Art and Museums

The more than thirty thousand baseball cards collected by Jefferson R. Burdick represent the most comprehensive collection outside of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The cards also illustrate the history of the game — from the dead-ball era at the turn of the nineteenth century to the golden age and modern era of the sport. Baseball cards were first used as advertising inserts by tobacco companies beginning in the late 1800s. Through Burdick's collection, one can chart the careers of many of the silver screen's most notorious stars as well as learn about the lesser-known personalities that populated early films.   more »

I Approve This Message, an exhibition about the emotional impact of political advertising in a landscape altered by the internet, was set to open at the New-York Historical Society this September. The COVID-19 lockdown halted those plans, but [the NY Historical Society] wanted to share a few of the exhibition’s themes, particularly as we barrel towards our new date with destiny on election day, Nov. 3.In this second of three posts, [the Society] is going to look back at what was hoped to be a crucial turning point in political advertising — a new legal provision called Stand by Your Ad that was supposed to deliver more accountability and less deception and negativity. more »

Research shows that many people feel they do not have the information needed to discuss race in a way that is candid, safe and respectful of other viewpoints and experiences. National Museum of African American History and Culture launches a Web Portal, “Talking About Race”. Explore Talking About Race at nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race. The portal is free and does not require a registration or sign-up to use. more »

Can we really tell male and female dinosaurs apart? Scientists worldwide have long debated our ability to identify male and female dinosaurs. Researchers analysed skulls from modern-day gharials, an endangered and giant crocodilian species, to see how easy it is to distinguish between males and females using only fossil records. Male gharials are larger in size than females and possess a fleshy growth on the end of their snout, known as a ghara. The research teamstudied 106 gharial specimens in museums across the world. They found that aside from the presence of the narial fossa in males, it was still very hard to tell the sexes apart. more »