Music & Film

The Good Work film crew captures the annual re-plastering of the historic adobe morada in Abiquiu, New Mexico.

In a New Film, Master Artisans Share Their Passion for the Labors They Love

Award-winning filmmakers, Smithsonian folklorist Marjorie Hunt and Paul Wagner, explore impact of craft in <em>Good Work</em>, airing now on PBS

Haile Gerima’s 1993 classic film Sankofa envisions an African-American model visiting present-day West Africa mystically thrust into the life of a slave.

Smithsonian Film Festival Examines African-American Life Through Dozens of Distinct Lenses

The first of its kind, the late-October event brings together perspectives both historical and contemporary

The Afterlife of Beetlejuice

The "Ghost with the Most" has been haunting movie watches—and one small Vermont town—for 30 years

Soldiers supporting the coup led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet take cover as bombs are dropped on the Presidential Palace of La Moneda in Sept. 11, 1973.

An Eyewitness Account of Pinochet’s Coup 45 Years Ago

Smithsonian ethnomusicologist Dan Sheehy poignantly recalls the brutal outcome of a nation divided

Objects Conservator Dawn Wallace examines the recovered pair of Ruby Slippers. Chief Conservator Richard Barden and Curator Ryan Lintelman also spent hours looking at the shoes in detail.

How the Smithsonian Helped Sleuth Out the True Identity of a Pair of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers

When the FBI asked museum conservators at the American History Museum for assistance, they discovered the two pairs are twins

At the National Portrait Gallery's inaugural American Portrait Gala, Franklin was honored in 2015 with a Portrait of the Nation Prize.

Museum Curators Reflect on the Legacy of the Queen of Soul

Aretha Franklin dies at 76; her memory lives on at the Smithsonian in artwork, photographs and other ephemera

With "Hey Jude," (above: the Smithsonian's 45 rpm single), the Beatles "seem to have struck their most resonant chord," says John Troutman, the curator of American music at the National Museum of American History.

“Hey Jude” Still Makes Everything "Better, Better, Better"

The Beatles’ biggest single hit skyrocketed on the charts in August of 1968

Kozima waterfront.

This Tiny Picturesque Island Is Standing in for Greece in 'Mamma Mia 2'

Sometimes the understudy exceeds expectations

Mamma mia!

What's Behind ABBA's Staying Power?

Don't call it a comeback. With a new movie and new music on the way, ABBA remains as relevant as ever

Why Los Angeles Is One of the Best Places to Film

The San Gabriel Mountains lure lots of Angelenos looking for some quiet seclusion. One of the more famous was Leonard Cohen who spent five years there

Even outside of Hollywood, wasps are fierce contenders in their own right.

Five Real Life Wasp Superpowers Not in <i>Ant-Man and the Wasp</i>

Bees tend to get all the attention, but Marvel turns the spotlight on one of nature’s most devious masterminds

The chevrons on the Panther's early suit, and the tessellated triangles on his later model, hint at the "sacred geometry" of triangular forms common to several African cultures.

King T’Challa’s Black Panther Suit, a Bold Statement of Afrofuturist Pride, Comes to the Smithsonian

Pounce on the opportunity to celebrate contemporary African-African filmmaking at the National Museum of African American History and Culture this fall

The smart, menacing, powerful T. rex of 1993's Jurassic Park has lodged itself in the minds of millions.

How We Elected <i>T. rex</i> to Be Our Tyrant Lizard King

The true story behind our obsession with the last and largest of the tyrannosaurs

The first insect found trapped in ancient amber wasn’t a mosquito, but an overstuffed weevil.

Jurassic Park's Unlikely Symbiosis With Real-World Science

The 1993 film showed both the promise and misconceptions that surround ancient DNA

We now know that velociraptors were closer to dog-sized than horse-sized, meaning full-grown Blue should be closer to these dimensions. Also: FEATHERS.

Five Ways Real Science Would Make the New <i>Jurassic World</i> So Much Better

It appears that <i>Fallen Kingdom</i> has not evolved alongside 21st century research

Computer-generated dinosaurs walk the Earth

How ‘Jurassic Park’ Made History 25 Years Ago, Propelling Computer-Generated Animation Forward

It was the first time that computer-generated characters interacted with human actors on screen. How has the technology improved since then?

In 2013, Winfrey was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Oprah's Undeniable Influence on American History Recognized in New Smithsonian Exhibition

The National Museum of African American History and Culture follows Winfrey's life, from her roots in rural Mississippi to her success as a cultural phenom

“Grease,” with Olivia Newton John (center), began shooting on the Venice High School campus in the summer of 1977.

Get Schooled on the History of Where 'Grease' Was Really Filmed

Tell me about it, stud

To illustrate this article, artist Victoria Villasana applied colorful yarn to a photograph of Fred Rogers wearing his signature zippered cardigan.

Mister Rogers Pioneered Speaking to Kids About Gun Violence

We need the children's television icon now more than ever

What could possibly have drawn the attention of the "Time Team"?

'Timeless' Recapped

How the Writers of “Timeless” Mined History for its Riveting Second Season

In an exclusive interview, show co-creator Shawn Ryan chats about moving beyond the stories of 'powerful white men' to tell new stories about the past

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