Smart News Travel

Cool Finds

Five-Year Photo Project Captures the Sistine Chapel in High-Res Detail

Released in a new set of books, the 1:1 photos will be used by restorers to restore and assess damage to Michaelangelo's masterpieces

Trending Today

George W. Bush Displays Portraits of Military Veterans

The former president honors 66 members of the armed services in the show "Portraits of Courage," which just opened at the George W. Bush Center

The replica club will be open through the end of the month.

Cool Finds

This Short-Lived 1930s Speakeasy Was a Sanctuary for Gay Londoners

And now you can visit a recreation

Over 400 men, women and children were sold on this day in 1859. It was the largest single sale of enslaved people in U.S. history but is barely talked about today.

The Horrors of the 'Great Slave Auction'

The largest sale of enslaved people ever to take place in the U.S. tore families apart

Composite shot of Tidal Basin-area cherry blossoms in 2014.

Peak Bloom for This Year's Cherry Blossoms May Be Earliest On Record

The National Parks Service has predicted when everyone's favorite trees will reach peak bloom

Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were often portrayed together. Here, Davis is drawn as a Confederate general.

The Illustrator of Alice in Wonderland Also Drew Abraham Lincoln. A Lot

John Tenniel was a well-known editorial cartoonist as well as the man who gave Lewis Carroll’s books their visual charm

Ray Yoshida, Arbitrary Approach, 1983

Cool Finds

New Exhibition Lets You Look at Art While Playing Pinball

<i>Kings and Queens</i> tracks the game’s influence on a group of Chicago artists

This Roman road is part of a newly opened McDonalds.

Cool Finds

New McDonalds Has a Cool Design Element: an Ancient Roman Road

Have a bit of history with that Happy Meal

This later image shows the artist's interpretation of the Luddites breaking a loom. Byron was speaking up to oppose the Frame Breaking Act of 1812 that would make machine breaking a capital crime.

Byron Was One of the Few Prominent Defenders of the Luddites

Years later he even wrote them a poem, “Song for the Luddites”

Katharine Hepburn's four Oscars for Best Actress were awarded at the Ambassador Hotel, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

The Oscars Are Held in a Mall

It takes two weeks to dress the venue (which is in a mall, remember) for the occasion each year

John 'Babbacombe' Lee was convicted of murder in 1884 and sentenced to death by hanging. Then things got weird.

The Weird Story of “The Man They Couldn’t Hang”

John ‘Babbacombe’ Lee’s life and almost-death are matters of speculation

Woodblock print on paper by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

Cool Finds

Japan Is Getting a Ninja Museum

Officials hope the iconic warriors can sneak more tourism into the country

The Daisy was a popular cocktail with many variations, including the Tequila Daisy.

Here’s How To Make the Margarita’s (Possible) Predecessor, the Daisy

This cocktail has its roots in the nineteenth century, and some of its first recipes are made with brandy, not tequila

Cool Finds

Albania Wants to Show Off Its Shipwrecks

From 6th century B.C. Greek cargo ships to WWII wrecks, the Balkan nation is hoping to boost tourism by highlighting its underwater archaeology

Trending Today

The Country’s Most Famous Bald Eagle Pair Just Laid Another Egg

To the delight of millions of online viewers, the nesting eagles at the U.S. National Arboretum welcomed a new egg to their nest

A still from El Primo Amanecer, a short film narrated in Huichol, an indigenous language of Mexico that UNESCO classifies as "vulnerable." The film will be shown as part of a Smithsonian festival about endangered languages this week.

Four Things That Happen When a Language Dies

This World Mother Language Day, read about why many say we should be fighting to preserve linguistic diversity

Check Out Yosemite's “Firefall” Illusion Light Up El Capitan

The firefall is back this year, and it’s just as spectacular as ever

An 1817 illustration of a draisine.

This Wooden Running Machine Was Your Fixie’s Great-Great Grandpa

The draisine was invented as a potential replacement for the horse during a shortage

The Ryuguji temple

How 13th-Century “Mermaid Bones” Came to Be Displayed in a Japanese Temple

According to legend, the ningyo washed ashore on the Japanese island of Kyushu in 1222

Yellow Fever Outbreak in Congo and Angola Finally Comes to an End

After almost 1,000 confirmed cases of the disease, the WHO has declared outbreak over

Page 69 of 110