Articles

Sam and the Perfect World by David Lenz, 2005

Here's What It Takes To Win the Smithsonian's Boochever Portrait Competition

Curator Dorothy Moss gives a hint at what the jurors might be thinking in this high-stakes competition

The dense metropolis of Tokyo sparkles like an urban playground at night.

Anthropocene

Are Megacities Friend or Foe in the Fight Against Climate Change?

Like the people who call them home, cities have the potential for good and bad when it comes to adapting to a warming world

Bath salts obtained by the Tampa Bay Times for testing back in 2012.

No, “Bath Salts” Won’t Turn You Into a Cannibal

But now we have a better idea what the latest generation of the drugs is really doing to your brain

These Intense Photos of Lion-Tailed Macaques Will Turn You Into a Conservationist

A few thousand macaques still exist in the wild—but for how much longer?

Why Do Humans Have Thumbs?

There’s a never-ending stream of theories about Homo sapiens’ most important digit

The Mystery of Why This Dangerous Sand Dune Swallowed a Boy

When a boy suddenly disappeared into a sand dune, a scientist embarked on a quest to find out where he went

What’s the Difference Between Streets and Avenues and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

After Bing Cros­by turned down “Rudolph,” Gene Autry’s recording became an all-time best seller.

It Could Have Been Reginald the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Inside the very shiny life of a marketing gimmick from 1939

In his magisterial America Today mural, Benton invented a muscular style intended to convey “the language of the street.”

The Story Behind Thomas Hart Benton’s Incredible Masterwork

The famed artist drew on his extensive travels to paint “America Today”

A New Canal Through Central America Could Have Devastating Consequences

The ramifications of the proposed route have environmentalists worried, and for good reason

This inscription, written in Old Khmer, reads “The Caka era reached year 605 on the fifth day of the waning moon.” The dot (at right) is now recognized as the oldest known version of our zero.

The Origin of the Number Zero

Deep in the jungle, an intrepid scholar locates a symbol of power and mystery

As Prohibition shut bars, an ad touted the family’s coffeehouse as a place to linger.

The Roosevelt Family Built a New York Coffee Chain 50 Years Before Starbucks

Teddy Roosevelt’s children brought fresh-roasted beans and European coffeehouse culture to Manhattan

The Controversial Afterlife of King Tut

A frenzy of conflicting scientific analyses have made the famous pharaoh more mysterious than ever

The Horrific Sand Creek Massacre Will Be Forgotten No More

The opening of a national historic site in Colorado helps restore to public memory one of the worst atrocities ever perpetrated on Native Americans

Middle-class families scooped up affordable and speedy Model Ts. As they began to race through the streets, they ran headlong into pedestrians—with lethal results.

When Pedestrians Ruled the Streets

The driverless car may take a while to catch on—just as the automobile did a century ago

From the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

Why the SR-71 Blackbird is the Epitome of Cold War Spycraft

The sleek and shadowy plane still commands awe 50 years after its first test flight

The Oswald family—with Marguerite Oswald second from right—sit next to Lee Harvey Oswald's casket.

When Lee Harvey Oswald Shot the President, His Mother Tried to Take Center Stage

Marguerite Oswald had a series of bizarre reactions to her son’s transgression, forever making her a famous mother to history

National Museum of Natural History physical anthropologists Lucille St. Hoyme, J. Lawrence Angel and Thomas Dale Stewart hold Hans Langseth's beard upon its arrival to the Smithsonian in 1967.

The World's Longest Beard Is One Of The Smithsonian's Strangest Artifacts

Kept in storage at the National Museum of Natural History, the world's longest beard measures over 17 feet in length

Illustration from Nellie Bly's 1887 book Ten Days in a Mad-House, depicting her practicing feigning insanity. Bly's work was originally published as a 17-part series of articles for the New York World.

Before Serial, There Were These Groundbreaking Examples of Serialized Non-Fiction

Can’t wait for the next episode of the podcast series? Take a look at these popular predecessors

One of the original Regency TR-1 models resides in the Smithsonian collections.

How the Transistor Radio with Music for Your Pocket Fueled a Teenage Social Revolution

In a burst of post World War II innovation, the Regency TR-1 transistor radio became the new "It" gift for the holiday season

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