Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for an engaging series of panels offering perspective on the current pandemic. Curators and historians will use important objects from the past as a springboard to a lively discussion of how critical explorations of the past help us to better understand the present. Audience questions are encouraged and will be addressed in the moderated dialogue. It took nearly 100 years from the first vaccine in 1796 against smallpox to a second vaccine, against rabies, in 1885. By contrast, the past 100 years have seen the development of new vaccines to prevent over 20 diseases. Yet, even with major investments, vaccines often take many years to develop and test. Panelists will discuss vaccine invention, testing, marketing, and distribution from historical perspective and will comment on developments since COVID-19 was first identified in late 2020. Please register here: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VxpyL-qSQFSelVSVn1tJbg