Its like no other. And then we have the site to commemorate the adams family. The freedom trail in boston takes you from all of the various landmarks, again, of the beginnings of this country. Natural history and beautiful sites as well. The National Parks system, celebrating its 100th year, has been called americas best idea. It protects these things that are uniquely ours. Whether it is our history, our culture, the great and diverse beauty of this country, without it and absent the federal support for it i think much of it would be in a fragile state. My first exposure to a National Park was yellowstone. We were traveling across the country in 1960. I can remember waking up, looking out the window and seeing a wolf in the woods. A beautiful, beautiful landscape. Anything, the scale is just so different. But each park is so unique. I dont think one is like another. Tapestry of them all that is a remarkable contribution to this country. This past thursday the National Parks service celebrated its centennial. We talked to members of congress about the National Parks and Historic Sites in their states. This is American History tv, only on cspan3. , next on american artifacts we visit the Cannon House Office building to see artifacts that tell the story of africanamericans in congress in the 20th century. On the curator at the house of representatives. And im a historian at the house of representatives. Talk about the history of africanamerican representation in the 20th century. Theres a long period, almost three decades, where there are no africanamericans in the house or senate. That has everything to do with the jim crow laws that go on the books in the south. Changes overthat time in those decades, theres a critical thing going on in the south where africanamericans begin to leave the south and move northward as part of a multidecade movement that would later be called the great migration. That begins, depending on which a you talk to, in the 1890s and which historian you talk to, in the 1890s and runs through world war ii. There is a need in the north to fill industrial jobs. Jobs that had been occupied by men who had gone off to fight in the war. You see tens of thousands of africanamericans out of moving out of the rural south to industrial jobs in chicago, st. ,ouis, cleveland, pittsburgh new york. And over time the africanamerican population of those cities increases. And the africanamericans in those cities are gradually recruited by the political parties. Is a critical example of that process. Born in the south, moving to the midwest to kansas. He actually goes to great school and high school in salina, kansas. But he finds his way to chicago in the 1890s. And he moves up through the political system. He becomes a chicago city teens. Man in the mid19 his career has some peaks and valleys, but by the 1920s is part of the republican political machine in chicago. As a alderman. Award alderman. 28 1928, a powerful republican named Martin Madden is on the appropriations committee. Passes away, midcongress, in the fall elections. Priest runs for the seat and wins. He comes to the house of representatives in 1929. One of my favorite things about his career is this tiny button we have in the collection that is a from his career. It is really small. T has a picture of him one of the things i love about it is that there they are very rare, there were probably initially, and very few survived. I think i have maybe seen one or two others in existence. If you think about this tiny little button, worn on someones lapel, looking for all the world like any other button, this actually represents a revolution. The attempt to elect an africanamerican to congress for the first time in decades. This little hinge and a quarter inch and atal quarter piece of metal wouldve been a real statement on the part of whoever is wearing it. I love that its survived and has come back to the place that whoever owned this wanted him to end up, the u. S. Congress. More photographs, artwork, and images of africanamericans in congress, this it history. House. Gov, the a collaborative project between the house of representatives Historians Office and House Clerk Office of art and archives. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the nasa viking one and two landings on mars. Up next, a pat a panel of nasa historians discuss. About thetalk scientific experiments conducted on mars and how the program involved. The nasa Language ResearchCenter Hosted this event. Walt good afternoon, and welcome. I am the director here at langley. I want to welcome our panel, which is going to serve as a kickoff event for our twoday celebration of the viking 40th anniversary landing on mars. So, we have an esteemed panel here today. Im going to introduce them to you by name, and then there will be some details on their background of what it is that got them here, but let me start by saying these are four nasa historians, three current and one with a degree that is as deep and broad that i think will make for a fascinating discussion today. So let me start out with bill barry, dr. Bill barry, to my right. The current nasa chief historian. From washington, d. C. , he will be the moderator. To his right, dr. Roger launius, currently the associate director for collections and affairs at the smithsonian institution. To his right is dr. Erik conway,