Arts & Culture

Artist Yoshi Sodeoka envisions musical instruments carried in satellites orbiting the Earth that would be able to “neutralize nations at war."

How Will We Make Music in 200 Years?

A group of innovators were asked to imagine what music will be like in 2214. If they're right, it could be pretty bizarre

Raymond C. Yazzie, 2012. Coral, Lone Mountain and Orvil Jack turquoise, opal, sugilite, 14-karat gold. Collection of Janice Moody.

Why is Turquoise Becoming Rarer and More Valuable Than Diamonds?

With depleting mines, turquoise, the most sacred stone to the Navajo, has become increasingly rare.

Jura 103

Art Meets Science

The Physics of Whisky’s Aesthetically Pleasing Residue

A photographer teamed up with scientists to figure out the fluid dynamics behind patterns left in whisky glasses

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

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”

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

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

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

Muhammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln, and Georgia O'Keeffe are among the Americans listed

Meet the 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time

A new, special issue of <em>Smithsonian</em> magazine attempts the impossible: to list out the most significant people in United States history

Window at Chartres Cathedral.

Why Colors You See in an Art Museum Can’t Be Replicated Today

A look into the history of the pigments used in spectacular art

The Innovative Spirit - OLD

Designing for Seniors and Soldiers, Toward a "Silver" Architecture

Going green is good, but could architects be doing more for two segments of our population?

John Chapman, known as Johnny Appleseed, planted orchards across the frontier.

The Real Johnny Appleseed Brought Apples—and Booze—to the American Frontier

The apples John Chapman brought to the frontier were very different than today's apples—and they weren't meant to be eaten

An East German family watches and waits to cross into West Berlin. This photo, like so many others here, I found in a reject box, after many years

Amazing, Rare Photographs of the Berlin Wall Coming Down

Photojournalist Alexandra Avakian traveled to Berlin based on rumor, and she ended up becoming a witness to history

The few remaining scientists at NASA are hard at work on Earth trying to "solve gravity."

Think Big

Would Astronauts Survive an Interstellar Trip Through a Wormhole?

Well, it depends on your definition of "wormhole" …

Matthew McConaughey on a stark landscape. The real star of the film, says Lewis, are the panoramic vistas.

Why "Interstellar" Belongs in the Pantheon of the Best "Realistic" Science Fiction Films

The film follows a well-trodden path, says Smithsonian space historian Cathleen Lewis, who gives it a thumbs up

Bill Nye enthusiastically greets students and faculty at Cal State Fullerton in California earlier this year.

Bill Nye on the Risks of Not Debating With Creationists

Bill Nye the Science Guy has a book out on evolution. Here’s what he has to say

Fred Tomaselli, Migrant Fruit Thugs, 2006.

Art Meets Science

The Threatened Birds in These Artworks Might One Day Go the Way of the Dodo

The Smithsonian American Art Museum's exhibition explores mankind's relationship to birds and the natural world

Rub the label to see if the food inside is still good to eat.

A Label You Rub To See If Food Has Expired and Other Finalists for the Dyson Award

There's also a pen that lets you know when you should reapply your sunscreen and a device called Luke Stairwalker

Karo warriors, Omo Valley, Ethiopia. "Five warriors show off their gorgeous body painting and the ostrich plumes sticking out of their headplates, distinguishing adornments of their culture."

"I’ve Lived the Life of 500 People": The Photography of Art Wolfe

<i>Earth Is My Witness</i> chronicles Wolfe's 40-year career as a photographer

Edgar Degas' Study in the Nude of Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Nude Little Dancer), c. 1878-1881 is the subject of a new show at the Kennedy Center starring Tiler Peck.

The True Story of the Little Ballerina Who Influenced Degas' "Little Dancer"

The artist's famous sculpture is both on view and the subject of a new theatrical performance

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