Articles

In the late 18th century, George Vancouver and his crew systematically sighted 75 geographical features in the Pacific Northwest, giving them entirely new names based on European taxonomy and imperial ambitions.

How Captain George Vancouver Mapped and Shaped the Modern Pacific Northwest

The British explorer named dozens of geographical features and sites in the region, ignoring the traditions of the Indigenous peoples who’d lived there for millennia

An artist’s depiction of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft

NASA Launches Europa Clipper to Search for Signs of Life on Jupiter’s Moon

The huge spacecraft is headed toward the icy moon Europa, where it will use an array of instruments to survey for geologic activity, magnetism and more

A Grass Dance is a common sight during a powwow, part of many Native American traditions, usually performed by one of the Warrior dancers in the troupe.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day With 20 Beautiful Photos That Capture the Richness of Native Culture

The diversity of the Native American experience is honored by the newly christened federal holiday

Muhammad Ali

These 17 Pictures Tell the Stories of Black Athletes in America

A new book from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture shows the images and impacts of athletes on and off the playing field

Leaf senescence creates a golden canopy over a trail in the Harvard Forest.

What 30 Years of Studying the New England Woods Reveals About the Colors of Changing Leaves

An ecologist’s long walks and detailed observations allowed him to chronicle the shifts in an iconic habitat and grow a once-overlooked branch of science

L to R: Kim Matula as Jane Curtin, Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster and Matt Wood as John Belushi in Saturday Night, a new film about the making of “Saturday Night Live”

Based on a True Story

The Real Story Behind 'Saturday Night,' the Movie About the Television Show That Changed Comedy Forever

A new film revisits the 90 minutes before the first episode of "Saturday Night Live" premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975

A cyclist rides past a colorful mural, featuring the Cuban flag and an image of Guevara.  

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

See 14 Photos of the Beauty of Cuba Through Its Striking Shoreline and Buzzing Streets

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture quintessentially Cuban scenes

A participant dressed up as a demon brandishes a stick with fireworks during Correfoc in Catalonia.

Halloween Is Spooky. But So Are These Eight Other Celebrations Around the World

From Setsubun in Japan to Fèt Gede in Haiti, these festivals relish in the macabre

The memorial artwork hadn't been seen since the 1970s, when it was placed on a replica of Kennedy's gravesite in Upperville, Virginia.

Untold Stories of American History

A Secret Sculpture Built for John F. Kennedy's Grave Vanished in the 1970s. Half a Century Later, the Mystery Has Been Solved

The bronze wreath immortalized the moment when the members of the Honor Guard removed their hats and placed them on the president's grave during his burial

A polar bear looks out of a window frame on a deserted Russian island.

See 11 of the Best Wildlife Photographs From Years Past

A new book reveals striking images from six decades of the beloved Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

A green-crowned brilliant hummingbird feeds on a cactus flower in Costa Rica. 

Uncovering the Secrets Behind Hummingbirds' Extreme Lifestyle

Here's how the aerial acrobats are able to survive on a nearly all-sugar diet, fly higher than many helicopters can and migrate over the open ocean

A pregnant mother’s mental wellness can impact her child’s future physical, mental and behavioral health

The Future of Mental Health

Can a Mother’s Mental Health Impact a Baby in the Womb?

Growing research indicates a pregnant woman’s stress level and overall mental well-being can affect fetal and child development, yet access to prenatal mental health care remains inadequate

Between 2019 and 2023, the number of walkers just on Spain and Portugal’s Camino de Santiago, a Christian pilgrimage leading to the purported tomb of St. James the Apostle, increased by nearly 100,000.

Six Lodge-to-Lodge Hikes That Will Have You Falling in Love With Slow Travel

From Scotland to Japan, these multiday treks offer adventure and a truly immersive experience

View on the Stour Near Dedham, John Constable, 1822

Art Meets Science

How Artists, Writers and Scientists of the Past Documented Climate Change

An exhibition at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens explores how Western intellectuals viewed the climate crisis between 1780 and 1930

Julia Child in her kitchen with husband Paul behind her

See the Tools and Gadgets From Julia Child’s Kitchen That Reveal How the Beloved Chef Cooked

From the microwave to the food processor, the book author and television personality tried many appliances and devices to figure out the best ways to use them for her audience

Thirty-six homes—the world’s last topped with a traditional eelgrass roof—all sit here on Laeso.

Could Eelgrass Be the Next Big Bio-Based Building Material?

On the island of Laeso in Denmark, one man is reviving the lost art of eelgrass thatching and, in doing so, bringing attention to a plant that has great potential

U.S. Army Pfc. Chyna Williams (left) helps Staff Sgt. Janeen Butler at a voter assistance drive on a base in Qatar, 2008

What the Long History of Mail-In Voting in the U.S. Reveals About the Election Process

A recent exhibition shows how soldiers sent in votes during the Civil War and World War II, as many Americans would in 2020 following the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic

Seemingly still waters wind through colorful canopies displaying warm autumn hues on a hazy September morning.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

See 24 Beautiful Photos of Fall Foliage in Its Most Vibrant Colors

These highlights from the Smithsonian Photo Contest celebrate the autumn

John Kunst (left), Ambassador Robert Neumann (center) and David Kunst (right) in Kabul, Afghanistan, on September 30, 1972

Why a Minnesota Man Walked Around the World, Traversing 13 Countries and 14,450 Miles in Four Years

Fifty years ago, on October 5, 1974, David Kunst completed the first verified circumnavigation of the globe on foot. Along the way, he met Princess Grace of Monaco, raised money for UNICEF and lost a brother to bandits

A worker of the fungus-farming ant species Mycetophylax asper, collected in Santa Catarina, Brazil, in 2014, on its fungus garden

Ants Farmed Fungi in the Wake of Dinosaurs’ Demise 66 Million Years Ago

A new study from Smithsonian scientists analyzes ant and fungus species, and uncovers the origins of their close partnership

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