Abby Epplett, Historian

My final stop on my trip to Washington, DC was the National Museum of American History (NMAH) , part of the Smithsonian. I had visited the museum as a child about twenty years earlier and remembered the thrill of seeing famous artifacts throughout American culture. However, my memory did not prepare me for the 7-hour, 700-photo adventure that was my experience at NMAH. From the Star-Spangled Banner to presidential china to more cars and trains than I could have ever imagined, my final posts of this year (number of parts to be determined) will feature the wonders of this extraordinary museum.

In previous case studies, I have combined information from the text of The Lord of the Rings with historical documentation to explore character behavior through a modern medical lens. These descriptions cannot be considered true diagnoses, as I am not a licensed psychiatrist, the characters are fictional, and the terminology that I use did not exist when the books were written. However, I hope that explaining these conditions will provoke empathy for people in the Real World who live with similar circumstances. While I will briefly cover the plausibility of two conditions that I have seen mentioned by other Tolkien enthusiasts on social media, I will spend most of the essay explaining my own interpretation.

Back in July, I visited the National Mall & Memorial Parks in Washington, DC . During the first part of my hike around the Mall , I visited many memorials dedicated to political leaders and veterans. During the second part, I visited even more memorials along with passing Smithsonian museums with distinct architecture.

During my trip to Washington, DC back in July, I visited the National Mall & Memorial Parks . Maintained by the National Park Service, this massive urban park contains monuments to Americans who made a difference to the country, especially political leaders and soldiers. The Mall is so big that I am dividing this adventure into two sections. Additionally, since most of my readers know about the Mall and have likely visited, I will keep the text more brief than usual and allow you to enjoy a selection of my many pictures.

Back in July, I visited my friend Jenny who lived near Washington, DC. During our trips around the capital, we toured the National Museum of African American History and Culture located on the National Mall . I had previously talked about the creation of the museum during my book review of A Fool’s Errand by founder Lonnie G. Bunch III , and I had learned more about the collection during the first day of the Smithsonian Education Summit in 2023 . I was excited to visit in person and see what I had long heard about.

When Frodo invited his twenty closest friends to his annual celebration of Bilbo’s birthday, these young hobbits were most likely his cousins from the Took branch of his family, as I cannot imagine a Baggins displaying such ridiculous behavior. By the time of Frodo’s generation and that of his younger cousins, members of the Took clan had married into nearly every other respectable clan in the Shire, bringing their wealth and quirky behavior with them. Besides reviewing the Took family tree and a potential cause of their unusual actions, I will explain how the clothing of wealthy hobbits changed from the time of Bilbo’s 111 st birthday to seventeen years later when Frodo was again visited by Gandalf. Finally, I believe the Took cousins were based upon a group of young people in the Real World who were contemporaries of Tolkien, and I will compare the behaviors of the two cultures.

This post was supposed to launch yesterday, but I spent longer than expected at a delightful Christmas party, so you will get the post today. A quick content warning: the National Museum of Health & Medicine is dedicated to the preservation of human remains for conducting research and to raise public awareness. I have included two images with human remains at the bottom of the article; there is an extra paragraph of text before these pictures, allowing you space to click away if needed. Additionally, I will be describing human remains, injuries, and medical inventions throughout the post. If you do not enjoy this topic, consider reading one of the many other articles on my blog.

Back in July, I took a trip to the Washington, DC area to visit my friend Jenny and see historic sites. I spent a day in Silver Spring, MD, where I visited the National Park Seminary and local religious buildings . During that day, I also hiked the extensive trails connecting Silver Spring to neighboring Chevy Chase. As an aside, this town is named for medieval English folk hero Chevy Chase, who was immortalized in a once-popular ballad . While I did not see any minstrels on my trip, I did cross pedestrian bridges, view historic buildings, and enjoy nature.

I recently read the book How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life by Ruth Goodman published in 2014 by Liveright Publishing Corporation . I had previously watched several informational videos hosted by Goodman through the YouTube channel for HistoryExtra , the history magazine of the BBC , and wanted to know if her writing style was similar to her presentation style. I found the book fun, factual, and easy to read, a great way for people first learning about the Victorian era to establish a solid base, and for those knowledgeable about the period to fill in gaps about the lives of everyday people.

On the same day I walked through National Park Seminary , I visited two vastly different religious buildings in Silver Spring, MD. I visited the massive Washington DC Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly called Mormons) and the much smaller Knox Orthodox Presbyterian Church . I enjoyed meeting the people at both locations and comparing the differences between faiths.