Sidedoor

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The 'Gentle Anarchy' of the Muppets Sep 13, 2023

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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

It's Season 10! Sep 06, 2023

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Sidedoor returns for its tenth season on Wednesday, September 13th!

A Wild Ride on the Pony Express Aug 30, 2023

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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

The Hungerford Deed Aug 17, 2023

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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

Tyrannosaurus FX Aug 02, 2023

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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.

Special: People Eating People Jul 19, 2023

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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!

The Toxic Book of Faces Jul 05, 2023

Show notes

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

Building a Movement Jun 21, 2023

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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

Recording the World Jun 07, 2023

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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

The Funk List May 24, 2023

Show notes

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

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