Showing 1–10 of 15 results
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During the height of the Cold War, the State Department used music to bridge gaps and ease tensions. American Jazz Ambassadors, including Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, and Billie Holiday, traveled the world representing the United States. Voice of America radio also brought their music to millions…
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In 2017, U.S. Consulate General Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, invited dancer and Paralympian Amy Purdy to represent the U.S. as a cultural envoy during the annual Carnival celebrations. Amy is a double amputee who danced in the opening of the Paralympics, won a snowboarding bronze in 2014, was a runner up in…
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The ancient royal tombs in Lapaha are central to Tonga's cultural heritage. The most ancient of these tombs were built around 1200 AD. They are considered the most important historical and archaeological monument in the South Pacific. This painted depiction of the tombs was a gift to a Foreign Service Officer who…
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Baseball jersey autographed by Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., a SportsUnited Public Diplomacy Envoy who has traveled abroad on behalf of the U.S. Department of State to put on baseball clinics and work with kids affected by disasters.
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In the mid-1940s, an American named J. Robert Fluker was living in Afghanistan and teaching at Habibia College in Kabul. Fluker, whose teaching position was funded by the U.S. Department of State, decided to introduce the game of baseball to his students. In 1946, during the opening game, the Prime Minister of…
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In April 1971, nine players from the U.S. Table Tennis team took a historic trip to China. Their trip was the start of what became known as “ping pong diplomacy” and helped lay the groundwork for establishing official diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Connie Sweeris,…
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Named after a freshman U.S. senator from Arkansas, the Fulbright Program is a prestigious international educational exchange program supported both by Congress and partner foreign nations. More than 1,000 Nigerians have participated in the Fulbright program over the years. This commemorative briefcase is from a Fulbright Alumni Association of Nigeria conference in…
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This inscribed ping-pong paddle was given to former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger by Chinese table tennis champion Zhuang Zedong in the fall of 2007. It was Zhuang’s chance encounter with a member of the U.S. table tennis team in 1971 that led to the “ping-pong diplomacy” with China of the…
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In April 1971, nine players from the U.S. Table Tennis team took a historic trip to China. Their trip was the start of what became known as “ping pong diplomacy” and helped lay the groundwork for establishing official diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. This was…
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This base was in play during innings four through six of the March 22, 2016, exhibition game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team at Estadio Latinoame, Havana, Cuba. U.S. President Barack Obama and his family and Cuban President Raoul Castro attended the game. The game occurred during Obama’s…
