks, Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Frank Feltens, Japan Foundation Associate Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Culture in Crisis
36m · Published"This is a war not only for the territory. This is war against our culture," says Ihor Poshyvailo, director of the Maidan Museum in Kiev, Ukraine. Ukraine has scores of museums, cemeteries, archeological sites, and places of worship where Ukrainian history and national identity are memorialized. But when bombs are exploding, who’s pulling a sculpture from the rubble? Enter the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative: a team flung together by a deadly earthquake in Haiti that grew through trial and discovery into an international network of professionals devoted to protecting the world’s treasures from threats by humankind and mother nature alike.
Guests:
Hayden Bassett, director of the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab at Smithsonian affiliate Virginia Museum of Natural History
Olsen Jean Julien, project director of the Cultural Conservation Center at Quisqueya University in Haiti
Cori Wegener, director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative
Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, co-founder of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative
Ihor Poshyvailo, director of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity (Maidan Museum) in Kyiv, Ukraine
Acknowledgments:
The work of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative would not be possible without the collaboration of countless partner organizations and collaborators, among them: the US government, including the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee, the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security and Justice, the FBI, Institute of Peace, FEMA, and the Heritage Emergency National Task Force; agencies of other governments like the Ministry of Culture in Haiti, the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Iraq, and the Ministry of Culture in Ukraine; other organizations like UNESCO, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, International Council of Museums, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute of Conservation, the US Committee of the Blue Shield, the Penn Cultural Heritage Center and the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the Virginia Museum of Natural History, the University of Maryland, Prince Claus Fund for Cultural Emergency Response, FOKAL in Haiti, the Mosul Museum, the Heritage Emergency Rescue Initiative, the National Center for Research Restoration, and the Kosciuszko Foundation for Ukraine.
SCRI’s work is made possible with the support of funders like the United State Congress, Department of State, Bank of America, Mellon Foundation, ALIPH Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Brad Freeman, the Broadway League, the Stiller Foundation, and the Roberts family.
Hubble Trouble
31m · PublishedAs NASA releases the James Webb Space Telescope's first images, we focus our lens on its predecessor: the Hubble Space Telescope. Prepare for liftoff, as we explore how America's first large space telescope went from a "billion-dollar blunder" to one of history's most important scientific instruments.
Guests:
Samantha Thompson, curator of science and technology at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
Robert Smith, former space historian at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum; author, Hubble: Imaging Space and Time
Jeffrey Hoffman, NASA astronaut who repaired Hubble in 1993
Sandra Faber, professor of astronomy & astrophysics at University of California Observatories/Lick Observatory
A Star-Spangled Bonus Episode
14m · PublishedWhich came first, the flag or the song? Sidedoor is celebrating this Independence Day with a special bonus episode: the story behind our Star-Spangled Banner. Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History military curator Jennifer Jones explains the origin and meaning behind the national anthem through the tattered piece of wool that lies at the heart of the museum. What are ramparts anyways? You'll find out!
Guest:
Jennifer Jones, military curator at National Museum of American History
Sidedoor has 204 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 86:30:01. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on March 5th 2023. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on May 3rd, 2024 12:42.