In the stacks of the Smithsonian American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery Library, you can find Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays by Robert Myers, which speaks of the history of Thanksgiving. Myers states that one woman, Mrs. Sarah Hale, began a movement to create this national holiday. According to Myers, she "started her crusade in 1827 while editor of the Boston Ladies' Magazine and continued it with mounting success until the victory was won in 1863 with President Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation." 

Harvest festivals can be traced back to most cultures throughout history in such observances as the corn harvest dance of the Cherokees and the worship of Demeter, the goddess of wheat, in ancient Greece. Myers' monograph maintains:

The Pilgrims fled to Holland from their native England in order to avoid persecution for their religious beliefs. However, they were unable to adjust to their new status in Holland due to problems with the new language and inability to find well-paying jobs. They proposed a tobacco project in North America, which was sponsored by English businessmen. Two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower, were leased for the journey, but the Speedwell did not prove to be seaworthy. Therefore, the Mayflower sailed with the "Saints," as the Pilgrims were called, English emigrants, and servants. Myers writes:

Landing in Plymouth, in December 1621, forty-seven Pilgrims died during the winter months. Those remaining survived due to the instruction and help of an Indian named Tisquantum (commonly known as Squanto) who taught them fishing, planting, and home construction techniques necessary for life in North America. Squanto most probably acted as an interpreter to Massasoit, leader of the Wampanoag, who donated game, and accompanied by many braves, feasted with the Pilgrims.

On December 11th, the Smithsonian Libraries presents our 21st Dibner Lecture, Alchemy on the Cutting Edge: Theoretical Innovations and the Pursuit of Transmutation, featuring Dr. Lawrence M. Principe. It is widely believed that chemistry and alchemy parted company around the end of the 17th century. Chemistry became a modern science, alchemy withered away as a false pursuit. The historical reality is, however, very different. The separation of transmutational pursuits from "acceptable" chemistry was complex, having little to do with scientific developments. Recent archival discoveries show that prominent chemists continued to pursue transmutation until at least the 1760s. Even in the 19th century, new chemical ideas sparked more than one reconciliation between alchemy and chemistry. This lecture explores the resilience of transmutational aspirations and their adaptability to new chemical theories.

Lawrence M. Principe is the Drew Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of History of Science and Technology and the Department of Chemistry. He earned undergraduate degrees at the University of Delaware (B.A. Liberal Studies, 1983; B.S. Chemistry, 1983) and did his graduate work at Indiana University (Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, 1988) and at Johns Hopkins (Ph.D. History of Science, 1996). He is the first recipient of the Francis Bacon Medal for significant contributions to the history of science. The lecture begins at 5:00 p.m. in the Warner Bros. Theater at the National Museum of American History. To attend, please RSVP to SILRSVP@si.edu or 202.633.7263.