Opening this month at the newly refurbished National Museum of American History, Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life includes a large collection of extraordinary objects (no surprise). One of the largest celebrations of the bicentennial, the exhibit anchors the celebrations on the National Mall. A full review of happenings has been published in this weeks Bee.

Above is a grouping of objects found in Lincoln’s pockets the night of his assassination

Expect a good amount of further Lincoln related posts leading to February 12, 2009.

All those images our good friend MW keeps putting up from the Life archive have fostered a thirst for knowledge about WWII life. Good Girls, Good Food, Good Service: The Story of the USO Hostess During World War II adds a little sex appeal to the reading list. The author is Megan K. Winchell, associate history professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Her work is published by UNC Press.

Throughout World War II, when Saturday nights came around, servicemen and hostesses happily forgot the war for a little while as they danced together in USO clubs, which served as havens of stability in a time of social, moral, and geographic upheaval. Meghan Winchell demonstrates that in addition to boosting soldier morale, the USO acted as an architect of the gender roles and sexual codes that shaped the “greatest generation.”