Portal:History/Featured article/May, 2010

Samantha Reed Smith (June 29, 1972, in Houlton, Maine – August 25, 1985, in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine) was an American schoolgirl from Manchester, Maine who became famous in the Cold War-era United States and Soviet Union. In 1982, Smith wrote a letter to the newly appointed Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Yuri Andropov, and received a personal reply which included a personal invitation to visit the Soviet Union, which she accepted.

Smith attracted extensive media attention in both countries as a "Goodwill Ambassador", and became known as "America's Youngest Ambassador" participating in peacemaking activities in Japan. She wrote a book and co-starred in the television series, Lime Street, before her death at the age of 13 in the Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808 plane crash.

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