Sidedoor
More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults. But where the public’s view ends, Sidedoor begins. 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.
S11 E15 · Wed, April 02, 2025
The Art of the Fist
The United States has more martial arts schools than any other country – by far. Chances are you or someone you know practiced karate or another martial art growing up. While martial arts gained popularity in the U.S. for many reasons, one name stands out: Jhoon Rhee. Known as the Father of American Taekwondo, Rhee famously taught Bruce Lee how to kick and Muhammed Ali how to punch. His bare-knuckled American dream made an impact on generations of Americans. Guests: Terence Nicholson, a D.C.-based artist. Creator of Safety Jacket: A Mourning in Chinatown Sojin Kim, curator for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s exhibition: Sightlines, Chinatown and Beyond M. Aziz, an Assistant Professor of African American Studies in the Department of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington Chun Rhee, son of Jhoon Rhee Jimmy Rhee, son of Jhoon Rhee
S11 E14 · Wed, March 19, 2025
Asteroid Tag
A billion-dollar spacecraft, a daring deep-space mission, and one of humanity’s biggest questions: Where did we come from? NASA’s OSIRIS-REx set out to collect a pristine sample from asteroid Bennu, a cosmic time capsule that may hold clues to the origins of life in our solar system. But the journey was anything but easy. Guests: Erica Jawin , postdoctoral research geologist in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and member of the OSIRIS-REx mission Tim McCoy , curator of meteorites at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and deputy mission sample scientist for the OSIRIS-REx mission Mike Moreau , deputy project manager in the Space Science Mission Operations Project at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
S11 E13 · Wed, March 05, 2025
Poison and Poisonability
When we think of serial killers, we tend to think of men—Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack the Ripper. But in the 1800s, the deadliest killers often wore corsets. In fact, so many women were arrested for serial poisoning that the era became known as the “Golden Age of Arsenic.” Journey back in time to trace the crimes of Lydia Sherman, a Victorian Era femme fatale who left a trail of bodies in her wake. How did she — and women like her — evade capture for so long? And how did their murders help give rise to modern criminal forensics? Guests: Kristen Frederick-Frost , curator of science at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Lisa Perrin , author and illustrator of The League of Lady Poisoners Deborah Blum , author of The Poisoner's Handbook. Director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT.
S11 E12 · Wed, February 19, 2025
Right Stuff, Wrong Sex
There was a time, before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, when some researchers believed women were better suited for space than men. In 1961, a group of female pilots—today known as the Mercury 13 —quietly aced NASA’s toughest astronaut tests, even outperforming the Mercury men in some areas. But with the space race heating up, their mission was grounded— but not by science. But what became of America’s first female astronaut candidates? Guests: Margaret Weitekamp , chair of the space history department at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and author of Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America’s First Women in Space Program and Space Craze: America’s Enduring Fascination with Real and Imagined Spaceflight Emily Calandrelli , engineer, author, and TV show host of Emily’s Wonderlab and Xploration Outer Space
S11 E11 · Wed, February 05, 2025
To Sweat Like Beyoncé
Beyoncé is one of the most well-known and appreciated Black women in music today, but to understand her work, we need to look at who came before her and what those women contributed to the story of Black women on stage. In this special guest episode, curator Krystal Klingenberg introduces a new season of Collected, a podcast from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, all about Black women in music. Guests: Daphne A. Brooks, PhD., is professor of African American Studies and Music at Yale University. Dr. Brooks most recent books is Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound (Harvard University, February 2021). https://afamstudies.yale.edu/people/daphne-brooks Margo Jefferson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, and a 2022 recipient of the Windham-Campbell Prize for Nonfiction. Her most recent book is Constructing a Nervous System: a memoir (2022). She is a professor of Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University. https://arts.columbia.edu/profiles/margo-jefferson Crystal M. Moten, Ph.D., is a historian who specializes in twentieth century African American Women’s History. In 2023 she published Continually Working: Black Women, Community Intellectualism, and Economic Justice in Postwar Milwaukee. Dr. Moten is the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago, Illinois and was previously curator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History https://www.crystalmoten.com Dwandalyn R. Reece, Ph.D. is curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Dr. Reece curated the museum’s permanent exhibition, Musical Crossroads , for which she received the Secretary’s Research Prize in 2017. https://music.si.edu/dr-dwandalyn-reece Fath Davis Ruffins was a Curator of African American History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH). She began working at the museum in 1981, and between 1988 and 2005, she was the head of the Collection of Advertising History at the NMAH Archives Center. Ruffins was the original project director of Many Voices, One Nation, an exhibition that opened at NMAH in June 2017. She was leading a museum project on the history and culture of the Low Country region of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. https://profiles.si.edu/display/nruf
S11 E10 · Wed, January 22, 2025
The Sex Lives of Giant Pandas
Whether it's live on the Smithsonian National Zoo's panda cam or in front of a crowd, possibly no other animal's sex life is as closely watched as the giant pandas' is. And there's a reason. These cuddly-looking black and white bears just can't figure out how to mate. But, with a little help from science, the once-endangered giant panda is making a comeback. To honor the arrival of the National Zoo's newest giant pandas, we peep into the (not so secret) sex lives of pandas. Guests: Pierre Comizzoli , panda sex expert and staff scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Lisa Stevens , AKA “Panda Lady”; former senior curator of mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Stephen Powers , panda fan
S11 E7 · Wed, January 08, 2025
Everybody Pledge Now
Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understand how a massive wave of immigration and sagging magazine subscriptions gave rise to this vow of patriotism. From the Civil War to anti-immigrant nativism and Cold War politics, this one pledge tells many stories. Guests: Debbie Schaefer-Jacobs , curator for the history of education collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Marc Leepson , author of Flag: An American Biography
S11 E8 · Wed, December 25, 2024
Midnight Magic
"I’m not superstitious, but I’m a little stitious.” As the New Year approaches, this iconic line from The Office feels more relatable than ever. From gulping grapes in Spain to donning yellow underwear in South America and practicing Scotland’s ancient “first-footing” tradition, people around the world embrace odd – and oddly meaningful - rituals to ensure good luck in the year ahead. Join us as we travel around the Smithsonian to explore how facing the unknown brings us together at New Year’s… in the most unusual ways. Guests: Jim Deutsch , senior content coordinator for America at 250 book project with the Smithsonian Institution, formerly a curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Tey Marianna Nunn , associate director of content and interpretation for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino Theo Gonzalvez , curator at the National Museum of American History Grace Jan , Yao Wenqing Chinese Painting Conservator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
S11 E7 · Wed, December 11, 2024
The Whole Truth
Sojourner Truth was a women's rights advocate known best for her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman." But Truth never actually said these words. In fact, much of the Truth we know… is fiction. Depictions from different artists and journalists have tweaked Truth's legacy to fit their messages, giving her a “kaleidoscopic reputation,” according to Nell Irvin Painter, author of Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol. So how did a speech she never gave make Sojourner Truth one of the most famous women’s suffragists of the 19th century? And what did Truth actually say? Turns out, the whole Truth is even better than fiction. Guests: Nell Irvin Painter, author of Sojourner Truth: a Life, a Symbol; Edwards Professor of American History Emerita at Princeton University Ashleigh Coren , former content strategist for the Smithsonian's Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative Kim Sajet , director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and host of the Smithsonian's Portraits podcast
S11 E6 · Wed, November 27, 2024
Finding Cleopatra
Edmonia Lewis was the first sculptor of African American and Native American (Mississauga) descent to achieve international fame. Her 3,000-pound masterwork, “The Death of Cleopatra,” commemorated another powerful woman who broke with convention… and then the sculpture disappeared. On this return episode of Sidedoor, we find them both. You can see "The Death of Cleopatra" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The new exhibition, The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture features 82 artworks created between 1792 and 2023, including two by Edmonia Lewis. Guests: Marilyn Richardson , art historian and independent curator Kirsten Pai Buick , professor of art historian at the University of New Mexico and author of Child of the Fire: Mary Edmonia Lewis and the Problem of Art History's Black and Indian Subject Karen Lemmey, the Lucy S. Reign Curator of Sculpture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
S11 E5 · Wed, November 13, 2024
Bitcoin Bank Heist
Imagine this: invisible robbers break into a bank and steal massive sacks of cash, but instead of running away with it they set their haul on the front stoop of the bank in a glass case. Everyone can see the money, but only the robbers can get to it. That’s how IRS Special Agent Chris Janczewski describes the 2016 Bitfinex heist – when mystery hackers made out with over $70 million in Bitcoin. By 2020, their loot had ballooned to over $4 billion. With only digital footprints to follow, federal agents tracked the criminals through the blockchain, across the dark web, and up the service elevator of a posh Manhattan apartment building in a sleuthing story that ends at the Smithsonian. The renovated The Value of Money exhibition will be opening at the National Museum of American History in November 2024. Check it out in person or online! Guests: Ellen Feingold , curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Zia Faruqui , United States Magistrate Judge at the District Court for the District of Columbia Ari Redbord , Ari Redbord is the Global Head of Policy at TRM Labs Chris Janczewski , Head of Global Investigations at TRM Labs, previously a special agent with IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit
S11 E4 · Wed, October 30, 2024
The Wide Awakes
They carried torches and marched at night. Their goal: defend free speech in America. What started as a small group of young men demonstrating during the 1860 election, snowballed into a mass movement of working-class Americans marching to end slavery. They called themselves the Wide Awakes. And they’re widely seen as the political force that helped elect Abraham Lincoln and spur the Civil War. So why has their story gone untold? And why is now the time to tell it? Guests: Jon Grinspan, Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Author of Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War Kevin Waite, Associate Professor of History at Durham University. Author of West of Slavery: The Southern Dream of a Transcontinental Empire
S11 E3 · Wed, October 16, 2024
The Devil’s Composer
Imagine Jaws without the sneaking tuba. Or Psycho without the shrieking violins. Music can help a horror film strike fear in the heart of theatergoers. And you can trace some of these musical scare tactics back to the era of SILENT films — when organists made up film scores on-the-spot. To celebrate the spooky season this year, we're slashing apart a 1917 silent horror film with composer Andrew Earle Simpson to find out how music can be the beating heart of suspense. Grab your popcorn and get snuggly under the blanket. But be sure to check the closet for a pianist before turning out the lights. Want to see this movie for yourself? Don’t miss our live screening of The Devil’s Assistant at the National Museum of American History! Join Lizzie, Andrew, and Ryan on Wednesday, October 30th at 7:30pm to see this movie the way it was made to be watched – with live musical accompaniment. We’ll have objects from the Smithsonian collections and audience Q&A. Reserve your FREE tickets here . Guests: Andrew Earle Simpson , composer and professor of music at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Ryan Lintelman , curator of entertainment at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
Wed, October 02, 2024
Bankers in the Boudoir
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo becomes invisible when he puts the Ring on his finger. Well, at banks in the 1970s, this is basically what happened when a woman put a wedding ring on her finger. Her credit cards would no longer work, and the banks wouldn't count her income as part of the household income. This led to a fight for women's financial independence that gave rise to the landmark Equal Credit Opportunity Act (or ECOA) and the creation of the first women's banks. In honor of the 50th anniversary of ECOA becoming law, we’re looking back at a time when women had to have their husband or father cosign on a credit application. What did it take to pass this landmark legislation? And how did it improve women's lives in America? Guests: Rachel Seidman, curator at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum; curatorial consultant to the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Emily Card, PhD, author of Staying Solvent: A Comprehensive Guide to Equal Credit for Women Elizabeth Babcock, director of the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Jeanne Hubbard, former CEO of The Adams National Bank
S11 E1 · Wed, September 18, 2024
Jim the Penman
During the mid-1800s, one third of all paper money in America was thought to be fake. It was the golden age of counterfeiting, and one exceptionally talented con artist stood out from all the rest. His fakes were nearly perfect…but for a trademark tell. Known to law enforcement only as “Jim the Penman,” this celebrity criminal led many Americans to wonder: can great art truly be criminal? Guests Ellen Feingold , curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Trailer · Wed, September 11, 2024
It's Season 11
Sidedoor returns for its eleventh season on Wednesday, September 18th!
Wed, August 28, 2024
Are Robots About to Level Up?
Within just a few years, artificial intelligence systems that sometimes seem to display almost human characteristics have gone from science fiction to apps on your phone. But there’s another AI-influenced frontier that is developing rapidly and remains untamed: robotics. Can the technologies that have helped computers get smarter now bring similar improvements to the robots that will work alongside us? In this episode of The Joy of Why podcast, Daniela Rus , a pioneering roboticist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, talks to host Steven Strogatz about the surprising inspirations from biology that may help robots rise to new levels. Subscribe to The Joy of Why from Quanta Magazine wherever you listen to podcasts!
Wed, August 14, 2024
Social Media and the Subway
There aren’t many portrait artists who get recognized on the street, but it happens to Devon Rodriguez all the time. After quietly honing his skill for a decade, Devon started posting videos of his live drawings of New York City subway commuters to social media. The videos took off, earning him some 50 million followers and placing portraiture in front of a huge new audience. In this episode of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery’s podcast, Portraits , Director Kim Sajet speaks with Devon about the mentors who had his back, and this new model for showing art— not in museums, but on screens. See the portraits we discussed: Kim Sajet, by Devon Rodriguez John Ahearn, by Devon Rodriguez “The Rodriguez Twins,” by John Ahearn María Elena Estrada, by Devon Rodriguez Devon Rodriguez draws Kim Sajet, Instagram
Wed, July 31, 2024
Archiving the Underground
Next up in our summer playlist, we bring you an episode of The Kitchen Sisters Present, a podcast featuring sound-rich stories ‘from the b-side of history.’ This one is a musical treat! The Kitchen Sisters delve into the story of the founding of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute at Harvard by Dr. Marcyliena Morgan, Professor of African and African American Studies and Professor Henry Louis Gates to “facilitate and encourage the pursuit of knowledge, art, culture, scholarship and responsible leadership through Hiphop.” You’ll hear from Professor Morgan, Professor Gates, Nas, Nas Fellow Patrick Douthit aka 9th Wonder, The Hiphop Fellows working at the Archive, an array of Harvard archivists, and students studying at the Archive as well as the records, music and voices being preserved there. Then they take a look at the Cornell University Hip Hop Collection, founded in 2007, through a sampling of stories from Assistant Curator Jeff Ortiz, Johan Kugelberg author of “Born in the Bronx,” and hip hop pioneers Grandmaster Caz, Pebblee Poo, Roxanne Shante and more. This episode is part of The Kitchen Sisters’ series THE KEEPERS—stories of activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, collectors and historians—keepers of the culture and the cultures and collections they keep. We end this guest-feature with a short interview with the Smithsonian’s Dwandalyn R. Reece , Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. She and Lizzie talk about the process behind the creation of The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap . Special Thanks : At The Hiphop Archive at Harvard: Dr. Marcyliena Morgan, Executive Director and Professor of African and African American Studies + Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research + 9th Wonder (Patrick Douthit) + Harold Shawn + Harry Allen + Professor Tommie Shelby + Michael Davis + Brionna Atkins + Justin Porter + Robert Rush. At the Loeb Music Library: Josh Cantor + Sarah Adams. At the Hip Hop Collection, Cornell University Library: Ben Ortiz. At NPR: Rodney Carmichael. At large: Jeff Chang + Pedro Coen + Nas The Keepers is produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva, with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. The Keepers Sonic Signature music is by Moondog. For more of The Kitchen Sisters Present, visit kitchensisters.org.
Wed, July 17, 2024
Rocket Man
In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a ‘futuristic society.’ Appearing in cartoons and magazines, it felt like a matter of time before people could ride a jetpack to work. But jetpacks never became a mainstream technology, leaving many to wonder…why? In this episode of 99 Percent Invisible, producer Chris Berube travels to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum to find out for himself. This episode was produced by Chris Berube. He spoke with Bill Suitor, Don Erwin, and the Smithsonian’s Colleen Anderson . David Taylor reported on the rocket belt for The Washington Post in 2022 , and Steve Lehto wrote about the belt, and other jetpack technology, in his book The Great American Jetpack . Transcript available here: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/rocket-man/transcript/
Wed, July 03, 2024
A Giant Listening Project
It’s been called ‘the most noble and absurd undertaking ever attempted by any state.’ During the height of the Great Depression, the U.S government hired out-of-work writers and laid-off reporters and sent them out to record the stories of all kinds of Americans. Called the Federal Writers’ Project, historians have called the program a giant “listening project.” While on our summer break, we’re sharing the first episode of a new podcast series called The People’s Recorder. Host Chris Haley sets the stage, laying out 1930s America, the New Deal, and the cultural forces that both supported and opposed the Writers’ Project. The project of holding up to America raises questions: What history gets told? And who gets to tell it? You can listen to rest of the series by searching for The People’s Recorder wherever you get your podcasts. Find out more at peoplesrecorder.info Guests: Scott Borchert , author David Bradley , novelist Dr. Douglas Brinkley, historian Dr. Tameka Hobbs, historian David Kipen, author Dena Epstein, daughter of Hilda Polacheck Studs Terkel, oral historian Links and Resources: American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project Born to Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project Author Scott Borchert on the Federal Writers' Project and the WPA guidebooks Article on Library on Congress symposium on The Millions Further Reading Soul of a People by David A. Taylor Republic of Detours by Scott Borchert California in the 1930s by David Kipen First Person America by Ann Banks Henry Alsberg by Susan DeMasi Long Past Slavery by Catherine A. Stewart Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston Hard Times by Studs Terkel
Wed, June 19, 2024
The Lost Woolly Dog
For thousands of years, fluffy white dogs could be found across the Pacific Northwest. Their exceptionally soft, crimpy hair was shorn like sheep’s wool, spun into yarn, and woven into blankets and robes by indigenous women who carefully tended them in communities across Coast Salish territory. But a hundred years ago, the woolly dog quietly vanished. Why? Today, the only known pelt of this extinct breed is in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and it might hold some answers. Through collaborate research combining Western science with Indigenous knowledge, we delve into this animal’s genome to learn the real story of the woolly dog’s disappearance. Guests: Audrey Lin , evolutionary molecular biologist, research associate at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and postdoctoral scholar at the American Museum of Natural History Logan Kistler , curator of archaeobotany and archaeogenomics in the anthropology department of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa , master spinner who studies traditional Salish textiles as a research associate at Vancouver Island University and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Steven Point / Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl, grand chief of the Stó:lō Tribal Council, chancellor of the University of British Columbia, former lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, retired judge, and member of the Skowkale First Nation Debra Sparrow / θəliχʷəlʷət, weaver, artist and knowledge-keeper from Musqueam. Foundational Salish weaving revivalist who, with her sisters, she has worked for decades to rejuvenate and teach traditional Salish weaving. Violet Elliot / Snu’Meethia , weaver and teacher from Snuneymuxw First Nations living in Cowichan First Nations. She has been weaving for over 28 years. Melissa (Missy) Hawkins , curator of mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History
Wed, June 05, 2024
Cosmic Journey II: Voyage into the Abyss
Hitch a ride on the Chandra X-ray Observatory as it scours deep space for some of the most enigmatic and misunderstood objects in the universe: black holes. What are they good for? Absolutely something. This is the second episode of a two-part journey celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 's operation of the space telescope. Join us this summer for a cosmic journey full of events and virtual resources from around the Smithsonian that will transport you from our closest star, the sun, to the far reaches of the universe. Find the full schedule on our website or follow along on social media @Smithsonian. Guests: Kim Arcand, Visualization Scientist and Emerging Tech Lead for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Daryl Haggard, professor of physics at McGill University in the Trottier Space Institute Priyamvada Natarajan, astrophysicist and professor at Yale University
Wed, May 22, 2024
Cosmic Journey I: "Stellar Buffoonery"
Black holes could unlock the mysteries of creation and live at the heart of nearly every galaxy. But these invisible balls of extremely dense matter have never been fully understood, especially when they were only a theory. We travel through a cosmic wormhole back to the 1930s to learn how the first astrophysicist to successfully theorize a black hole, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, was ridiculed and rejected by his scientific community. This is the first episode of a two-part journey celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's operation of the space telescope. Join us this summer for a cosmic journey full of events and virtual resources from around the Smithsonian that will transport you from our closest star, the sun, to the far reaches of the universe. Find the full schedule on our website, si.edu/cosmicjourney . Or follow along on social media @Smithsonian. Guests: Kim Arcand, Visualization Scientist and Emerging Tech Lead for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Priyamvada Natarajan, astrophysicist and professor at Yale University Arthur I. Miller, author of "Empire Of The Stars: Obsession, Friendship, and Betrayal in the Quest for Black Holes"
Wed, May 08, 2024
Cicadapalooza
The cicadas are back for some fun in the sun, and this time, they’re louder than ever! For the first time since 1803, Broods XIII and XIX will be emerging at the same time, covering the American South and Midwest with trillions of cicadas. As Smithsonian entomologist Floyd Shockley readies his nets for the biggest bug invasion in centuries, we look back at the emergence of Brood X in 2021, and explore how cicadas have captivated our human ancestors for millennia. Guests: Floyd Shockley, entomologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Gao Hong , professional pipa player, composer, and educator Jim Deutsch , curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Jan Stuart, Melvin R. Seiden Curator of Chinese Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
Wed, April 24, 2024
The Birds and the Beans
"God in a cup." "Perfection." "The world's best coffee." Panamanian geisha coffee has been called many things, but never Smithsonian Bird Friendly certified. That might soon change, however, as researchers from Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Migratory Bird Center find new ways to grow coffee in harmony with migratory songbirds. Join us for this fully caffeinated romp through Panama’s coffee farms as we learn all about the birds and the beans. Guests: Ruth Bennett, research ecologist at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Migratory Bird Center Katherine Araúz Ponce, fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and PhD student at The University of Georgia Maria Ruiz, owner of Ruiz Coffee Distributors Ratibor & Aliss Hartmann, owners of Finca Hartmann, specialty coffee and ecotourism Price Peterson, owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda
Wed, April 10, 2024
Dude, Where’s my Carbon?
If you’ve bought a plane ticket recently, you’ve probably had the option to pay a few extra dollars to offset your carbon emissions. That money might go toward planting some trees… but how many trees? Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are trying to answer this very question by hand-measuring trees, weighing wood, and climbing to the top of the canopy. We tag along to see how carbon is measured, and why so much ends up in tropical forests. Guests: Joshua Tewksbury, director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama Helene Muller-Landau , senior scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute researching tropical forests and ecosystems, leader of ForestGEO Global Carbon Program David Mitre , research manager for ForestGEO at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Sergio dos Santos , project manager for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Hydro-Meteorological and Oceanographic Monitoring Program in Panama Luisa Fernanda Gómez Correa , intern at the Forest Carbon Lab at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Eline De Loore , graduate student at Ghent University conducting research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Wed, March 27, 2024
Monkeyin' Around on the Devil's Island
It started as a rumor in the cafeteria of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama: monkeys on an island in the Pacific were doing something no one had ever seen them do before. But when researchers went searching for these elusive capuchin monkeys, they discovered more questions than answers. Guests: Claudio Monteza , Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute fellow and researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Brendan Barrett, researcher at the University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Meg Crofoot , director of the Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. Former Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute fellow
Wed, March 13, 2024
Face Value
Money is power. But who's on our money - or isn’t - can be just as powerful. While Lady Liberty has graced American coins and dollars for most of our history, it wasn’t until the 1970s that a real woman appeared on a circulating American coin. But that's about to change. Congress recently authorized the creation of twenty new quarters featuring American women from history. But how do we decide whose likeness gets engraved in our national story? And who makes these decisions? We’ll follow the money to find out. Guests: Jennifer Schneider, former program manager at Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, current assistant registrar of outgoing and government loans at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Tey Marianna Nunn, former director of the American Women’s History Initiative at the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, current associate director for content and interpretation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino Ellen Feingold , curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Joseph Menna , chief engraver at the United States Mint Tim Grant , public affairs manager at the United States Mint Dave Clark , supervisor of blanking annealing and upsetting at the United States Mint
Wed, February 28, 2024
Jeepers Leapers!
Did you know a person born on February 29 is called a "leapling"? This special episode is hopping with Leap Day trivia! Like, why do we need an extra day every four years anyway? And will I get paid for working an extra day in February? It's the lowdown on Leap Day in an episode that's as off-kilter as the earth's axis. Guest: Bob Craddock, Geologist at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies
Wed, February 14, 2024
Til Death Do Us Part?
They say love is eternal. What about heartbreak? This Valentine’s Day, we bring you some of Japanese theater’s most popular tales of scorned lovers seeking vengeance from beyond the grave — with a burning passion. Guests: Frank Feltens , Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Kit Brooks , Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
Wed, January 31, 2024
To Sidedoor, With Love
From brontosauruses with bronchitis to birds on a wire to flying space rocks and a botched heist at 20 thousand feet. In this episode, Lizzie and Sidedoor producer James run all around the Smithsonian to answer listeners' questions from the Sidedoor mailbag. Guests: Lynn Heidelbaugh , curator at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Sara Hallager , curator of birds at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Jim Nollman , composer and pioneer of the “interspecies music” genre, conceptual artist, and environmental activist Cari Corrigan, research geologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and curator of the Antarctic Meteorite Collection Sharon Bryant, marketing specialist at the Smithsonian’s Office of Communications and External Affairs Matthew Carrano , research geologist and curator of Dinosauria at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History
Wed, January 17, 2024
Tails of Bravery
As long as there have been wars, animals have joined their human companions on the battlefield. But a few have served so bravely they’ve been memorialized at the Smithsonian. In honor of these furry and feathered war heroes, we bring you the tales of dogs, cats and birds who went above and beyond the call of duty. Guests: Jennifer Jones , curator of military history at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Frank Blazich , curator of military history at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Ann Bausum , author of Stubby the War Dog and Sergeant Stubby: How a Stray Dog and His Best Friend Helped Win WWI and Stole the Heart of a Nation Scot Christenson , author of Cats in the Navy Chris Willingham , president of the United States War Dogs Association
Wed, January 03, 2024
The Milkmaid Spy
Virginia Hall dreamed of being America’s first female ambassador. Instead, she became a spy. Joining the ranks of the U.S.’s first civilian spy network, she operated alone in occupied France, where she built French Resistance networks, delivered critical intelligence, and sold cheese to the enemy. All on one leg. Guests: Sonia Purnell , author of “A Woman of No Importance: the Untold Story of the American Spy who Helped Win World War II.” Randy Burkett , CIA Staff Historian Christina Gebhard , museum specialist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History
Wed, December 20, 2023
Auld Lang What?
It’s a song we often hear at the start of the new year. But what does “auld lang syne” even mean? And how did it come to be associated with New Year's Eve? With a little musical sleuthing, we find Charlie Chaplin might have something to do with it… Guests: James Deutsch , curator of folklife and popular culture at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Wed, December 06, 2023
Welcome Back, Otter
North American River Otters are popping up in places they haven't been seen in decades and nobody really knows why. As we search for answers we discover a trail of fish heads, poop splats and cuddle parties. Guests: Katrina Lohan, head of the Coastal Disease Ecology Laboratory at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Alejandra Morales Picard , psychologist at Montgomery College Rebecca Sturniolo , assistant curator of the America Trail at the Smithsonian National Zoo Patty Storms & Morty Bachar, otter neighbors
Wed, November 22, 2023
Wrinkled Radicals
When Maggie Kuhn was forced to retire from the job she loved at age 65, her colleagues gave her a sewing machine as a parting gift. Outraged, she shut the sewing machine in a closet and, instead, stitched together the first-ever movement against ageism in the U.S. The Gray Panthers would galvanize gray haired citizenry and youth alike to challenge the way Americans think about aging. Guests : Katherine Ott , curator and historian in the Division of Medicine and Science at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Emily Krichbaum , founding director for the Center for Girls' and Young Women's Leadership at Columbus School for Girls and scholar of women’s history Paul Nathanson , founder and former executive director of Justice in Aging (formerly the National Senior Citizens Law Center), a national advocacy group for the elderly poor Jack Kupferman , president of Gray Panthers NYC
Wed, November 08, 2023
Farewell Giant Pandas
All three Giant Pandas are leaving the Smithsonian's National Zoo for China by the end of the year. What's up with that?! We sat down with the director of the Zoo, Brandie Smith, to find out why the pandas are leaving, and whether China plans to send more. This might truly be the end of a beara ... we mean era! Guests: Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Stephen Powers , panda fan
Wed, October 25, 2023
Resurrected: Spooked at the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institution was founded on principles of reason and scientific inquiry. So why is the Smithsonian 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 museum attic floorboards, 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
Wed, October 11, 2023
CSI: Southern Pacific
Looks like these criminals used correct postage, 'cause justice is about to be delivered. Okay, there are no snappy one-liners in this crime scene investigation, but there are explosions, collisions, manhunts and even a cow who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. On the centennial of "The Last Great Train Robbery," we re-examine the evidence to find out how U.S. Postal Inspectors tracked down a band of old school outlaws using cutting edge criminal forensics...and postmarked them for prison. Guests: Lynn Heidelbaugh , curator at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum Chelsea Rose , Director of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology Kate Winkler Dawson , author of American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics and the Birth of American CSI
Wed, September 27, 2023
Cellphones Rock
Cellphones put the power of the world at our fingertips. With the touch of a finger, you can instantly connect with your doctor, have food delivered to your office or simply obliterate your niece at Words with Friends. And it's all made possible by rocks formed millions of years ago, deep underground. Join us as we bust open our devices to figure out how these stones power our phones. Guests: Joshua A. Bell , curator of globalization at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Michael Wise , geologist in the department of mineral sciences at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Josh Lepawsky , professor of geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland
Wed, September 13, 2023
The 'Gentle Anarchy' of the Muppets
Icky Gunk. Moldy Hay. Kermit. You might recognize one of these names. Before Kermit joined Miss Piggy and Big Bird, he was kicking it with Sam and Friends — a local tv show in Washington, D.C. that launched Jim Henson's career. We journey back to 1955 to figure out how this eccentric cast of puppets built the foundation for everything Jim Henson would do afterwards, from Sesame Street, to The Muppet Show and even Labyrinth (we see you, David Bowie fans). And we venture into the conservation labs to learn what it took to revive these crumbling hunks of foam and fabric when they landed at the Smithsonian. Guests: Ryan Lintelman , curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Sunae Park Evans , senior costume conservator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Bonnie Erickson , a director of The Jim Henson Legacy; creator of Miss Piggy Craig Shemin, author of Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show
Trailer · Wed, September 06, 2023
It's Season 10!
Sidedoor returns for its tenth season on Wednesday, September 13th!
Wed, August 30, 2023
A Wild Ride on the Pony Express
In 1860 the fastest way to get a message to a family member, partner, or colleague wasn’t by text but by hoof…specifically, a pony’s. In just ten short days the Pony Express delivered mail between St. Louis and Sacramento. To find out what it was like to travel this legendary trail, there’s only one way: get on a horse and follow all 2,000 miles of it. That’s what writer Will Grant did, retracing the route from Missouri to California over four and half months. This guest episode of the Outside podcast brings you an epic camping tale in the name of history. We’ll be back with new episodes of Sidedoor in September! If you enjoyed this episode, find more stories from Outside at https://www.outsideonline.com/podcast
Thu, August 17, 2023
The Hungerford Deed
When a 200-year-old legal document anonymously arrived at his office, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives conservator William Bennett assumed it would be full of boring legal jargon. Instead, he found a juicy tale of family betrayal that would forever change what we thought we knew about the founding of the Smithsonian. In honor of the Smithsonian’s 177th birthday, we’re sharing one of our favorite stories from the Sidedoor collection. Guests: William Bennett, conservator at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and Archives Social: @rwilliab (Instagram), @SirWilliamB (Twitter) Heather Ewing , author of The Lost World of James Smithson, and Associate Dean at New York Studio School Social: @HPealeEwing Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large
Wed, August 02, 2023
Tyrannosaurus FX
When you imagine the sound of a dinosaur, you probably think of a scene from the Jurassic Park movies. How do sound designers make these extinct creatures sound so believably alive? And what does modern paleontology tell us about what dinosaurs REALLY sounded like? This guest episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz features Jurassic World sound designer Al Nelson and paleontologist Julia Clarke. We’ll be back with new episodes of Sidedoor soon! If you enjoyed this episode, you can find more episodes of Twenty Thousand Hertz at 20k.org .
Wed, July 19, 2023
Special: People Eating People
A Smithsonian researcher has made a discovery we couldn't wait to sink our teeth into — what might be the earliest evidence of our human ancestors eating each other. This conversation is a special update from our past episode 'Did Meat Make Us Human?' Bon appétit!
Wed, July 05, 2023
The Toxic Book of Faces
Before the invention of photography, only the rich could afford to have portraits of themselves. But in the early 1800s, a device called the physiognotrace democratized portraiture, making it possible or everyday people to have their images captured in silhouettes. A man named William Bache traveled the United States creating hundreds of silhouette portraits with the aid of the physiognotrace, leaving behind a ledger book that gives us a rare glimpse of early America. A ledger book…laced with poison. Guests Robyn Asleson, curator of prints and drawings at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Nora Lockshin, senior conservator for archives at the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Wendy Bellion, Sewell C. Biggs Chair in American Art History, and associate dean for the humanities at the University of Delaware Carolyn Hauk, doctoral student in the art history department of the University of Delaware, former intern at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Wed, June 21, 2023
Building a Movement
America has a long history of clustering heavy industry and toxic facilities in communities where people of color live. But in the 1980s, a series of events sparked a movement to fight back against these environmental injustices. We trace the history of the environmental justice movement from the farmlands of North Carolina to a watershed moment in the nation's capital. Guests: Vernice Miller Travis, environmental justice pioneer; Executive Vice President, Metro Group Rachel Seidman, curator at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum Charles Lee, a founder of the environmental justice movement; senior policy advisor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights
Wed, June 07, 2023
Recording the World
In 1948, Moses Asch set out with an ambitious project: to document the world’s sounds! 75 years later, that project has grown into one of the world’s most eclectic, iconic and LARGEST repositories of recorded sound… from American folk music, to sounds of everyday life, and even a serenade for turkeys. Folkways Recordings —as it's now known— lives on within the Smithsonian, connecting the past, present and future… through sounds. Guests: Michael Asch, anthropologist and son of Moses Asch Jake Blount, musician and scholar of Black American music Maureen Loughran, director and curator of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Jeff Place, curator and senior archivist at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Anthony Seeger, curator and director emeritus of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Wed, May 24, 2023
The Funk List
Women have long fueled America's greatest scientific achievements. But when you go searching for information about these women scientists, you'll likely come up short. Only 19% of articles on Wikipedia are about women. In the field of science, this difference is even more pronounced. But now, a team at the Smithsonian is using artificial intelligence and good old fashioned research skills to scour the archives for lost women of science and publish their stories … before it’s too late. Guests: Liz Harmon, digital curator, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Kelly Doyle, open knowledge coordinator, Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Rebecca Dikow, research data scientist, Smithsonian Data Science Lab Tiana Curry, former intern, Smithsonian Data Science Lab
Wed, May 10, 2023
Get Off My Lawn
Nowhere in the world are lawns as revered as they are in the United States. The picture-perfect patch of grass is so deeply rooted in the American psyche it feels more like a default setting than a choice. Americans spend countless hours every year seeding, watering, mowing, and fertilizing patches of grass that don't make much sense, economically or ecologically. But why? In this episode, we dig into the history of our lawnly love to learn where the concept came from...and how we grew so obsessed. Guests: Cindy Brown , manager of collections, education, and access at Smithsonian Gardens Joyce Connolly , museum specialist at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens Abeer Saha , curator of agriculture and engineering at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Sylvia Schmeichel , lead horticulturist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Jeff Schneider , deputy director of Smithsonian Gardens
Wed, April 26, 2023
Bill Nye the Sidedoor Guy
As a kid, Bill Nye spent whole days wandering the halls of Smithsonian museums. Now the Science Guy is back… to find his own blue lab coat and periodic table bowtie on display at the National Museum of American History. We sit down with Bill Nye to get schooled on science education, comedy, and the 1990s hit TV show that turned him into an entire generation’s favorite science teacher. Guests: Bill Nye, Science Guy This episode was produced in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Their exhibition, Entertainment Nation , shows the power of American entertainment to captivate, inspire, and transform. Through the objects and their stories, the ongoing exhibition will explore how, for over 150 years, entertainment has provided a forum for important national conversations about who we are, and who we want to be.
Wed, April 12, 2023
Space Marathon
Until the 1970s, women were barred from competing in U.S. marathons because of the belief that the "violent movements" would wreak havoc on their reproductive system, "thus defeating a woman’s true purpose in life, i.e., the bringing forth of strong children." Through a series of steps, stumbles —and one epic tackle— running pioneers like Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb and Kathrine Switzer blazed the trail for women marathoners who followed, including Sunita Williams — the first person to run the Boston Marathon IN SPACE! Guests: Sunita Williams , astronaut Jennifer Levasseur, curator, Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Peter Sagal, marathoner; host of NPR's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! Bobbi Gibb, first woman to run the Boston Marathon Kathrine Switzer, first women to officially run the Boston Marathon
Wed, March 29, 2023
Monsoon Mood
We think of paintings as art, but can they also be a source of data? 300 years ago, a young prince inherited the throne in Udaipur, India, and brought with him some newfangled ideas about art. His court artists created massive paintings that flew in the face of convention, documenting real life events, times, places and even emotions —especially during the annual monsoon season. These paintings are so detailed that - centuries later - they can serve as archival records to help understand our own changing climate. Guests: Debra Diamond , Elizabeth Moynihan Curator for South Asian and Southeast Asian Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art Dipti Khera, associate professor, Department of Art History and Institute of Fine Arts, New York University Mark Giordano, professor of geography and vice dean for undergraduate affairs at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service This episode was produced in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art’s exhibition : A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur , in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the museum’s founding and the 75th anniversary of Indian independence. The exhibition is on view through May 14, 2023.
Wed, March 15, 2023
Lights Out
Most people in North America can't see the Milky Way. The reason? We're ensconced in a luminous fog of artificial lighting 24/7. The evolution of lighting technology over the last century has made it possible to live, work, and play at any hour - day or night. But light pollution affects all life on earth, from humans to plants and insects. So, how did we find ourselves surrounded by a glowing shroud of electricity... and can we have the dark, without giving up the light? Guests: Hal Wallace , curator of electricity collections at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Lisbeth Fuisz, coordinating director, Lights Out D.C. Brian Schmidt, museum specialist , Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Diane Turnshek, Astronomer; Dark Skies Advocate This episode was produced in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's exhibition: Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky. Through over 100 photographs, nearly 250 objects, interactive experiences, tactile models, and a theater program, discover why dark nights matter, rekindle your connection with the night sky, and consider how much light at night is enough—for whom, for what purpose, and who gets to decide? Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky is open March 23, 2023 - TBA.
Wed, March 01, 2023
The Phantom Violins
When Sidedoor listener Cliff Hall bought a used violin, he found a tattered note tucked alongside the century-old instrument. Obsessed with this cryptic piece of paper, Cliff’s quest to find the owner of the violin unlocked a tale of subterfuge, scandal, and the Smithsonian’s first donation of rare instruments. Guests: Deborah Shapiro , reference archivist at the Smithsonian Institution Archives, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Cliff Hall , violin teacher and freelance journalist Kenneth Slowik , curator of the musical instrument collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History; artistic director of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society
Trailer · Wed, February 22, 2023
It’s Season Nine!
Sidedoor returns for its ninth season on Wednesday, March 1st!
Thu, February 09, 2023
Love Letters
They bring out the voyeur in us. And the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art is full of them. In three short letters, we offer a glimpse of tender moments in the complex lives of others. Guests: Josh T. Franco , Head of Collecting at the Archives of American Art. Liza Kirwin , Interim Director of the Archives of American Art. Jenny Williams , Associate Director for Advancement at the Archives of American Art.
Wed, January 25, 2023
The Cabbage Patch Kids Riots
In 1983, the Cabbage Patch Kids were released, causing widespread pandemonium in toy stores and in the media. How did a children's toy inspire such bad adult behavior? Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast explores the strange world of the Cabbage Patch Kids to figure out why they hit it so big. The answer involves butt tattoos, slightly grotesque faces, industrial innovations, an origin story in a cabbage patch, and serious accusations of copyright theft. We’ll be back with new episodes of Sidedoor soon! If you enjoyed this episode, you can find more episodes of Decoder Ring at Slate.com
Wed, January 11, 2023
King's Speech
This MLK Day we're digging into the story behind Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech —from its first draft to a rhyming poem and, finally, to the speech we all know today. This episode was previously released in February of 2022.
Wed, December 28, 2022
The Monumental Imagination of Augusta Savage
Public monuments to honor Black Americans in the 1930s: that was the vision of Augusta Savage, a Harlem Renaissance sculptor who has been called one of the most influential artists of the 21st century. But the monuments she left behind might not be what you'd expect. Guests: Karen Lemmey , Lucy S. Rhame Curator of Sculpture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Grace Yasumura , assistant curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Tess Korobkin , Professor of American Art at University of Maryland, College Park
Wed, December 14, 2022
A Very Merry Sidedoor
What is it about a mistletoe that says “smooch?” And what the heck is figgy pudding anyway? The holidays are here again, and with them come songs, foods, and rituals so familiar we may not think to ask where they come from...until now! In this holiday special, we track down the origins of some puzzling Christmastime traditions, jingling all the way from Norse mythology to Victorian home cooking, the Emancipation Proclamation, and even out of this world. Guests: Margaret Weitekamp , chair of the Space History Department of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum; curator of cultural and social history of spaceflight Ashley Rose Young, food historian at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Teddy Reeves , curator of religion at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture Jim Deutsch, curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Wed, November 30, 2022
Lucy Hicks Anderson
Known for her smashing parties, lighter-than-air souffles and comedic wit, Lucy Hicks Anderson never let anyone tell her how to live her life – not even the courts. When her gender was put on trial in the 1940s, the publicity around her case made her one the first documented Black transgender figures in American history. Guests: Ashleigh Coren, Acting Head of Education for the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative C. Riley Snorton, author of Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity
Wed, November 16, 2022
Reservation Math: Navigating Love in Native America
If you’ve heard the phrase, “full blooded,” you’re already familiar with the concept of blood quantum. But Native Americans are the only peoples in the United States whose identity is defined by it. Through the photography of Tailyr Irvine, displayed at the National Museum of the American Indian , we take a look at the colonial origin story of blood quantum: where it came from, why it endures, and how it continues to impact the most personal decisions many Native Americans make about love and family today. Guests: Tailyr Irvine , photojournalist; member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; additional interviewer for this episode Michael Irvine , member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Nizhóní Ajéí's father Cecile Ganteaume , curator at the National Museum of the American Indian and author of Officially Indian: Symbols That Define the United States Ruth Swaney , Tribal Budget Director for and member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Leah Nelson , member of the Navajo Nation and Nizhóní Ajéí's mother Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear , social demographer and assistant professor of Sociology and American Indian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles; citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation and Chicana David Wilkins , political scientist and professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond; member of the Lumbee Nation
Wed, November 02, 2022
Wronging the Wrights
It 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
Wed, October 19, 2022
Who Built the White House?
"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
Wed, October 05, 2022
Spooked at the Smithsonian
The 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
Wed, September 21, 2022
Did Meat Make Us Human?
Eating 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
Wed, September 07, 2022
Love in the Time of Emoji
When 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
Wed, August 24, 2022
Dynamo Dot
Dorothy 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
Wed, August 10, 2022
Sumo Wrestlers vs. Firefighters
In 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
Wed, July 27, 2022
Culture in Crisis
"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.
Wed, July 13, 2022
Hubble Trouble
As 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
Mon, July 04, 2022
A Star-Spangled Bonus Episode
Which 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
Wed, June 29, 2022
Get Off My Lawn
Nowhere in the world are lawns as revered as they are in the United States. The picture-perfect patch of grass is so deeply rooted in the American psyche it feels more like a default setting than a choice. Americans spend countless hours every year seeding, watering, mowing, and fertilizing patches of grass that don't make much sense, economically or ecologically. But why? In this episode, we dig into the history of our lawnly love to learn where the concept came from...and how we grew so obsessed. Guests: Cindy Brown , manager of collections, education, and access at Smithsonian Gardens Joyce Connolly , museum specialist at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens Abeer Saha , curator of agriculture and engineering at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Sylvia Schmeichel , lead horticulturist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Jeff Schneider , deputy director of Smithsonian Gardens
Wed, June 15, 2022
The Sex Lives of Giant Pandas
Whether it's live on the Smithsonian’s National Zoo's panda cam or in front of a crowd, possibly no other animal's sex life is as closely watched as the giant pandas' is. And there's a reason. These cuddly-looking black and white bears just can't figure out how to mate. But, with a little help from science, the once-endangered giant panda is making a comeback. In honor of the 50th anniversary of giant pandas at Smithsonian's National Zoo, we peep into the (not so secret) sex lives of pandas. Guests: Pierre Comizzoli, panda sex expert and staff scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Lisa Stevens, AKA “Panda Lady”; former senior curator of mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Stephen Powers, panda fan
Trailer · Wed, June 08, 2022
It’s Season Eight!
Sidedoor returns for its eighth season on Wednesday, June 15th!
Wed, June 01, 2022
Bonus: Yes She Did!
We’re hard at work producing the next season of Sidedoor, but just in case you can’t get enough Smithsonian podcasts we’re sharing a special guest episode of Portraits, from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. In this episode, grassroots organizer Dolores Huerta talks about how she took on the status quo (in a wrinkled sweater) during the landmark Delano Grape Strike. All the time, she fought on two fronts: resisting exploitation and also resisting sexism, sometimes from within the very labor movement she helped to launch. You can subscribe to Portraits wherever you get your podcasts.
Wed, May 18, 2022
Bonus: Black Feminism Re-rooted
We’re hard at work producing the next season of Sidedoor, but just in case you can’t get enough Smithsonian podcasts, we’re sharing a special guest episode of Collected, from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. In this first episode of the series, co-hosts Dr. Crystal Moten and Dr. Krystal Klingenberg discuss the multiple definitions of Black Feminism, joined by guests Dr. Brittney Cooper, Paris Hatcher, Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and Feminista Jones. You can subscribe to Collected wherever you get your podcasts.
Wed, May 04, 2022
Bonus: Moonshine
We’re hard at work producing the next season of Sidedoor, but just in case you can’t get enough Smithsonian podcasts, we’re sharing a special guest episode of AirSpace, from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. This story is about a truly intoxicating period of American history – Prohibition! In this episode of AirSpace, you’ll learn how banning alcohol in the U.S. gave the fledgling air travel industry the shot it needed to get off the ground. You can subscribe to AirSpace wherever you get your podcasts.
Wed, April 20, 2022
The Hungerford Deed
When a 200-year-old legal document anonymously arrived at his office, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives conservator William Bennett assumed it would be full of boring legal jargon. Instead, he found a juicy tale of family betrayal that would forever change what we thought we knew about the founding of the Smithsonian. Speakers: William Bennett, conservator at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and Archives Social: @rwilliab (Instagram), @SirWilliamB (Twitter) Heather Ewing , author of The Lost World of James Smithson, and Associate Dean at New York Studio School Social: @HPealeEwing Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large
Wed, April 06, 2022
The Many Inventions of Beatrice Kenner
An accident that nearly killed Beatrice Kenner when she was five years old scarred her face for life, but it also gave her a determination to create solutions wherever she saw obstacles. This drive and ingenuity made her one of the most prolific African American inventors of the mid 20th century. This time on Sidedoor, we explore what might be Beatrice Kenner's greatest invention of all: an innovation for periods in a period of innovation.
Wed, March 23, 2022
Broad Stripes, Bright Stars and White Lies
Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. At least, that's what we were taught in school. But when historians go searching… there’s no proof to be found. In this episode of Sidedoor, we unravel this vexillological tale tall to find out how this myth got started, and who Betsy Ross really was. Guests: Jennifer Locke Jones, political and military history curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Twitter: @jonesjl_si Marc Leepson , journalist, historian and author of the book Flag: An American Biography @MarcLeepson https://www.marcleepson.com/ Book link: https://www.amazon.com/Flag-American-Biography-Marc-Leepson/dp/0312323093 Marla R. Miller , historian and author of Betsy Ross and the Making of America Twitter: @MarlaAtLarge Book link: https://www.amazon.com/Betsy-Making-America-Marla-Miller/dp/0805082972
Wed, March 09, 2022
Take Who Out to the Ball Game?
Baseball fan or not, you know this song…or at least, you think you do. “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is one of the top three most recognizable songs in the country, next to “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Happy Birthday.” But long-forgotten lyrics reveal a feminist message buried amid the peanuts and cracker jack. Speakers: Dan Piazza , curator at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Andy Strasberg , co-author of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Baseball’s Greatest Hit” George Boziwick , retired Chief of the Music Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and co-founder of the Red Skies Music Ensemble Nancy Faust , retired organist for the Chicago White Sox
Wed, February 23, 2022
Raven and the Box of Daylight
Before here was here Raven was a white bird, and the world was in darkness. So begins the story passed down among the Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest since time immemorial. This origin story has survived by passing from the lips of one person to the ear of another – from generation to generation. In this episode of Sidedoor, Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary shares it in a new way: leading us on a journey from darkness to light through dozens of luminous glass sculptures. Speakers Miranda Belarde-Lewis , independent curator and assistant professor of Information Science at the University of Washington IG: miranda505 Preston Singletary , internationally acclaimed Tlingit glass artist IG: @prestonsingletaryglass YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PrestonSingletaryGlass Emil Her Many Horses , curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian IG: @SmithsonianNMAI | Twitter: @SmithsonianNMAI
Wed, February 09, 2022
King's Speech
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech is one of the most famous speeches in the world. But it almost didn’t happen. If you look at King's typed manuscript of his speech —which is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture— you won't find the phrase "I Have a Dream." But even though Dr. King's speech was improvised, that doesn't mean it wasn't years in the making. In this episode of Sidedoor, we trace the evolution of King's dream, from a secret friendship, to an experimental poem, to the speech we all know today. Guests: Kevin Young, Director of Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture W. Jason Miller, Author of Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and King's Rhetoric
Wed, January 26, 2022
The Robot in the Mirror
It’s easy to think artificial intelligence is objective. It doesn’t have emotions. It operates based on cold hard calculations. But artificial intelligence is built on human intelligence, and it may be carrying our old prejudices into the future with us. In this episode of Sidedoor, we step into the Smithsonian’s FUTURES exhibition to meet a very special robot who asks us to consider: whose image will be reflected in our AI future? Speakers: Stephanie Dinkins , transdisciplinary artist and professor at Stony Brook University Twitter: @dinkinsstudio @stephdink Instagram: Dinkins.studio, stephanie.dinkins Email: hello@dinkins.studio Website: www.stephaniedinkins.com Ashley Molese, a curator of the Smithsonian’s FUTURES exhibition Social media: @smithsonianAIB, #TheFUTURES
Wed, January 12, 2022
The Fugitive Brewer
A skill for brewing beer and $100 reward for her capture. Those were the clues in an old newspaper ad that got Smithsonian brewing historian Theresa McCulla hooked on the story of Patsy Young, an enslaved African American woman who fled to freedom in 1808 and made a life for herself brewing beer. In this episode of Sidedoor, we follow McCulla as she scours historical documents to retrace Young's life and find out who she was...and what happened after her escape. Guests: Theresa McCulla , Curator with the Smithsonian’s American Brewing History Initiative at the National Museum of American History Mary Elliott , Curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Frank Clark , Master of Historic Foodways at Colonial Williamsburg
Wed, December 29, 2021
Edison’s Demon Dolls
In 1890, Americans were delighted when they heard the news that Thomas Edison was using his phonograph technology to give voice to porcelain dolls. But their delight soon turned to horror. In this episode of Sidedoor, we’ll hear a short story that imagines what happens when two little girls receive one of Edison’s talking dolls as a holiday gift. And we’ll speak with an expert from the National Museum of American history to learn what went wrong with Edison’s invention.
Wed, December 15, 2021
Chiura Obata’s Glorious Struggle
When Chiura Obata painted “Moonlight Over Topaz, Utah,” he was a prisoner at the camp: one of 120,000 Japanese Americans to be incarcerated during World War II. The painting shows a dreamy moonlit desert, with just a few dark lines to hint at the barbed wire fences and guard towers that held him and his family captive. As a painter, Obata turned again and again to nature as his greatest teacher, and his greatest subject. Today, his work can be found in art collections and museums around the world, including the Smithsonian's American Art Museum. This time on Sidedoor, we learn from Chiura Obata about the power of art in tumultuous times. Speakers: Rihoko Ueno: Processing archivist at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art Noriko Sanefuji: Museum specialist in the Division of Cultural and Community Life at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History @apacurator @amhistorymuseum ShiPu Wang: Coats Endowed Chair in the Arts and Professor of Art History at The University of California Merced. Curator of the traveling exhibition, “Chiura Obata: An American Modern.” @curatingobata Kimi Hill: Chiura Obata’s granddaughter and author of the book, “Topaz Moon.”
Wed, December 01, 2021
Love in the Time of Emoji
When 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.
Wed, November 17, 2021
Light of Freedom
There’s a new sculpture at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: a giant torch that’s strikingly familiar – and entirely unique. Artist Abigail DeVille has reimagined the Statue of Liberty’s torch to shine a light on historical contradictions of American freedom. Through her work, DeVille asks us to re-examine the stories we’ve inherited as a nation, including the story of Lady Liberty herself. As it turns out, the statue holding her torch alight in New York Harbor today has come to stand for something very different from its original intention. Born out of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, Light of Freedom reflects the historical origins of the Statue of Liberty and challenges us to confront the idea that liberty itself is a work in progress.
Wed, November 03, 2021
King of the Herbs
It’s a wild herb that countless cultures have used for centuries as a wonder drug to cure any ailment. It's so rare and valuable that it’s been dug to extinction nearly everywhere, except a small area of the United States. This time on Sidedoor, we go searching for the elusive wild American ginseng — and find that scientists, conservationists, and criminals are also on the hunt.
Wed, October 20, 2021
Bloodsuckers!
Leeches don’t get a lot of love. They’re slimy, wriggly, and, well, they suck — blood that is. But there’s a lot to learn about the lowly leech. Led by a troupe of Smithsonian experts, we’ll discover how these toothy hangers-on wormed their way into medical practices, performance art, and EVERY human cavity. Yes, even that one. It's a journey of discovery from the swamp to the stage and deep into the vaults of the Smithsonian. And it just may leave you with a little more appreciation (dare we say, love?) for the bloodsuckers.
Wed, October 06, 2021
Make Way for Elephants
The endangered Asian Elephant may be a conservation success story as its rapid decline appears to be stabilizing. But this has created a new set of problems. With little remaining habitat, these elephants have nowhere left to go but into roads, farms, and cities. This time on Sidedoor, we look at what happens when wild elephants go urban.
Trailer · Wed, September 29, 2021
It’s Season Seven!
Sidedoor returns for its seventh season on Wednesday, October 6th!
Bonus · Wed, September 22, 2021
Bonus: Patsy Mink
A new season of Sidedoor is just two weeks away! In the meantime, we’re sharing a special guest episode from Wonder Media Network’s podcast, “Encyclopedia Womannica.” In this episode, you’ll hear about the life of Patsy Mink, the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress and run for U.S. President. She was also the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She made a brief appearance in the Sidedoor episode, “Votes for Hawaiians,” and here you’ll hear more about how she paved the way for Asian-Americans across the nation. Encyclopedia Womannica is a daily podcast that explores the trials, tragedies and triumphs of groundbreaking women from antiquity through modernity, in just five minutes a day. You can find more episodes HERE . ( https://wondermedianetwork.com/encyclopedia-womannica )
S6 E19 · Wed, August 18, 2021
Bonus: Happy Birthday to Us
The “Men of Progress” painting, from 1862, shows the first Secretary of the Smithsonian surrounded by a group of scientists and inventors credited with “altering the course of contemporary civilization.” But what may be most remarkable about this tableau is who’s not there. To mark the 175th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s founding, the National Portrait Gallery’s Portraits podcast takes us back in time – to trace how the concept of progress has evolved, and who current Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III would put in his “portrait of progress.”
S6 E18 · Fri, July 23, 2021
Olympic Bonus: Shredding Skateboarding’s Glass Ceiling
This summer – for the first time ever - skateboarding will be an Olympic sport. In honor of its Olympic debut, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes: the story of how the best women skateboarders stood toe-to-toe with the most powerful people in the industry to demand equal pay. One of those women is none other than Mimi Knoop, who is coaching the USA women’s skateboarding team. In this bonus episode, we also talk about how skateboarding's entry onto the Olympic stage is a major achievement for the sport, but one not everybody is happy about.
S6 E17 · Wed, July 14, 2021
The Battle of Blair Mountain
100 years ago, in the hills of West Virginia, Black, white and European immigrant coal miners banded together to demand better pay and safer working conditions and were met with machine guns. While the story made headlines in 1921, it didn't make it into the history books. In our final episode of the season, we unearth this buried history to help mark the centennial of the largest labor uprising in American history.
S6 E16 · Wed, June 30, 2021
Ode to Cicadas
Every 17 years, the notorious Brood X cicadas crawl out of the earth by the billions to deafen Washington D.C. After nearly two decades underground, they spend their few short weeks in the sun singing, mating, and dying so the next generation can start anew. The cicadas' distinctive sound and strange life cycle have captivated our human ancestors for millennia, inspiring songs, art, royal attire and even some unique burial rituals.
S6 E15 · Wed, June 16, 2021
The Goddess of Broadway
When Diosa Costello took the stage in the 1939 production of “Too Many Girls,” she became the first Puerto Rican performer to tread the boards on Broadway. She was fearless, funny, and brimming with talent. She never considered herself a trailblazer, but her legacy – and the gowns she left at the Smithsonian – tell a different story
S6 E14 · Wed, June 02, 2021
The Artist Critics Love to Hate
LeRoy Neiman was a colorful man, both figuratively and literally. His handlebar mustache, long cigar, and sketchpad were fixtures at the sidelines of American pop culture: from boxing matches to jazz clubs and political conventions. His paintings, sketches, and prints papered the second half of the 20th century, highlighting American icons in his colorful expressionist style. He was rich, famous, and adored by many Americans… but not the art critics.
S6 E13 · Wed, May 26, 2021
BONUS: Confronting the Past
One hundred years ago this week, from May 31 and June 1, 1921, a mob targeted and destroyed nearly 40 blocks of a wealthy black neighborhood in North Tulsa, Oklahoma. No one knows how many people died, no one was ever convicted, and no one really talked about it nearly a century later. This is the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre and why it's important that you know it. At least 1,256 homes, along with churches, schools, businesses and even a hospital were deliberately burned or destroyed. Recently found documents are helping historians and researchers better understand the events that took place. And lots of this work is happening by staff at the National Museum of African American History and Culture . In fact, part of the Power of Place exhibition at the museum is dedicated to the events of the massacre.
Wed, May 19, 2021
Best of the Rest III
Groucho and Freddy. Oryx and ostriches. Cats and dinosaurs. These things go together like… well, they really don’t go together at all. These are fun-sized stories in one goodie bag of an episode. It’s Sidedoor’s third “Best of the Rest!”
S6 E11 · Wed, May 05, 2021
On The Money
We carry portraits around all the time: pocket-sized history lessons in the form of dollars and cents. The recent decision to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill has us thinking about who’s on our money, and how they got there. This episode of the “Portraits” podcast, from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, takes a whirlwind tour of money of yore, featuring everything from piles of bunnies to George Washington’s nipples. This episode will have you taking a closer look at the portraits you might be sitting on right now.
S6 E10 · Wed, April 28, 2021
BONUS: The 1957 Pandemic That Wasn’t
In 1918, a flu pandemic killed more than 50 million people worldwide. Forty years later, it nearly happened again. This week on Sidedoor we go back to a time when the viruses were winning, and we remember one man, Dr. Maurice Hilleman, whose vaccine virtuosity helped turn the tide in the war against infectious diseases . We’ve updated this episode with a bonus interview to reflect on what we’ve learned from our current pandemic. If you want to learn more, please see vaccinesandus.org .
S6 E9 · Wed, April 21, 2021
Holding out for a Herring
Henrietta the river herring is not a particularly glamorous fish. But she’s got grit. Every summer, she swims out to the Atlantic ocean, and every spring, she makes the 500 mile journey back to Maryland’s Patapsco River, where she was born—a habitat that’s been only partially accessible to herring like her for more than a century. But this year will be different. Join the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s herring tagging team as they study what happens to herring like Henrietta when someone gives a dam.
S6 E8 · Wed, April 07, 2021
Hot Bird Summer
Every spring, for as long as records have been kept, a crowd of hundreds of black crowned night herons descend on the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, mating, eating and generally causing a ruckus. Many of the keepers at the zoo enjoy them, but they can be a tough bird to love. Every fall, peace is restored when the herons decamp and fly off to… where? For more than a century, nobody knew. Until now.
S6 E7 · Wed, March 24, 2021
America's Unknown Celebrity Chef
When Lena Richard cooked her first chicken on television, she beat Julia Child to the screen by over a decade. At a time when most African American women cooks worked behind swinging kitchen doors, Richard claimed her place as a culinary authority, broadcasting in the living rooms of New Orleans’s elite white families. She was an entrepreneur, educator, author, and an icon—and her legacy lives on in her recipes.
S6 E6 · Wed, March 10, 2021
A Very Cold Case
American newspaper publisher and all-around eccentric, Charles Francis Hall, was an unlikely candidate to become an Arctic explorer. Nevertheless, he made three trips to the frozen north, until he died there under suspicious circumstances. Sharpen your powers of deduction and join us on Sidedoor for an epic frozen whodunit, featuring shipwreck, romance, and a social media darling with a dark secret.
S6 E5 · Wed, February 24, 2021
Life is Hard, Let's Meditate!
As Americans approach a full year of pandemic life, there’s an overwhelming sense of anticipation: when can we get vaccinated? What will life look like in six months? When will life return to normal ? Maybe because looking outward feels so daunting, a lot of people are looking inward, through mindfulness and meditation. In this episode of Sidedoor , we learn about mindfulness and meditation through the lens of religion – a Buddhist priest shares the story of her religious journey; and we hear about the secular spirituality that young Americans are increasingly following away from religion.
S6 E4 · Wed, February 10, 2021
Reservation Math: Navigating Love in Native America
If you’ve heard the phrase, “full blooded,” you’re already familiar with the concept of blood quantum. But Native Americans are the only peoples in the United States whose identity is defined by it. Through the photography of Tailyr Irvine, displayed at the National Museum of the American Indian, we take a look at the colonial origin story of blood quantum: where it came from, why it endures, and how it continues to impact the most personal decisions many Native Americans make about love and family today. Tailyr Irvine’s Reservation Mathematics: Navigating Love in Native America exhibition link: https://americanindian.si.edu/developingstories/irvine.html
S6 E3 · Wed, January 27, 2021
Sing a Song of Protest
As an up-and-coming young blues singer in the 1950s, Barbara Dane faced a choice: fame and fortune, or her principles. She left the mainstream music industry and became a revolutionary music producer – literally. Spurred by Fidel Castro’s international gathering of protest singers, Dane created a record label that published the sounds of social change around the world, and inspired generations of protest music to come. For more information, check out: https://folkways.si.edu/paredon
S6 E2 · Wed, January 13, 2021
How Wonder Woman Got Her Groove Back
Wonder Woman is the best known female superhero of all time, but she’s been through a lot. The brainchild of a psychologist, Wonder Woman hit the comic pages in the 1940s as an antidote to the “bloodcurdling masculinity” of male superheroes. But by the early ‘70s, Wonder Woman was having a midlife crisis. She’d given up her bullet-blocking bracelets and lasso of truth…and opened a clothing boutique. It took a feminist magazine cover to make-over Wonder Woman from comic book character to the icon she remains today.
S6 E1 · Wed, December 16, 2020
Edison’s Demon Dolls
In 1890, Americans were delighted when they heard the news that Thomas Edison was using his phonograph technology to give voice to porcelain dolls. But their delight turned to horror when they got their hands on his dolls. In this episode of Sidedoor, we’ll hear a short story that imagines what happens when two little girls receive one of Edison’s talking dolls as a holiday gift, as well as meet one of these dolls with an expert from the National Museum of American history. To see one of these dolls, check it out on our website .
Bonus · Wed, December 02, 2020
Bonus Episode: Tempest in a Teacup
This week, we have an episode from the NHPR podcast “Outside/In” about passenger pigeons. The passenger pigeon is one of the world’s most symbolic extinction stories. It’s a cautionary tale of how in just a few short generations, one of the wonders of the world could be completely eradicated. But when that narrative was questioned in a popular book, 1491 by Charles Mann, what does the response tell us about the conservation movement as a whole?
Bonus · Wed, November 18, 2020
Bonus Episode: That Time the FBI Called
This week, we’re sharing an episode of ‘Detours,’ a new podcast from our friends at GBH and PRX. The podcast shares surprising stories that unfold behind the scenes at the PBS classic TV show “Antiques Roadshow.” In this episode: a rare daguerreotype, Edgar Alan Poe, and…the FBI. You can find ‘Detours’ wherever you listen to podcasts.
S5 E17 · Wed, October 14, 2020
The Gorilla Epidemic
When a highly-contagious mystery illness spread through the world’s mountain gorilla population, biologists feared the entire species could be lost. Gorillas don’t wear masks or social distance, so there wasn’t much time for the scientists to identify the illness and find a cure for humanity’s hirsute cousins. What they found in 1988 reminds us in 2020 that humans and wildlife share more than a planet: we share disease.
S5 E16 · Wed, September 30, 2020
Dress Coded
Dress codes have been around a long time—from the old days of long skirts and bloomers to today’s regulation-length shorts. But while the specifics of what girls can wear to school have changed, the purpose of the codes has not.
S5 E15 · Wed, September 16, 2020
Appalachia Goes Beijing
When Abigail Washburn and Wu Fei first jammed together, “it was magic.” Fei was shocked to meet an American banjo player so curious about China’s culture; and Abigail Washburn met a classically trained composer whose talents on the guzheng, a 2500 year old 21-string Chinese harp, perfectly complimented her banjo pickin’. Today, they collaborate to make a new brand of folk music: one that combines the tones of Appalachia with the melodies of China.
S5 E14 · Wed, September 02, 2020
The People's Insect
To look at them, you might think, “Monarch butterflies aren’t going anywhere fast.” But each year, these beauties complete one of the most remarkable migrations in the animal kingdom, soaring more than a mile high to gather on a few mountaintops in Mexico they’ve never seen before, yet somehow they all know where to find. We unlock the secret lives of monarchs, and learn how to support them on their journey.
Wed, August 26, 2020
Bonus Ep: Cult of True Womanhood
Bonus Episode | This week, we wanted to share “And Nothing Less,” the new short series from our colleagues at the National Park Service and PRX. It gives a much-needed closer look at the twisty history of the 19th Amendment - and its lesser-known heroes. It’s hosted by two fabulous women: Rosario Dawson and Retta. We’ll play the first episode right here, and you can find the rest of the series by searching (enunciate) “And Nothing Less” wherever you get your podcasts!
S5 E13 · Wed, August 19, 2020
The Riverkeeper
Fred Tutman is the voice of the river. Specifically, Maryland’s Patuxent River. As the Riverkeeper, his job is to protect and preserve all 110 miles of that waterway – a role that takes him both to the courtroom and to the riverbank. But Fred is also the only African American Riverkeeper in the United States, a fact he sees as an indicator of an environmental movement that is incomplete. And it’s the planet that will pay the price.
S5 E12 · Wed, August 05, 2020
Votes for Hawaiians
100 years ago this month, the 19th Amendment was ratified into the American Constitution. It’s widely remembered as the moment American women gained the right to vote, but history tells a more complex story. For millions of Indigenous Americans living in far-flung territories, the 19th Amendment afforded some rights – but fell well short of what was promised. So this time: how women’s suffrage came to Hawaiʻi – and what was taken from Hawaiians to get there.
S5 E11 · Wed, July 22, 2020
Apollo 12's Really Close Call
On November 14, 1969, just four months after Apollo 11’s “giant leap for mankind,” the Apollo 12 Saturn V rocket took off for the moon. Seconds later, a burst of static plunged the three-man crew into complete darkness while speeding toward space in a nearly dead spacecraft. For the 50th anniversary, we tell the often-overlooked story of Apollo 12, one full of danger, discovery, and the power of friendship.
S5 E10 · Wed, July 08, 2020
Take Who Out to the Ball Game?
Baseball fan or not, you know this song…or at least, you think you do. “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is one of the top three most recognizable songs in the country, next to the “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Happy Birthday.” But long-forgotten lyrics reveal a feminist message buried amid the peanuts and cracker jack.
S5 E9 · Wed, June 24, 2020
Shredding Skateboarding’s Glass Ceiling
When Mimi Knoop entered her first skateboarding competition at 24 years old, she never anticipated leaving her mark on the sport forever. But in the early 2000s, she formed an alliance with pioneering skateboarder Cara-Beth Burnside to make a simple request: that the X Games – and the rest of the skateboarding industry – treat female skateboarders the same way they treat their male peers.
S5 E8 · Wed, June 10, 2020
America’s Unknown Celebrity Chef
When Lena Richard cooked her first chicken on television, she beat Julia Child to the screen by over a decade. At a time when most African American women cooks worked behind swinging kitchen doors, Richard claimed her place as a culinary authority, broadcasting in the living rooms of New Orleans’s elite white families. She was an entrepreneur, educator, author, and an icon – and her legacy lives on in her recipes. Today: her improbable rise to prominence, and her famous gumbo.
S5 E7 · Wed, May 27, 2020
Young Harriet
In 2017, a photograph of Harriet Tubman surfaced that had been lost to history for more than a century. In a feature of the National Portrait Gallery’s Portraits podcast, we hear the story behind this picture, and how its discovery changes the way we see Tubman – not just an icon of freedom and human dignity, but a courageous young woman.
S5 E6 · Wed, May 13, 2020
The People's Insect
To look at them, you might think, “Monarch butterflies aren’t going anywhere fast.” But each year, these beauties complete one of the most remarkable migrations in the animal kingdom, soaring more than a mile high to gather on a few mountaintops in Mexico they’ve never seen before, yet somehow they all know where to find. We unlock the secrets lives of monarchs, and learn how to support them on their journey.
S5 E5 · Wed, April 29, 2020
Best of the Rest II
A perplexing tattoo. Ancient erotica. Killer bees on the loose. This episode is full of short stories we’ve been eager to tell, but couldn’t… until now. It’s Sidedoor’s second-ever “Best of the Rest!” Learn more about the Freer & Sackler’s collection of shunga, the National Museum of American History’s Great Historic Clock of America on si.edu.
S5 E4 · Wed, April 15, 2020
Birds, Birds, Birds!
Three billion birds have gone missing since 1970. And conservation biologist Pete Marra considers it his life’s work to make sure more don’t slip away without a fight. In this episode, we go bird-spotting with Pete, and learn what each of us can do to bring birds back.
S5 E3 · Wed, April 01, 2020
The Milkmaid Spy
Virginia Hall dreamed of being America’s first female ambassador. Instead, she became a spy. Joining the ranks of the U.S.’s first civilian spy network, she operated alone in occupied France, where she built French Resistance networks, delivered critical intelligence, and sold cheese to the enemy. All on one leg.
S5 E2 · Wed, March 18, 2020
The Last Man To Know It All
Alexander von Humboldt might not be a name you know, but you can bet you know his ideas. Back when the United States were a wee collection of colonies huddled on the eastern seaboard, colonists found the wilderness surrounding them *scary. *It took a zealous Prussian explorer with a thing for barometers to show the colonists what they couldn’t see: a global ecosystem, and their own place in nature. In this episode, we learn how Humboldt - through science and art - inspired a key part of America’s national identity.
S5 E1 · Wed, March 04, 2020
Outer Space & Underwear
In the Venn diagram of life, it’s hard to imagine what spacecraft and women’s underwear might have in common. And that’s probably what NASA engineers thought back in 1962 when they asked a handful of companies to design a spacesuit that would keep a man alive and mobile on the moon. Nobody counted on the International Latex Corporation, whose commercial brand, Playtex, was known for its bras and girdles. But lingerie, and the expert seamstresses who sewed it, played a critical role in those first well-supported steps on the moon.
Trailer · Wed, February 26, 2020
We're Back!
Get ready for season five! Our new season begins on Wednesday, March 4th. Journey with Lizzie through our many side doors for a behind-the scenes view of the Smithsonian.
S4 E17 · Wed, January 22, 2020
Cars, Stars, and Rock 'n' Roll
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III is no administrative assistant. He’s the head of the largest museum, education, and research complex in the world. He’s also the first historian to lead the Smithsonian. In our season finale, we talk with Secretary Bunch about two stories of people overcoming tremendous obstacles to make a change and explore what the past can teach us about today…and tomorrow.
S4 E16 · Wed, January 08, 2020
Ponzi's Scheme
Nearly 100 years ago, Charles Ponzi stumbled across a loophole in the international postal system and turned it into one of the most infamous scams of all time. This time on Sidedoor, we follow Ponzi from his early days until his epic downfall, and hear from a postal investigator trained to catch swindlers like Ponzi who continue to use the U.S. mail for nefarious purposes.
S4 E15 · Wed, December 25, 2019
The Worst Video Game Ever?
Deep within the National Museum of American History’s vaults is a battered Atari case containing what’s known as “the worst video game of all time.” The game is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and it was so bad that not even the might of Steven Spielberg could save it. It was so loathsome that all remaining copies were buried deep in the desert. And it was so horrible that it’s blamed for the collapse of the American home video game industry in the early 1980s. This time on Sidedoor, we tell the story of just what went SO wrong with E.T. Episode originally aired June 26, 2019.
S4 E14 · Wed, December 11, 2019
Finding Cleopatra
Edmonia Lewis was the first American woman of color to achieve international fame as a sculptor. Her 3,000-pound masterwork, “The Death of Cleopatra,” commemorated another powerful woman who broke with convention… and then the sculpture disappeared. On this episode of Sidedoor, we find them both.
S4 E13 · Wed, November 27, 2019
Adam Rippon's Olympic Mesh-capades
When professional athletes face the end of their career, many look ahead with uncertainty and wonder: “What’s next?” But when Adam Rippon stood on the Olympic podium in 2018, making history as the first openly gay American to medal at the winter Olympics, he was sure about his next steps. Rippon was a darling of the American Olympic media, entering all of his interviews ready with a joke and a willingness to speak candidly about his personal journey. In this episode, Rippon brings that same attitude to Sidedoor, talking about his Olympic costume, fame, and the male private part that we didn’t realize was private.
S4 E12 · Wed, November 13, 2019
Apollo 12's Really Close Call
On November 14, 1969, just four months after Apollo 11’s “giant leap for mankind,” the Apollo 12 Saturn V rocket took off for the moon. Seconds later, a burst of static plunged the three-man crew into complete darkness while speeding toward space in a nearly dead spacecraft. For the 50th anniversary, we tell the often-overlooked story of Apollo 12, one full of danger, discovery, and the power of friendship.
S4 E11 · Wed, October 30, 2019
Dynamite!
In its heyday, dynamite was a transformative tool; it could blast rock quarries, excavate tunnels, and demolish buildings with power and reliability never before seen. But it also proved to be useful in some surprising ways. In this special episode of Sidedoor , we team up with the history podcast Backstory to explore two less-typical applications of the explosive: the artistic blasting at Mount Rushmore, and how anarchists used dynamite to advance their political agenda in 1886.
S4 E10 · Wed, October 16, 2019
This Episode Smells
Smell connects us to memories of the people and the places of our lives. But what if it could connect us to a past we’ve never experienced? That's the goal for one team of artists and scientists who used DNA to try to revive the scent of a flower extinct for more than a century.
S4 E9 · Wed, October 02, 2019
The Dinosaur War
Behind the fossilized teeth, bones, and claws displayed in the National Museum of Natural History’s new Fossil Hall is the story of two men and a nasty feud. During the paleontology boom of the late 1800s, scientists O.C. Marsh and Edward Cope went from good friends who named species after each other, to the bitterest of enemies who eventually ruined each other's lives and careers. Come for the dinos, stay for the grudges. Episode originally aired June 12, 2019.
S4 E8 · Wed, September 18, 2019
The Woman in the Frame
Did you know that Martha Washington was essential to America’s Revolutionary War effort? Or that Eleanor Roosevelt was the driving force behind the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights? According to journalist, writer, and commentator Cokie Roberts, many of America's First Ladies were dynamic, politically engaged trailblazers who are often overlooked. We sit down with the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery director, Kim Sajet, to talk about a recent episode of the museum’s new podcast, Portraits. In it, she and Cokie discuss four First Ladies who are remembered for their influence on American history. Note: As many of you have probably heard, Cokie Roberts passed away in the days since we originally recorded this episode. Our heart goes out to all of Cokie’s family, friends, and people like us who have enjoyed her work for decades. Portraits podcast website: https://npg.si.edu/podcasts Portraits of First Ladies featured in the episode: Martha Washington portrait Dolley Madison portrait Eleanor Roosevelt portrait Nancy Reagan portrait
S4 E7 · Wed, September 04, 2019
Field Trip!
Sidedoor hits the road, sneaking behind the scenes for the ultimate Smithsonian field trip we never took as kids. Lizzie and producer Justin O'Neill journey by bike, train, and even horse (okay, plastic horse) in a romp from museum to museum, encountering a hungry predator, a group of Broadway monsters, the last work of an iconic painter, and lots more. Join us! Links from the episode: Hokusai's Under the Wave off Kanagawa (aka "The Great Wave") at the Freer Gallery Tarantula Feedings at the National Museum of Natural History David Best's Temple at the Renwick Gallery Mitsitam Café at the National Museum of the American Indian The Smithsonian Carousel
S4 E6 · Wed, August 21, 2019
Memory, Myth & Miniatures
David Levinthal is a New York-based artist whose photography depicts “the America that never was but always will be.” He uses toys to recreate iconic moments in American history and pop culture, encouraging his audience to question America’s collective memory. Sidedoor visits Levinthal in his studio, and an exhibition of his work at the Smithsonian American Art Museum titled “American Myth & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs” to explore the distinction between fact and fable. Click here to see the images we discuss in the episode.
S4 E5 · Wed, August 07, 2019
The Wild Orchid Mystery
You probably know orchids as the big, colorful flowers found in grocery stores and given as housewarming gifts. But those tropical beauties represent only a fraction of the estimated 25,000 orchid species worldwide. While their showy relatives fly off the shelves, North America’s more understated native orchids are disappearing in the wild. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are working to protect these orchids and their habitats, but first they need to solve a surprisingly difficult problem: how to grow one.
S4 E4 · Wed, July 24, 2019
Things You'd Never Tell Your Parents
Regie Cabico has been called the "Lady Gaga of Spoken Word poetry"—he's outspoken, provocative and iconoclastic. The son of Filipino immigrants living in rural Maryland, Regie says he’ll never be “entirely American or entirely Filipino,” and on stage he uses his poetry to explore identity, social issues, and (of course) love. Regie joins Sidedoor *in studio* for an exclusive live performance, and even offers some poetic cooking tips from the annals of American history.
S4 E3 · Wed, July 10, 2019
Space Jocks & Moon Rocks
When NASA’s Apollo 11 mission sent the first astronauts to the moon 50 years ago, there were many things we didn’t know. Like whether the moon’s surface would turn out to be a field of quicksand, if space germs would infect the astronauts, or what exactly the moon was made of. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, we join forces with the National Air and Space Museum’s podcast, AirSpace, to explore the mysteries of lunar science: what we didn't know then, and what we still don't know today. Listen to AirSpace, stories that defy gravity: airandspace.si.edu/learn/airspace-podcast
S4 E2 · Wed, June 26, 2019
The Worst Video Game Ever?
Deep within the National Museum of American History’s vaults is a battered Atari case containing what’s known as “the worst video game of all time.” The game is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and it was so bad that not even the might of Steven Spielberg could save it. It was so loathsome that all remaining copies were buried deep in the desert. And it was so horrible that it’s blamed for the collapse of the American home video game industry in the early 1980s. This time on Sidedoor, we tell the story of just what went SO wrong with E.T.
S4 E1 · Wed, June 12, 2019
The Dinosaur War
Behind the fossilized teeth, bones, and claws displayed in the National Museum of Natural History’s new Fossil Hall is the story of two men and a nasty feud. During the paleontology boom of the late 1800s, scientists O.C. Marsh and Edward Cope went from good friends who named species after each other, to the bitterest of enemies who eventually ruined each other's lives and careers. Come for the dinos, stay for the grudges.
Trailer · Wed, June 05, 2019
Update: Meet the New Voice of Season Four!
With our fourth season’s launch quickly approaching, take a moment to meet the new voice of Sidedoor! Season Four of the Smithsonian's Sidedoor podcast launches on June 12, 2019. Subscribe now!
Wed, April 24, 2019
Aloha, Y’all
Close your eyes and think of Hawaii. That sound you undoubtedly hear? Well, that’s the ocean. But that other sound floating on the breeze—that’s the steel guitar, an indigenous Hawaiian invention that has influenced country, blues, and rock music since the turn of the 20th century. This time on Sidedoor, we follow a familiar sound with an unexpected origin and learn how the steel guitar helped Hawaiians preserve their culture and change American popular music.
Wed, April 10, 2019
Good as Gold
Glittering treasures, gleaming coins, and eye-catching jewelry…gold can be all of these things, but in some parts of the world it's also an enduring link to the past. Gus Casely-Hayford, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, takes us on a journey through West Africa to learn how gold was the foundation for massive empires—and his own family—and how it continues shining brightly in West African culture today.
Mon, April 01, 2019
Abraham Lincoln: Prankster-in-Chief
We all know Abraham Lincoln, right? Well, we know one side of him—the grave-faced leader of a troubled country—but behind the face on the penny lies an unlikely jokester. This week, Sidedoor reveals the rascally side of our 16th president, and does it with a brand-new sound.
Wed, March 27, 2019
The Feather Detective
In 1960, investigators found dark bits of feather stuck inside a crashed airplane's engines. They needed someone to figure out what bird they belonged to—and how that bird took down a 110,000-pound plane. Enter Roxie Laybourne, a Smithsonian bird expert who not only answered that question, but also invented the science of using feathers to solve bird-related mysteries. This time on Sidedoor, we revisit some of Roxie's greatest cases and learn how she and her team helped keep the friendly skies friendly for both birds and people.
Wed, March 13, 2019
Singing the Gender-Bending Blues
Gladys Bentley loved women, wore men's clothing, and sang bawdy songs that would make sailors blush...and did it openly in the 1920s and 1930s. This was long before the gay rights or the civil rights movements, yet Bentley became a darling of the Harlem Renaissance alongside icons like Langston Hughes and Josephine Baker. While her provocative performances kept her from becoming as well-known as her peers, they are exactly why she is being rediscovered—and admired—today. In celebration of Women's History Month, we follow the life of a trailblazer who was unapologetically herself at a time when she would’ve been acutely aware of the risks.
Wed, February 27, 2019
The Silence of the Frogs
In the mid-1990s, investigators identified a mysterious and seemingly unstoppable killer. Its name? Chytrid. Its prey? Frogs. Since then, the disease has ravaged frog populations worldwide, and despite decades of research there’s still no cure. So, like modern-day Noahs, a group of Smithsonian researchers have resorted to a time-honored plan: building an ark…for amphibians. This time on Sidedoor, we travel to the Panamanian jungle to see how it's helping some endangered frogs avoid extinction.
Wed, February 13, 2019
Cheech Marin Gets Artsy
In the 1970s and ’80s, Cheech Marin was famous for being half of the stoner comedy duo "Cheech and Chong." Today, he’s a passionate advocate for Chicano art and is raising awareness around a uniquely Mexican American aesthetic: rasquachismo. In this episode of Sidedoor, Cheech Marin is our guide to the wildly creative and ingenious world of rasquachismo—the Chicano art of working with what you've got.
Wed, January 30, 2019
50 Shades of Gray Whales
Happy New Year! We’re busy working on a new batch of Sidedoor episodes and while you wait, we wanted to re-share a story we like from the fall, just in case you missed it the first time around. From 6,000-year-old cave paintings to silver screen stars in movies like Free Willy, whales have long captured the human imagination. And it makes sense—they're among the largest and most intelligent creatures to ever live on our planet. This time on Sidedoor, we’ll explore our surprising relationship with whales through the lens of one species: the gray whale. Once aggressively hunted and thought to be nearly extinct, they've rebounded to become one of the North Pacific’s most abundant whale species. So, what changed?
Wed, December 26, 2018
Amelia Earhart's Revolutionary Flight Club
You know Amelia Earhart, but did you know she was just one of a daring group of women aviators who defied both expectations and gravity in the 1920s? They called themselves the Ninety-Nines, and they’re still flying today as an organization dedicated to the advancement of women pilots. This time on Sidedoor, we time-travel to the Roaring ‘20s to experience America's first official all-female air race, and then meet a modern-day Ninety-Nine who is ensuring that the legacy of Earhart and her fellow pilots continues to thrive.
Wed, December 12, 2018
Inventor, Photographer...Murderer
Meet Eadweard Muybridge, a pioneering and eccentric photographer from the 1800s whose work changed how people understood movement, and paved the way for the invention of motion pictures. But this inventor, artist, and showman also made a name for himself for something much less savory: murder. This time on Sidedoor, come for the ingenuity and stay for the scandal as we find out how a near-death experience, a handsome horse, and a rumored $25,000 bet helped Eadweard Muybridge change the course of photographic history.
Wed, November 28, 2018
This Color Is Who I Am
Artist Frank Holliday's social circle in the 1980s was a who's who of New York City cool: Andy Warhol, Cyndi Lauper, RuPaul, Keith Haring, and even Madonna. But Frank's odyssey through the art world also placed him at the center of an epidemic that would shake the entire country. In honor of World AIDS Day, Sidedoor takes a look at America's early HIV/AIDS Crisis through the eyes of an artist whose life and work were changed by it forever. This episode features recordings from the "Visual Arts and the AIDS Epidemic" Oral History Project produced by the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.
Wed, November 14, 2018
That Brunch in the Forest
In 1621, a group of Pilgrims and Native Americans came together for a meal that many Americans call "The First Thanksgiving." But get this—it wasn't the first, and the meal itself wasn't so special either. The event was actually all but forgotten for hundreds of years…until it was dusted off to bolster the significance of a national holiday. This time on Sidedoor, we talk to Paul Chaat Smith, a curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, to explore how much of what you think you know about Native Americans may be more fiction than fact.
Wed, October 31, 2018
Seriously Seeking Sasquatch
Inside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural history is the skeleton of Grover Krantz—an accomplished anthropologist, tenured professor…and diehard Bigfoot believer? As the first serious scientist to study the legendary creature, Krantz risked his career and reputation on a subject that many consider a joke. And while the museum remembers him as a man who loved science so much that he donated his body to it, another community remembers Krantz as a pioneer in the study of Sasquatch.
Wed, October 17, 2018
Slavery, Freedom & Grandma’s House
What if you found out that your grandmother’s house was going on display at a museum? The. Whole. House. That’s what happened to the Meggett sisters, who grew up visiting, eating, and playing at their grandma’s tiny cabin in South Carolina, unaware that it was originally built to house enslaved people. This time on Sidedoor, we explore the house's unique journey from slave cabin to family home to its latest incarnation as a centerpiece at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Wed, October 03, 2018
50 Shades of Gray Whales
From 6,000-year-old cave paintings to silver screen stars in movies like Free Willy, whales have long captured the human imagination. And it makes sense—they're among the largest and most intelligent creatures to ever live on our planet. This time on Sidedoor, we’ll explore our surprising relationship with whales through the lens of one species: the gray whale. Once aggressively hunted and thought to be nearly extinct, they've rebounded to become one of the North Pacific’s most abundant whale species. So, what changed?
Mon, October 01, 2018
Update: Passing the Mic!
Our dear host Tony Cohn is leaving *Sidedoor *to travel the world, so we want to take a minute to introduce you to the new voice of the show, Haleema Shah.
Wed, September 19, 2018
A Right to the City
In Washington, D.C., the neighborhood of Anacostia was once dismissed as the wrong side of the river. Now, it is turning into a housing hotspot as the city sees an influx of newer, wealthier residents. It’s called gentrification, and the process has become a flashpoint from Houston to Harlem and beyond. We’ll explore this longtime fight for housing through an innovative community museum that empowers local residents—kids and adults—to tell the stories of these changing neighborhoods.
Wed, September 05, 2018
The World's Deadliest Animal
The world’s deadliest animal isn’t the tiger, the snake, or even the alligator—it’s the mosquito. These tiny insects spread diseases that kill over 700,000 people each year. But what can we do to stop them? In search of solutions, host Tony Cohn travels around Panama with some well-equipped Smithsonian experts on the trail of this bloodthirsty, buzzing beast.
Wed, August 22, 2018
The Mystery Bones of Witch Hill
It begins a bit like a *Scooby Doo *episode: archaeologists digging at a place called “Witch Hill” discover mysterious human remains in an ancient trash heap. Who was this person? How’d they get there? Astonishingly, it would take 40 years to find out, and the story is way more surprising — and groundbreaking — than anyone could’ve ever imagined. So, grab your Scooby Snacks and join Sidedoor as we journey to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama to see these unusual bones firsthand and meet the “meddling kids” trying to solve a mystery 700 years in the making.
Wed, August 08, 2018
The Curse of the Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond is one of the most iconic items in the Smithsonian's collections, but this glittering gem is rumored to have a dark side. French monarchs, an heiress, and at least one unlucky postman have met misfortune after possessing it—though does that really constitute a curse? This time on Sidedoor, we track the lore of this notorious gem through the centuries, from southern India, through the French Revolution, and across the Atlantic Ocean to its current home at the National Museum of Natural History, to find out for ourselves.
Trailer · Thu, August 02, 2018
Season Three Update!
Tony sneaks away from the mosquitoes and frogs of Panama to make a special announcement: Sidedoor season three launches on Wednesday, August 8! Get ready for even more amazing stories from every corner of the Smithsonian. Pro tip: subscribe today to receive new episodes before anyone else, including our upcoming season premiere, "The Curse of the Hope Diamond."
Wed, July 04, 2018
Red, White and Brew
How much do you know about the history of American home brewing? In this episode of Sidedoor you'll meet the Smithsonian's first brewing historian, Theresa McCulla, and learn about the role of women, enslaved people, and immigrants in the country's complex—and often surprising—relationship with beer. You'll also meet a new wave of brewers who are working to craft some flavorful history of their own. (Originally broadcast date: July 4th, 2017)
Wed, June 27, 2018
Discovering the World’s Oldest Winery
Sidedoor host Tony Cohn gets the opportunity of a lifetime: fly to Armenia and crawl into a deep, dark cave in search of long-lost wine. But we’re not talking just any ol’ cabernet or sauvignon blanc: these 6,000-year-old wine remnants are evidence of the world's oldest winery. In this episode we ask, what can this ancient winery tell us about the earliest days of civilization, and could a thirst for wine be the reason why some ancient humans left behind their nomadic ways and settled down? (Original broadcast date: March 2018)
Wed, June 06, 2018
Best of the Rest
Big Bird in space. Saving a multi-million-dollar painting. Smokey the * real * Bear. These are some of the stories we've been itching toshare, but didn’t have room for… until now. To close out Season 2, we’re serving up a few of our favorite Smithsonian “shorties,”plus we’ll check in with our most talked about characters from this past year. We’ll be back forSeason 3in August 2018!
Wed, May 23, 2018
Don't Call Me Extinct
Extinct species don’t usually get a do-over…but don’t tell that to the scimitar-horned oryx. Erased from the wild for three decades, these desert antelope are back in the Central African country of Chad with a thriving herd of over a hundred individuals. But how did this happen? We visit the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and a remote animal reserve in the United Arab Emirates to reveal the twists and turns of this amazing comeback story.
Wed, May 09, 2018
Cherokee Story Slam
Talking animals? A bag of fire ants? Secret dancing superpowers? In this episode, Robert Lewis, an acclaimed Cherokee storyteller, spins stories about a legendary troublemaker: Jistu the Rabbit. Along the way, we visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, exploring the power stories hold to keep people connected to their culture across time and geographic distance. Experience the transformative power of a good tale.
Wed, April 25, 2018
Painting Michelle Obama
The day that Amy Sherald heard that she had been chosen to paint the official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama, she called her mom to tell her the news, and then she told her dog. But soon after, the nerves set in. How was she going to create a portrait of one of the most iconic women in the world? In this episode of Sidedoor, we journey to Amy's studio to hear exactly how she captured the spirit of Michelle Obama in paint on canvas, and what she thinks of the reactions to her work.
Wed, April 11, 2018
Murder Is Her Hobby
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been hard at work on a batch of stories you’re going to love. So this week, we're sharing one of our favorite eps from the fall. Heiress, divorcée … mother of forensic science? Frances Glessner Lee was not your average 19th century woman. Using the skills that high-society ladies were expected to have -- like sewing, crafting, and knitting -- Frances revolutionized the male-dominated world of crime scene investigation. Her most celebrated contribution: 19 intricate dioramas depicting violent murder scenes. In this episode of Sidedoor, we'll explore Frances's morbid obsession, and discover why the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery chose to put them on display.
Wed, March 28, 2018
A Crane with a Crush
Chris Crowe, an animal keeper for the Smithsonian, has an unlikely bond with Walnut, a female white-naped crane. Despite their obvious differences, she chose him as her mate. For Crowe, their relationship has high stakes: it impacts the future of an entire species. Venture with Sidedoor to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute to meet this unconventional couple, and find out how their connection could be key to white-naped crane survival.
Wed, March 14, 2018
Discovering the World’s Oldest Winery
Sidedoor host Tony Cohn gets the opportunity of a lifetime: fly to Armenia and crawl into a deep, dark cave in search of lost wine. But we’re not talking just any ol’ cabernet or sauvignon blanc, these 6000-year-old remains are evidence of the world's oldest winery. In this episode, we ask: What can this ancient winery tell us about the earliest days of civilization, and could a thirst for wine be the reason why some ancient humans decided to settle down and stop being nomadic?
Wed, February 28, 2018
America's First Food Spy
In the 1800s, the American diet was mostly made up of meats, potatoes, cheese, and perhaps the occasional green bean. Fruits and other veggies? Not so much. But that all changed thanks to a group of 19th century food spies – globe-trotting scientists and explorers who sought exotic crops to enhance America’s diet and help grow the economy. A pioneer among them was David Fairchild, who nabbed avocados from Chile, kale from Croatia, mangoes from India, and much more. In this episode, we learn about Fairchild's remarkable adventures and take a surprise trip to the Smithsonian archives to uncover a rare piece of food spy history.
Wed, February 14, 2018
Killer Viruses and One Man's Mission to Stop Them
In 1918, a flu pandemic killed more than 50 million people worldwide. Forty years later, it nearly happened again. This week on Sidedoor, we go back to a time when the viruses were winning, and we remember one man, Dr. Maurice Hilleman, whose vaccine virtuosity helped turn the tide in the war against infectious diseases. Special thanks to our sponsor, Empty Frames. Search and subscribe to Empty Frames today on Apple Podcasts or your favorite listening destination.
Wed, January 31, 2018
Enslaved and Muslim in Early America
Today, the US population is about 1% Muslim, but in the late 1700s that number was likely closer to 5%. Who were these early Muslim-Americans, where did they go, and why didn’t we all learn about them in school? In this episode, we search for American history's missing Muslims, and explore their experience though the words of Omar ibn Said, an enslaved Muslim man in North Carolina whose one-of-a-kind autobiography still resonates today.
Wed, January 17, 2018
Sidedoor Presents: AirSpace
Join Sidedoor in welcoming AirSpace, a new gravity-defying podcast from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Hosts Emily Martin and Matt Schindell join Tony to share a few upcoming stories, including what’s on the menu in space, how Earth’s oceans teach us about exploring the cosmos, and what it takes to be an astronaut. We’ll also give you a peek into AirSpace’s maiden voyage, where the team looks at what happens when a bunch of scientists attempt to live like Martians. If you’ve ever thought changing time zones was hard, try living on “Mars Time.” A special thank you to our sponsor, Hanover Press.
Wed, January 03, 2018
If These Bones Could Talk
While we’re hard at work on some exciting new things, we wanted to start the new year off with one of our favorites from 2017: If These Bones Could Talk. Explorer, scholar and 19th Century Smithsonian darling Robert Kennicott seemed destined to lead a full and adventurous life. Then, at the age of 30, on an expedition to Russian Alaska in 1866, Kennicott was mysteriously discovered dead by a riverside. Rumors of all colors circulated about the cause of his death, although, it wasn’t until 135 years later, in 2001, that two Smithsonian forensic scientists cracked the case.
Wed, December 20, 2017
The Many Lives of Owney the Dog
120 years ago, Owney was a global celebrity. He was also a dog. And no, he didn’t juggle plates or dance on two legs, Owney was famous for simply riding trains with the US mail. So, climb aboard the Sidedoor Express and join us as we revisit different chapters of Owney’s story – his rise to fame, his disastrous fall, and his remarkable return to the spotlight at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. It’ll be a doggone good time.
Wed, December 06, 2017
This One's for Dilla
Even if you’ve never heard his name, you’ve probably heard his sound. J Dilla was a prolific hip-hop artist who collaborated with many hip-hop greats – from Questlove to Erykah Badu to Eminem. In this episode, we’re telling the story of J Dilla’s life and legacy through those that knew him best – his mother (aka Ma Dukes), James Poyser, and Frank Nitt – and some surprising objects on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Wed, November 22, 2017
LIVE! Cookin' Up Stories
Does your ham sandwich have something to say? Quite possibly. Food can be a powerful storytelling tool. Many chefs, like authors, carefully craft meals or menus to transform a dining experience into a cultural, historical, or educational adventure. This week on Sidedoor , chef Jerome Grant from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Maricel Presilla, who was the first female Latin American guest chef at the White House, discuss the story-rich menus that put them in the spotlight. Recorded live at the National Museum of American History’s Food History Weekend.
Wed, November 08, 2017
The Hungry Hungry Hippo Baby
A hippo, an orangutan, and a scientist walk into a milk bar... or so our story goes. In January 2017, a baby hippo was born at the Cincinnati Zoo six weeks premature and some 30 pounds underweight. Her name was Fiona, and getting her to put on pounds was a life or death matter. Unfortunately, nursing wasn't an option and the only hippo formula recipe on file was old and out of date. To devise a new one, team Fiona turned to the scientists at the world's largest exotic milk repository at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. But could they do it in time…and would Fiona drink it?
Wed, October 25, 2017
Murder Is Her Hobby
Heiress, divorcée … mother of forensic science? Frances Glessner Lee was not your average 19th century woman. Using the skills that high-society ladies were expected to have -- like sewing, crafting, and knitting -- Frances revolutionized the male-dominated world of crime scene investigation. Her most celebrated contribution: 19 intricate dioramas depicting violent murder scenes. In this episode of Sidedoor, we'll explore Frances's morbid obsession, and discover why the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery has chosen to put them on display.
Wed, October 11, 2017
Confronting the Past
In 1921, a riot destroyed almost 40 blocks of a wealthy black neighborhood in North Tulsa, Oklahoma. No one knows exactly how many people died, no one was ever convicted, and no one really talked about it until nearly a century later. In this episode, Sidedoor explores the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre and why it's important that you know it. Episode originally released Nov. 9, 2016.
Wed, September 27, 2017
Grandma Turned Me into a Ghost
Haunted by her not-so-nice grandmother, a young woman finds herself turning into a ghost. Writer Anelise Chen reads her essay “Who Haunts,” and discusses the ways in which our families shape our personal and cultural identities, for better or worse. Chen was recently featured at the Smithsonian's first-ever Asian American Literature Festival in Washington, D.C. Original score by Nico Porcaro.
Wed, September 13, 2017
The Man Who Defied Gravity
In the late 1800s, Paul Cinquevalli was one of the most famous and thrilling entertainers in the world. Tales of his juggling and balancing exploits spanned continents. But by the mid 20th century, his name was all but forgotten. In this episode, Sidedoor explores Cinquevalli’s epic rise and fall, and brings you inside the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s circus tents for a one-of-a-kind Cinquevalli-inspired juggling revival.
Wed, August 30, 2017
Artist in Dissidence
An artist steps in front of a camera and drops a priceless 2000-year-old vase onto the floor, smashing it into a million pieces. This is Ai Weiwei, and the resulting photographs are one of his most well-known works of art. Many were inspired; others were enraged. And around the world it got people talking. In this episode, we explore Ai Weiwei’s controversial career, and how he uses art to rally against political and social injustice.
Wed, August 16, 2017
LIVE! Unintended Consequences
Catty gossip that led to a presidential scandal, the earliest mavericks of American cinema, and the risque Roman origins of a favorite Disney character. This week, we bring you tales of small things that snowballed and had outsized impacts on history, art and culture. Presented live at the 2017 NYC Podfest.
Wed, August 02, 2017
The Mean, Green, Water-Cleaning Machine
In the early 1980s, a scientist invented a machine that could naturally filter out pollution from rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. So, why isn't it everywhere today? In this episode, we explore the secret behind this powerful green technology (spoiler alert: it's algae!) and track its journey from a coral reef in the Caribbean to the basement of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and finally a port in Baltimore, where it is now being used to clean up one of the region's most polluted waterways.
Wed, July 19, 2017
The Art of War
In this episode, we look at artists whose work has helped reveal the human side of war. You’ll hear about a famous artist who got his start sketching Civil War soldiers and landscapes, and how he was never the same again. Also featured are two contemporary artists: a painter whose work depicts war's psychological impact on his best friend, and a female combat photographer who repeatedly risked her own life to document her fellow soldiers’ experiences on the battlefield.
Wed, July 12, 2017
Bonus: Ale to the Chief
In this mini-episode, Sidedoor host Tony Cohn interviews Sam Kass, former Obama White House chef and one of the people responsible for the first beer ever known to be brewed at the White House.
S2 E2 · Wed, July 05, 2017
Red, White and Brew
How much do you know about the history of American home-brewing? In this episode of Sidedoor you'll meet the Smithsonian's first brewing historian, Theresa McCulla, and learn about the role of women, enslaved people, and immigrants in the country's complex — and often surprising — relationship with beer. You'll also meet a new wave of brewers who are working to craft some flavorful history of their own.
S2 E1 · Wed, June 21, 2017
If These Bones Could Talk
Explorer, scholar and 19th Century Smithsonian darling Robert Kennicott seemed destined to lead a full and adventurous life. Then, at the age of 30, on an expedition to Russian Alaska in 1866, Kennicott was mysteriously discovered dead by a riverside. Rumors of all colors circulated about the cause of his death, although, it wasn’t until 135 years later, in 2001, that two Smithsonian forensic scientists cracked the case.
Trailer · Wed, June 07, 2017
Guess Who's Back
Sidedoor is back-- tell a friend! New season begins on Wednesday, June 21st.
Bonus · Wed, February 01, 2017
Leave a Message at the Beep
Tony shares a special thanks and an exciting update for our upcoming season. Share your thoughts by emailing sidedoor@si.edu or leave a message at 202-633-4120.
S1 E8 · Wed, January 18, 2017
Shake It Up
Transforming things we take for granted: An astronomer who has turned the night sky into a symphony; an architecture firm that has radically rethought police stations; and an audiophile who built a successful record company on underappreciated sounds.
S1 E7 · Wed, January 04, 2017
You Do You
Identity in a complex world: A look at the many roles each person plays in daily life; a group of lesbian feminists create an entirely new culture, religion and society in the 1970s; and Iraqi archaeologists work to preserve their cultural heritage after years of war.
S1 E6 · Wed, December 21, 2016
Gaming the System
Bending the rules: People sending their children through the U.S. Postal Service; a Sikh man in the early 1900s tries to use the Supreme Court's racist rulings to his benefit; and the little-known story behind the iconic folk song "Rock Island Line."
S1 E5 · Wed, December 07, 2016
Butting Heads
Squabbles big and small: A dining room turns two besties into lifelong enemies; a researcher embraces the panda craze; and why some dinosaur skulls were built to take a beating.
Trailer · Wed, November 30, 2016
Mid Season Update
A quick update from Tony about the show.
S1 E4 · Wed, November 23, 2016
Masters of Disguise
Tales of deception and trickery: A sneaky orchid seeks sexually frustrated pollinator; a battle fought by decoys; and a gender-bending zombie invasion of the Chesapeake Bay.
S1 E3 · Wed, November 09, 2016
Confronting the Past
A 1921 riot destroyed almost 40 blocks of a wealthy black neighborhood in North Tulsa, Oklahoma. No one knows how many people died, no one was ever convicted and no one really talked about it until a decade ago. This is the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre and why it's important that you know it.
S1 E2 · Wed, October 26, 2016
Special Delivery
The payoff is all in the delivery: Sending mail via cruise missile; preparing a strong-willed orangutan for primate parenthood; and failing to land a joke from the "gag file" of Phyllis Diller.
S1 E1 · Wed, October 26, 2016
Tech Yourself
Technology's grip on us: The 4-1-1 on what's behind your selfie; an artist's computer simulation shows humans aren't as unique as we think; and how the invention of standardized time made America tick.
Trailer · Tue, October 25, 2016
Season 1 Tease
Sidedoor, a new podcast from the Smithsonian, is launching October 26th, 2016. Start subscribing now on iTunes!
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