CURRENT ISSUE

November 2004

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine image Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine mobile image

Features

luna-alone-main.jpg

Whale of a Tale

When Luna, a people-loving orca, chose Vancouver Island's Nootka Sound for his home, he set in motion a drama of leviathan proportions

Departments

Indelible Images

Subway Spy

Walker Evans' underground-breaking photographs resurface for the centennial of New York City's rapid transit system

Uncategorized

When Pulling a Lever Tallied the Vote

An innovative 1890s gear-and-lever voting machine mechanized the counting of the ballots so they could be tallied in minutes, not hours or days

Phenomena & Curiosities

Twin Science

Researchers make an annual pilgrimage to Twinsburg, Ohio, to study inherited traits

People File

Art That Goes Boom

The works of Cai Guo-Qiang, director of visual effects for the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympic Games, truly sizzle

Presence of Mind

TET: Who Won?

A North Vietnamese battlefield defeat that led to victory, the Tet Offensive still triggers debate nearly four decades later

Editor's Note

Close Encounters

Northwest of Seattle, an overly friendly orca polarizes a community

From the Secretary

Americans at War

A new exhibition explores the personal dimensions of war: valor and resolve—but also sacrifice and loss