Free Republic

The role of Ohio’s formidable run of early U.S. presidents in establishing many of the nation’s lasting White House customs — from the frolicsome Easter Egg Roll to the presidential war room — is explored in a new history exhibition running through late December... “We’ve tried to find fun facts and things that aren’t common knowledge.” Like the start of the official presidential egg roll under President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, Lucy, in 1878. Or the role of President Benjamin Harrison’s wife, first lady Caroline Harrison, in placing the first White House Christmas tree in 1889 and initiating...

The body of Sadie Roberts-Joseph, 75, was located Friday but it wasn't immediately clear what led officers to the car. The cause of her death is still unknown, police told the station. The vehicle was about 3 miles from her home, CNN affiliate WAFB reported. She founded the Odell S. Williams Now and Then African American Museum in 2001, where she had been hosting the city's Juneteenth celebration for years. "Ms. Sadie was a tireless advocate of peace in the community," the police department said in a statement. "Ms. Sadie is a treasure to our community, she will be missed...

A massive fire has broken out at Brazil’s National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, engulfing the entire building, just months after the museum marked its 200th anniversary. The incident began on early Sunday afternoon when a fire erupted in the three-story building. Footage broadcast on Brazilian TV showed that the fire had spread throughout all floors of the building. It was not immediately known if anyone was injured, but the fire broke out when the museum was closed.

A historic Second World War submarine took to the waters for the first time in nearly 50 years when heavy rains flooded its military museum home - causing it to refloat. The USS Batfish, a 77-year-old Balao-class submarine, was placed on display at the Muskogee's War Memorial Park in Oklahoma - a region that has experienced flash flooding and tornadoes this week - causing rivers to flood and banks to spill over. Dry docked in a park alongside the Arkansas River since 1973, flooded water brought the USS Batfish - best known for sinking three Japanese Imperial Warships during a...

The political world was confused Monday when Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren released the results of a controversial DNA test that was years in the making. [Snip] The Cherokee Nation issued a blistering statement calling Warren's decision ... "makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens." [Snip] Then we headed inside the sprawling four story building to see if there was any sign of Warren in the museum. A detailed floor-by-floor, exhibit-by-exhibit search turned up no sign of Warren. However, then came one of our final stops,...

After a catastrophic fire blazed through the National Museum of Brazil on Sunday (Sept. 2), destroying many of the institution's 20 million artifacts, the museum's meteorites were some of the few relics left standing. Among the space rocks that survived the blaze is the Bendegó meteorite, which is the largest meteorite ever found on Brazilian soil. The iron-nickel meteorite is one of about a dozen meteorites housed at the museum. … Officials have not yet been able to tally the damages, as investigators have been instructed to hold off on their work until engineers declare the building safe to enter,...

RIO DE JANEIRO — A fire engulfed the National Museum of Brazil on Sunday night, ravaging the stately, 200-year-old museum in Rio de Janeiro and threatening the years of history encapsulated inside.Aerial video posted by the television station Globo showed roaring flames and billowing smoke overtaking the large museum. Windows on multiple floors across the museum displayed a burning orange color, and the glow of the fire lit up the dark night sky.The destruction to the building was significant, and it is unclear whether any historical artifacts had been saved. The museum housed a collection of more than 20 million...

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A massive fire raced through Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, probably destroying its collection of more than 20 million items, ranging from archeological finds to historical memorabilia. The destruction of the building, once a palace for emperors that had fallen into disrepair, was an “incalculable loss for Brazil,” President Michel Temer said in a statement. “Two hundred years of work, research and knowledge were lost.” There was no word of the possible cause late on Sunday, nor if there were casualties or the exact extent of damage. Firefighters in Rio...

CHICAGO -- The city that boasts it gave the world deep-dish pizza will soon be home to a pizza museum. The U.S. Pizza Museum is expected to open its doors in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood on Friday. The Chicago Tribune reports the museum will be open through October, and possibly longer. The museum was created in 2015 but has mostly existed online and in pop-up exhibits. Museum founder Kendall Bruns says the new space will be 3,000 square feet and allow him to tell the full story of pizza and its U.S. makers.

The directors of the Newseum in Washington, D.C., have apologized and taken down shirts bearing the slogan "You Are Very Fake News" after facing widespread public backlash for the merchandise on Friday. A Saturday statement on the Newseum's website noted that the shirt would be removed from the museum's gift shop and online store, and apologized for selling the shirt, which bears President Trump's popular derision aimed at members of the news media. "The Newseum has removed the 'You Are Very Fake News' T-shirts from the gift shop and online. We made a mistake and we apologize," the statement reads....

A teenage T. rex about to chomp on the triceratops pinned under its foot will be the focal point of the redesigned Fossil Hall when it reopens June 8, 2019, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Museum director Kirk Johnson announced the opening date of the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils on Tuesday morning, unveiling a piece of the 66 million-year-old fossil to mark the occasion. Named the Nation’s T. rex, the dinosaur was discovered in Montana in 1988 and is on loan from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is the first new dinosaur to...

"Old" School Reagan Republican here. My 99 year old grandmother mentioned she'd like to go see the Genghis Khan exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Museum. I've never been, she's never been. We're going. So, if you've been there....what is Must See? Genghis Khan. Then what. Me and gramma talk politics quite a bit. We both leave the conversation laughing. Where should I push her to after Genghis Khan? 99. Thank You.

A priceless 16th-century casket containing the embalmed heart of a French queen consort has been found after it was snatched by thieves earlier this month. The theft of the 500g solid golden box containing Anne of Brittany's heart had fuelled fears the relic would be melted just for its weight in gold. The casket was taken along with other relics after robbers reportedly broke in through a window of the Thomas-Dobree museum in the western French city of Nantes. French police arrested two men who then led them to the buried haul on Saturday. Anne of Brittany was born in...

The Brooklyn Museum in New York City has sparked outrage among members of the black community after it selected a white woman to curate its African art exhibit. The museum announced Monday that it tapped Kristen Windmuller-Luna, 31, to be in charge of the museum’s African art collection. Luna earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University in African art history, worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art as an educator “responsible for adult and college gallery tours” of the museum’s African galleries, and lectures at Columbia University. But despite the woman’s impressive credentials, social media users have been criticizing the museum...

An Army band played patriotic music on the front lawn of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center Saturday while crowds gathered inside at exhibits for the 100th anniversary of Fort Benning. Called Columbus Salutes the Centennial, the free event featured living history performances, rock climbing , military displays and other equipment to recognize the post that was established as Camp Benning in 1918 to train soldiers during World War I. An estimated 5,000 people were expected during the day for the celebration. Bob Willmschen, 72, was at the Vietnam Memorial Plaza looking for a soldier lost during the Vietnam...

Critics accuse it of threatening the separation of church and state; in truth, Washington’s new museum makes an invaluable contribution to American (and Jewish) cultural literacy.

Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) announced Thursday he won’t attend the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Saturday because President Trump will be there. “President Trump’s attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum," Lewis said in a joint statement with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). Lewis and Thompson cited Trump’s past comments about women, immigrants and NFL players who have protested during the national anthem before games, saying his remarks "disrespect the efforts" of civil rights leaders. Lewis had previously said he was reconsidering whether to attend after the White...

The NAACP on Tuesday announced opposition to President Trump attending the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum this weekend, saying he has created a "racially hostile climate." [Snip] Amos Brown, an NAACP board member and Jackson native, called Trump’s planned appearance "an insult." Trump has repeatedly faced backlash for making inflammatory statements about minority groups and sparked controversy after the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., for saying that "both sides" were to blame. He has been harshly critical of NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest racial inequality, and feuded with the father of...

New Yorkers have launched a petition demanding that the Metropolitan Museum of Art remove a 1938 painting of a young woman with her underwear exposed, “given the current climate around sexual assault.” The piece, titled “Thérèse Dreaming” by the French artist Balthus, “sexualizes” the girl, who is shown lounging in a skirt with her knee up on a chair, according to the petition, which was posted on the Web site Care 2. Modal Trigger “Thérèse Dreaming” by Balthus Mia Merrill, the New Yorker who started the petition, says the painting should be yanked from the venerable institution because Balthus...

Even skeptics are wowed by the high-tech museum. Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Kennicott called Museum of the Bible ‘stocked with historic treasures.’ By Josh ShepherdNovember 20, 2017 The professor of Jewish studies passes under an ornate archway, leading to another part of the sprawling History of the Bible floor. Keeping up with him isn’t easy, as we dodge workers who continue to install museum panels before opening day.“There’s nothing false anywhere,” Professor Lawrence Schiffman says over his shoulder, gesturing towards dozens of Torah scrolls carefully lit for preservation. “I’ve been walking around even today, reading more labels. We keep...