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This two-cent stamp was issued for the 1932 Olympic Winter games in Lake Placid, New York. Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum.

As we count down the hours until the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, we thought we’d take a look at past Olympics games to mark the occasion.

The  National Postal Museum’s online exhibit, Playing to Win: American Sports & Athletes on Stamps, gives some historical context to U.S. participation in the games.

The oldest Olympic stamp in the collection is a 2 cent stamp from the 1932 Winter Games held in Lake Placid, New York. This piece of postage pictures a ski jumper flying over the mountains, was criticized for the skier’s unnatural position, according to the exhibit. (Funky form usually costs you some serious point deductions.) Personally, I’m more distracted by the fact that postage only cost 2 cents.

Eddie Eagan is the only American to win a gold in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum.

In addition to marking the games themselves, stamps also honor individual athletes who have made significant contributions. One of those athletes is Eddie Eagan, who won a gold medal in boxing in the 1920 Summer Olympic Games held in Antwerp, Belgium. At the Lake Placid games 12 years later, he and his team placed earned Olympic gold in a four-man bobsled event, making him the only American to win gold medals in both the summer and winter games.

And few hockey fans could forget one of the most teams to make a U.S. Postage stamp: the 1980 U.S. Hockey team, who beat out the favored Soviet Union for the gold medal in an underdog victory that would become known as the “Miracle on Ice.”

Ski Jump (ca. 1939-1946) by William H. Johnson. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the Harmon Foundation.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum also has a few images to ignite some winter sport spirit. For example, there’s Ski Jump, shows three skiers mid-jump. Bets are open for who will land on the snow, a la Olympic ski jumpers, and who will land on each other, a la many of us watching at home. You can check out some of their other wintry sports goodies online here.

Whatever event you’ll be glued to this weekend, just be thankful you’re watching from home instead of from the cold Vancouver snow. Or no snow, as the case may be.

It has recently come to my attention that Super Bowl Sunday will be happening this weekend. I’ve never had any athletic inclinations myself, so this has just always been the weekend when tortilla chips and all varieties of canned beans seem to magically disappear from my local supermarket’s shelves. (It’s also the one time of year where I anxiously anticipate watching television commercials—but I’ll usually wait until they pop up on the Internet.)

But let’s face it, if you’re stuck with a group of football fanatics, it’s no fun being the odd person out having nothing to contribute to Super Bowl-related conversation. If your popularity is at stake, the Smithsonian is more than happy to help avoid awkward social situations. Check out the following pieces in the museums’ collections that relate to New Orleans and Indiana and you too can find ways to steer conversation to suit your artsy interests:

Image courtesy of the Postal Museum.

In 2010, the Saints are marching from the Superdome to Miami’s Sun Life Stadium, but in 1814, the Battle of New Orleans was raging between the US and the Brits. The horrors of the battlefield and the football field beg for comparison, don’t you think? Spark conversation with this Battle of New Orleans commemorative stamp! Philately may be a tough topic of conversation to maintain, so I recommend having a seriously sizzling side of hot wings prepared and handy should you only receive quizzical looks from the other party guests.

Image courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways.

Home to gumbo and streetcars named Desire, New Orleans is also a hotbed of musical talent—and Folkways can help get you in the groove with this collection of “torchy lullabies.” I’m not sure what’s meant by the term “lullaby” in this context as the album is big on brass. If Lizzie Miles’ mother did indeed sing these songs to her as a babe as the cover promises, one can only imagine that she turned out to be one high-energy gal.

Finding Indianapolis items in the collections was a bit more difficult—but that’s not to say there’s none to be had!

Indianapolis (1973) by Robert Walch. Image courtesy of the American Art Museum.

This photograph by Pittsburgh-born photographer Robert Walch is simply titled Indianapolis—but where on earth could it be? Without any clues in the object’s online description, we’re at the mercy of our imagination. (But if you were/are an Indianapolis native who was living in the area circa 1973 and can clue us in, shout out in the comments area below.)

Image courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways.

For a fun, pan-Indianan experience, check out Folkways Records’ Fine Times at Our House: Traditional Music of Indiana.  It’s certainly something a little different from the sports-specific war cries you hear from the stands.

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt turned 52 on January 30, 1934, he celebrated with the first annual Birthday Ball to raise money for polio research. Composer Irving Berlin even wrote a song for the occasion.

When FDR contracted polio in 1921 at age 39, more than a decade before he took the presidency, Roosevelt made it his mission to find a treatment for not only himself, but one that would also improve the lives of others living with infantile paralysis, or polio. In 1924, that mission brought him to Warm Springs, Georgia, a spring-fed pool with buoyant mineral water that offered polio patients some relief. After six weeks of treatment, FDR made a home there, using his money and fame to help create a world-class center for the treatment of polio.

But FDR’s financial support alone couldn’t sustain the facility, so he began to ask for donations from family, friends and political colleagues. One of them, Henry L. Doherty, donated $25,000 to launch the National Committee for Birthday Balls, created to inspire communities around the country to hold dances in celebration of the President’s birthday, and to also raise money for Warm Springs.

In the Birthday Ball’s inaugural year, 4,376 communities rallied together in 600 different celebrations, raising more than $1 million dollars.

This weekend, to celebrate FDR’s 128th birthday, a number of events around the Smithsonian will mark the occasion.

At the Postal Museum: the Delivering Hope: FDR & Stamps of the Great Depression exhibit continues, featuring FDR’s stamp collection as well as those he designed himself. On Saturday, from 11 AM to 3 PM, visitors can participate in a game of  “Stamp Charades” in the lower level of the atrium.

At the Freer Gallery of Art: For those who wished they could have known the longest-serving president in the Oval Office, hear from someone who did: Curtis Roosevelt, the oldest grandchild of Franklin and Eleanor, who will give a talk called “My Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor.” As a child, Curtis lived in the white house with his older sister, also named Eleanor, for 12 years. He will speak about the relationship between his grandfather and Winston Churchill; how the Great Depression is similar to the country’s current recession; comparisons between his grandmother and current first lady Michelle Obama; as well as his book, “Too Close to the Sun: Growing Up in the Shadow of My Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor,” which he will sign after the program. The talk begins at 6:45 p.m. Feb. 2 in the Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Auditorium at the Freer. Tickets are required.

Elvis Presley (1987) by Red Grooms. Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

Friday, January 8: Happy Birthday Elvis

No special evening events today; however, if you didn’t already know, the National Portrait Gallery’s new show “One Life: Echoes of Elvis” just opened! January 8 also happens to be Elvis’ 75th birthday and there’s no better way to mark the day than by having a quick tour through the gallery. I would suggest, if your arteries allow, that you wrap up the evening with a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich—one of Elvis’ favorite dishes. But I honestly don’t know of a place in DC that serves them. (If you do, share that info in the comments area below! Or you can make your own.) The National Portrait Gallery is open until 7:00 PM.

Saturday, January 9: Return to Sender!

When the twitchy-lipped mug of a youthful Elvis Presley graced United States postage stamps in 1993, there was such a sensation that it stands as the most popular commemorative stamp ever issued. Come on out to the Postal Museum where you can learn the story behind the creation of the stamp as well as take part in a workshop where you can use rubber stamps to make your own cards. (And maybe hum an appropriate Elvis song or two.) Free. National Postal Museum, 11:00 AM.

Sunday, January 10: Wild Side Stage

Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Brady Rymer’s music for children blends roots music with rock—and he’ll be performing today at the National Zoo in this latest installment of the Wild Side Stage series! Also, you can visit the accompanying animal exhibit before or after the performance, as early as 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.  Tickets are required. Rates are: $7 general admission; $5 for FONZ members. Tickets may be purchased at any National Zoo store ahead of time or online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets will also be sold at the door; however, please be advised that only a limited number of tickets will be available. National Zoo, 11:00 AM. This concert repeats today at 1:00 PM.

Legends of American Music: Elvis Presley (c. 1992) by Mark Stutzman. This was the image selected to grace a United States postage stamp. Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum.

What comes to mind when you hear the name Elvis? Musician. Icon. Sex. Spandex. Kitsch. Costello (kidding!). You can play the word association game all day long and no matter what your opinion of the man is—good, bad or indifferent—even the most suspicious minds have to admit that he is one of the gods on American pop culture’s Mt. Olympus. This coming Friday, January 8, marks what would have been Presley’s 75th birthday and we here at Around the Mall harbor a hunk-a hunk-a burning love for the guy so, in memoriam, we offer a series of Elvis-themed blogs. In this first installment, we show you how you don’t have to hang around your local 7-11 to catch sight of the King of Rock and Roll. If you’re in the DC area, and if you’re an Elvis fan, you should most definitely check out the following:

National Portrait Gallery

On January 8, 2010 the National Portrait Gallery unveils its exhibit that commemorates the 75th anniversary of Presley’s birth. The show explores representations of Elvis in the visual arts and how those pieces contribute to his mythic status in American popular culture.

American Art Museum

The American Art Museum has a small cache of Elvis-related art worth checking out, notably an Elvis jug that is currently on display and a folk art depiction of Mr. Presley behind the wheel of a pink Cadillac which, unfortunately, is still in the vaults is currently on display in the Echoes of Elvis show.

Postal Museum

The 1993 Elvis stamp stands as the most popular commemorative postage stamp ever issued. (Indeed, there was a bit of a fad where people would improperly address letters bearing the stamp—only to have them returned with “Return to Sender” marked thereon. Cute, yes?) Learn about this icon of mailable art at the Postal Museum’s website, see all the designs that didn’t make the grade and you can also see an enlargement of Mark Stutzman’s winning portrait.

SITES

For those of you who won’t be able to make it out to DC for any of the above shows, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) offers the traveling show Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer. This collection of large-format images presents Presley in his prime. Check the SITES site to see if the show will be coming to a city near you.

National Archives

The National Archives is home to one of the most iconic Elvis images—that of him shaking hands with former president Richard M. Nixon. In an online exhibit, learn about what precipitated the famous 1970 meeting, view letters from Elvis as well as the host of snapshots that didn’t become famous but are still pretty cool just the same.

Newseum

A show opening in 2010 will explore the impact of Elvis on popular culture. Details are few and far between at this time, but be sure to check the Newseum website for updates.

Copyright Office

Check out the National Copyright Office’s website for all the information you need to copyright your latest, greatest Elvis sighting! Long story short: you can’t copyright the sighting itself, but any snapshots you take during your encounter are totally fair game. Happy hunting you savvy little paparazzo-in-training, you!