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Now that you’ve probably burned through the lists of historians, innovators, and food-writers to follow this year, we’re bringing it back home to the Smithsonian. As always, the Mall is cooking up some fascinating, crazy, and sometimes grotesque stuff for 2012. Bookmark these people and projects to keep up with this year:

Nicholas Pyenson: Pyenson studies and curates fossils of marine mammals. Get a feel for what is going on inside his lab and follow his team into the field—fresh from an expedition in Chile—at his blog, Pyenson Lab.

Postal Museum: Time for a pop quiz: A “hamper dumper” is:

a) machine in postal processing

b) bin of misprint stamps

c) failed mail vehicle

d) philatelic tool.

If you know the answer, you should be following the Postal Museum (@postalmuseum) for their daily #PostalQuiz and other philatelic factoids.

Biodiversity Heritage Library: As part of the Biodiversity Heritage Library consortium, the Smithsonian Libraries collects and digitizes biodiversity research for open online access—essentially, a bio-wiki. Check out @biodivlibrary for the species of the day: plants that eat worms, albino penguins and other bizarre creatures you never knew existed.

Archives of American Art Pinterest: The American Art Pinterest lets you browse the archives and “pin” the images you like to your virtual board. Mix and match from collections like “facial hair of note” and “ain’t no party like an artist’s party.”

Book Dragon: The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program’s Book Dragon is the pet project of former APA Media Arts Consultant Terry Hong, featuring reviews of “books for the multi-cultural reader.” Hong highlights literature for kids and adults alike that speaks to the Asian American experience. Follow her at @SIBookDragon.

Smithsonian Vids: For a moving view of the Institution, follow @SmithsonianVids. Meet a scientist studying frog-eating bats, or get a video tour of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings from Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

Smithsonian Marine Station: This Natural History Museum field station, located in Fort Pierce, Florida, tweets news updates and photos from the field (er, coral reef) @SmithsonianSMS. Plus, there’s #followfriday trivia every week.

Field Book Project: Also, from the Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Archives check out this blog, where researchers post updates on their initiative to compile an online database of field books and journals documenting biodiversity research. Besides progress updates, you’ll also find excerpts of century-old field notes from explorers, birdwatchers and scientists (including lots of fun, old-timey sketches) and learn a lot more than you ever thought there was to know about indices.

Encyclopedia of Life: Take your best shot and enter the picture in the Smithsonian’s Encyclopedia of Life Flickr photo contest. The bi-weekly contest could be (and has been) any theme from “backyard life” to “sexual dimorphism.” Even if you don’t enter, be sure to browse the entries for gems like this.

And of course, if you’re not following them already, the museums are always Tweeting up a storm. Here’s the checklist:

American Indian Museum: @SmithsonianNMAI

National Portrait Gallery: @npg

American Art Museum: @americanart

Anacostia Community Museum: @anacostiamuseum

American History Museum: @amhistorymuseum

Air and Space Museum: @airandspace

Museum of Natural History: @NMNH

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: @hirshhorn

Freer and Sackler Galleries: @FreerSackler

Museum of African Art: @NMAfA

National Zoo: @NationalZoo

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum: @cooperhewitt

Smithsonian: @Smithsonian

Come make your own stamp collection at a drop-in workshop at the Postal Museum. Photo courtesy of the museum

Friday, January 6 “This is Not a Film”

The Iranian Film Festival kicks off with “This is Not a Film,” a last-minute Cannes submission shot secretly on an iPhone and smuggled into France on a flash drive hidden in a cake. The film depicts the sequestered life of famed director Jafar Panahi (The Circle; Offside), whose 2010 arrest sparked an international outcry. Banned from traveling, giving interviews, or making films, Panahi is seen talking to his family and lawyer on the phone, discussing his plight with Mirtahmasb, and reflecting on the meaning of the art of filmmaking. (Dirs.: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and Jafar Panahi, Iran, 2010, 75 min., Persian with English subtitles) Free. 7:00 p.m. Freer/Sackler Gallery.

Saturday, January 7 Stamps!

Jumpstart your own stamp collection in a hands-on workshop for all ages, then join curator Daniel Piazza on a tour of the philatelic rarities of “Collecting History: 125 Years of the National Philatelic Collection” before it closes on January 9. Highlights include rarities that once belonged to Egypt’s King Farouk and Japanese-American internment camp mail from World War II. Free. 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. Postal Museum, Museum Atrium.

Sunday, January 8 Masterworks of Three Centuries

Celebrate the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society’s 35th season with an eclectic Baroque concert, as Kenneth Slowik presents Bach’s compendious Goldberg Variations, BWV 988.  $22 member, $20 senior member, $28 general admission. Pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m. Concert begins at 7:30 p.m. American History Museum, Hall of Musical Instruments.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

World War I soldiers writing letters home. Photo courtesy of the National Postal Museum

With the war in Iraq officially declared over yesterday, it seemed appropriate to head to the National Postal Museum to reflect upon the experiences of servicemen who are stationed abroad. “Mail Call: A History of America’s Military Mail,” an exhibition that opened last month, tells the stories of individual soldiers through their mail, and traces the history of mail delivery for the military from the Revolutionary War through today.

“Mail sustains the spirits, both on the home front and for the people who are on the front line,” says Lynn Heidelbaugh, curator at the museum. “We wanted to show visitors how it keeps up this connection, and keeps up this sense of community.”

The exhibition features a number of letters that serve as windows on the personal lives on soldiers stationed abroad. One was sent by John H. Zimmer, a serviceman stationed in France during World War I, to his younger sister Frances. “Just a few lines to let you know that I received your letter today and was very glad to hear from you,” he wrote. “I haven’t been getting many letters for several weeks until today when I received seven. But gee, I was awful glad to get them.”

The show also covers the evolution of the military mail system across the full sweep of its history, starting with the country’s founding. “Mail was really expensive during the Revolutionary War—most people were writing just for business purposes, because postage was too much to use otherwise,” says Heidelbaugh. Over time, as prices came down, mail became the sole source of communication between distant points. With the Spanish-American War and World War I—the first U.S. global wars—the challenges confronting the Postal Service grew dramatically.

A letter from Operation Desert Storm. Photo courtesy of the National Postal Museum.

Mail officials responded with a number of innovations, sending postal employees around the world to carry out the mission. During World War II, the Postal Service promoted the sending of “Victory Mail,” which were letters written on a standardized stationary and projected onto microfilm to save shipping weight. The reels of microfilm were sent to processing centers abroad, and letters were reproduced on quarter size pieces of paper to be delivered to recipients.

Audio reels were sometimes used during the Vietnam War for the same reason. ”We have one recording from a soldier stationed in Vietnam,” Heidelbaugh says. “He actually talks about what mail has meant to him, and his outlook in the future—everything you expect in a letter from wartime.”

When all of the varied locations where mail is delivered during times of war is considered, the strategic operation is mind-boggling. “The Postal Service tries to make sure that all services are available to everyone,” Heidelbaugh says, “whether they’re in a tent somewhere or in a submarine.” On display is an actual door from the post office that was aboard the U.S.S. Thomas S. Gates, a Navy cruiser, as well as a camouflaged, waterproof mail bag that was used for aerial mail drops to troops in the jungles of Vietnam.

Other items in the exhibition remind visitors of the grim truth of war. Many letters bring news of horrific tragedy. One is a Certified Mail stamp that was salvaged from the Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The date on the stamp is still December 6, 1941—the day before the infamous attacks on the base that claimed the lives of thousands.

The other is a letter addressed to a Union soldier’s wife at the height of the Civil War. “One of the pieces I find most touching—and sadly, the most typical kind of letter—is this condolence letter,” says Heidelbaugh. “It’s from a commanding officer, and he’s had to write to a widow, and confirm that her husband has died in a POW camp.”

Appropriately, the show concludes with a package sent from the recent conflict in Iraq. ”We chose this because it’s representative of contemporary mail,” says Heidelbaugh. The package was sent by Chief Warrant Officer Peter Paone to his son Tom, back in Pennsylvania, and carried souvenirs from his time abroad. “A lot of people ask, ‘with so many more options for communication now, what are people even sending mail for?’ But there’s no other way to send packages. We wanted to show people that mail is still vitally important.”

“Mail Call: A History of America’s Military Mail” is on display at the National Postal Museum

Enjoy an evening event at the groundbreaking exhibition "The Bright Beneath." Photo courtesy of the Natural History Museum.

Monday, November 28 Postal Museum Tours

Only have a limited time to see the sights at the Postal Museum and don’t know where to start? Take a docent-led tour of the museum’s collections to make sure you see a little of everything, and gain insight into the collection’s significance. DIY-ers can download this self-guide brochure. Tours are generally held at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily; call 202-633-5534 to confirm the day’s times. Free. National Postal Museum.

Tuesday, November 29 Viva Verdi

Come explore the remarkable life and career of Giuseppe Verdi, Italy’s great 19th-century opera composer. Coleen Fay, arts editor at WAMU, will lead a seminar that traces the evolution of Verdi’s works through multimedia recordings. Learn how Verdi overcame personal misfortune to compose some of opera’s most renowned masterpieces. This Residents Associates Program is $30 for members, $27 for senior members, and $40 for the general public. 6:45 to 9 p.m. Ripley Center.

Wednesday, November 30 Celebrating Roots, Creating Community

The Smithsonian Latino Center invites everyone to a bilingual night of music and spoken word performances. This program will feature local poets Quique Avilés, Naomi Ayala and Consuelo Hernández, as well as music by singer/songwriter Patricio Zamorano and his band. The event is part of the Latino D.C. History Project series, which documents the historical presence of Latino culture in the nation’s capital. Free. 6:30 p.m. American Indian Museum, Rasumson Theater.

Thursday, December 1 The Bright Beneath

Inspired by bioluminescent organisms from deep beneath the sea, installation artist Shih Chieh Huang has created an unearthly world of glowing creatures in the Natural History Museum. At this “Mingle at the Museum” event, enjoy a specialty cocktail and themed hors d’oeuvres as Huang and curator of fishes Lynne Parenti chat about the exhibition. Demonstrations of bioluminescent deep-sea creatures and real specimens will be on hand. This Residents Associates Program is $30 for members and $35 for the general public. 7:30 to 10 p.m. Natural History Museum, Sant Ocean Hall.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Mr. Zip, as featured on a public advertisement. Photo courtesy Postal Museum

One of the most important breakthroughs in modern communication lies in an overlooked place. It’s printed onto envelopes, just below the address. Although we think nothing of the ZIP Code these days, when it was rolled out in the 1960s, it was a novel and challenging concept for many Americans. And so, to help sell the ZIP Code, the Post Office Department introduced a friendly new mascot for the public campaign: the grinning, lanky Mr. Zip.

The National Postal Museum has now launched a new site, created by museum curator Nancy Pope and intern Abby Curtin, that celebrates the history of the ZIP Code campaign and its speedy mascot.

That history begins, Pope says, in the early 1960s, when growing mail volume and suburbanization had strained the mail system. Postmaster General J. Edward Day and others were convinced of the need to automate the sorting process. “They wanted to move to a mechanized process,” Pope says. “The ZIP Code system was essential in getting the machines to work.”

The Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) assigned a unique five-digit number to each post office in the country, and sorting machinery used the codes to directly route mail from one city to another. “Without the ZIP Code, mail has to be processed through a series of processing centers. So if you’re going from Boston to San Francisco, you have to go through the Boston center, the New York center, the St. Louis center, and the Omaha center, until you finally get to California,” explains Pope. “But with the right ZIP Code, it gets put straight into the mail that’s going to San Francisco.”

Despite the obvious benefits of the ZIP Code system, officials feared that its 1963 roll-out would meet resistance. “Americans in the late 50s and early 60s are having to memorize more numbers than they had before,” Pope says, noting the implementation of phone area codes and the growing importance of Social Security Numbers.

A Mr. Zip button, worn by postal workers as part of the ZIP Code campaign. Photo courtesy Postal Museum

To preempt this problem, the Post Office Department embarked on a public campaign to convince people to start using the ZIP Code, and likely named the system ‘ZIP’ to capitalize on its main selling point: speed. The campaign used radio, print and television advertisements to drive home this association, with crooked line frequently representing the old system and a straight arrow the new one.

With a dashing gait and a child’s smile, Mr. Zip’s presence in advertisements, post offices, and on mail trucks linked the idea of quickness to a cheerful, human face. “These homey touches were to help people look at the ZIP Code not as a threatening thing, but as a happy, speedy thing that’s going to make their lives easier,” Pope says.

Gradually the public caught on. “It took a little while—they didn’t hit a high percentage of people doing it for a couple of years—but they finally did get people convinced,” Pope says. By the late 1970s, the vast majority of mail users were comfortable using the numbers, and Mr. Zip was gradually phased out.

But the wide-eyed Mr. Zip lives on. He still appears on the Postal Service’s ZIP Code lookup Web page, and his story is detailed at the Postal Museum’s new site. Next month, the Museum is also debuting a new exhibition, “Systems at Work,” which explores the evolving technology behind the postal delivery process. Learn more about Mr. Zip and the ZIP Code starting December 14th at the National Postal Museum.