Educators and care givers! Trying to figure out ways to use historical content in your teaching? We’re pleased to offer new Teacher Guides covering the robust content on the Lincoln’s Assassination section of www.fords.org.

In 1931, the U.S. Army Adjutant General denied permission to display John Wilkes Booth’s deringer pistol at a new museum at Ford’s Theatre. Today the gun is on display—but with a new sign that asks visitors to consider the ethics of displaying a murder weapon.

You may be surprised to learn that multiple places within the District of Columbia that Lincoln visited are still in existence 155 years later. Which of these have you heard about or visited yourself?

Following friend (and racketeer) Arnold Rothstein’s murder, Damon Runyon used Rothstein’s trial as inspiration to write stories in a perpetual present tense. Runyon found his home in his fictional Runyonland, a place created from his observations of Broadway’s nightlife. Learn more about the origins of the classic musical Guys and Dolls in this post.

Gonzaga College High School history teacher Ed Donnellan discusses the research origins and findings now on display in the special exhibit Searching for Truth in the Garden: Gonzaga College High School’s History with Slavery.

The Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Park can be an uncomfortable depiction of Abraham Lincoln for many us. But by examining it as a historical artifact we can reveal layers of meaning and give nuance to a significant memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator.

Henrietta Swan Leavitt made a discovery that forever changed how astronomers understand the universe. Learn about Leavitt’s journey to solving one of the biggest questions in astronomical history and the impact her findings hold today.

Starting March 13, 2020, Ford’s Theatre presents a new production of the classic American musical Guys and Dolls, directed by Peter Flynn. We spoke with our four leads, Maria Egler, Joe Mallon, Bueka Uwemedimo and Karen Vincent, about their roles and what songs they already have playing in their heads.

During her career, Henrietta Swan Leavitt catalogued more than 2,400 variable stars—about half of the known total in her day, without ever looking through a telescope. She catalogued alongside Williamina Fleming for the first part of her time at Harvard College Observatory and then with Annie Jump Cannon. With this production, Ford’s Theatre celebrates their contributions and accomplishments.

Henrietta Leavitt and her fellow colleagues at the Harvard Observatory examined thousands of tiny dots. Through that tedious and solitary work, they forever changed our understanding of the universe. This story is “a feminist, historical fiction told sweetly and wondrously” by Lauren Gunderson.