New-York Historical Society Teen Historians

Molly Wu, 11th grade Student Historian A Pocket Guide to Vietnam is a 75-page pamphlet detailing Vietnamese culture and history. It was produced in 1962 by the US Department of Defense in order to aid in American personnel’s transition into Vietnam. The colorful cover depicts a Vietnamese woman riding a bicycle and wearing a conical…

Madeleine Watts, 12th grade Student Historian Pictured is a pair of bandage scissors. They are made of steel and are 7.5 inches long by 2.25 inches wide. These scissors were used by retired military Captain Barbara Chiminello, who served in Vietnam through the Army Nurse Corps. Captain Chiminello served from 1966 to 1968 for a…

Ben Ginsburg, 12th grade Student Historian While serving in Vietnam, Don Fedynak kept a journal reflecting on his experiences during what he considered an unjust war. The pages reveal the sentiment of Don and other soldiers during the war. The writing shows his inner conflict. Written in blue pen, the informal handwriting emphasizes the journal’s…

Riza Uddin, 11th grade Student Historian This washed out card with the title Service System Registration Certificate represents a young man with the name of Joseph Francis Corrigan, III who will need to fight in the Vietnam War along with the rest of the drafted men. The selective service number is 36, 6, 42, 825….

Marissa Rivera, 10th grade Student Historian This is a bumper sticker that was prominent during the Vietnam War, especially during the early 1960s. The sticker is black, with the words written in a mustard yellow. Written in all capitals are the words: “THE FOOTPRINT OF THE AMERICAN CHICKEN” with a symbol of the peace on…

Sumin Chen, Grade 11 9-year-old Phan Thị Kim Phúc, commonly referred to as “Napalm Girl,” was the centerpiece of  Associated Press Photographer Nick Ut’s photo. The Pulitzer Prize winning photo depicts children fleeing from a Napalm bombing during the Vietnam War. The bomb was mistakenly dropped by South Vietnamese Air Forces after being ordered by…

James Kuntz, 10th grade Student Historian Often referred to as the “first television war,” the Vietnam War was the first instance in which footage of the war was disseminated to the American people on a regular basis. During the war, there were over 600 journalists covering the events in Vietnam. This heightened media presence made…

Alanna Ross, 12th grade Student Historian This popular 1950 magazine cover depicts one of the most feared threats of the Cold War. Illustrated here is the immediately recognizable New York City skyline covered by a mushroom cloud. The sky is overcast by a gray smog, and smoke has spread over the entire city. The mushroom…

Was it time to go to war? The question of U.S. neutrality in World War I occupied the minds of millions of Americans in the beginning months of the Great War. After the commencement of the First World War in 1914, the question of American participation in the predominantly European war had not been answered….