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Entertainment

Monroe in the 1952 film Don’t Bother to Knock

Marilyn Monroe Collections Assembled for Her 100th Birthday Cut Through Hollywood Glamour to Reveal the Star’s Human Side

A selection of the movie star’s clothing, jewelry and dark, personal letters will be auctioned for the big anniversary of her birth

Comic book artist Jack Kirby smokes a pipe at San Diego Comic Con, August 1973

Jack Kirby Was a Kid From the Lower East Side Who Became the ‘King of Comics’ and Made Superhero Mythology. Now, New York City Has Named a Street After Him

The artist who co-created Captain America and other iconic characters is being honored in the neighborhood where he grew up

An aerial view of the Ford Motor Company's River Rouge plant, circa 1945

Walt Disney Visited a Ford Factory in 1948. What He Witnessed There Laid the Groundwork for What Would Become Disneyland

A new book argues that the film producer’s trip to the River Rouge plant in Michigan inspired him to embrace the power of automation when designing the first Disney theme park

The typewritten lyrics were found on a torn piece of paper measuring roughly eight by seven inches.

Cool Finds

Bob Dylan’s Original Typewritten Draft Lyrics for ‘I’m Not There’ Have Been Rediscovered After More Than Half a Century

For decades, eager fans could only hear the obscure song on bootleg vinyl recordings. The draft lyrics, which were found inside a first-edition copy of Allen Ginsberg poetry, just sold at auction for $6,800

Property plan of the parish of St. Ann Blackfriars

Cool Finds

Shakespeare’s House in London Was Lost to History. A Scholar Discovered a Map in the Archives That Revealed Its Exact Location

The Bard purchased the property three years before his death in 1616. Had he hoped to spend more time in the city where he wrote his best-known plays?

The Mona Lisa returning to the Louvre in 1914

Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He’s Writing a New Musical About the Time the ‘Mona Lisa’ Vanished Without a Trace in 1911

Known for spectacles like “The Phantom of the Opera,” Broadway’s most commercially successful composer now wants to tell the story of the world’s most famous painting

The three-part BBC series is scheduled to air later this year.

Charles Dickens Searched the Streets of London and Found Inspiration for His Evocative Fiction

A three-part BBC series will examine how real events shaped the 19th-century British author’s writing. The show is part of the National Year of Reading in the U.K.

Tony Soprano sees a psychiatrist throughout the show.

‘The Sopranos’ Changed How Television Told Stories. These Scripts, Sketches and Set Designs Reveal What Made the Mob Drama So Thrilling

An exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York provides visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at the award-winning HBO show

A set of children’s building blocks (Anker-Steinbaukasten) that belonged to Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein Played With These Building Blocks as a Child. Here’s How They Helped Shape His Magnificent Mind

The 19th-century German toy pieces, made with quartz sand, chalk and linseed oil, allowed kids to create realistic structures

The Brady house is located on Dilling Street in Studio City.

The Iconic House From ‘The Brady Bunch’ Is Now an Official Historic Landmark in Los Angeles

Viewers saw the house in shots of the Brady home’s exterior, though interior scenes were filmed in a studio. A few years ago, the structure was renovated to match the sets

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best books to complement this year's Oscar-nominated films include Sing, Unburied, Sing, Frankenstein and The Vegetarian.

The Ten Best Books to Complement Your Viewing of This Year’s Oscar-Nominated Movies

Ahead of the 2026 Academy Awards, take a look at the titles that have been adapted into some of the recognized films, and books that perfectly accompany others

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, 1984

Anime, Manga and Traditional Japanese Art Come Together at an Upcoming Auction—From Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave’ to Miyazaki’s ‘My Neighbor Totoro’

The sale places pop culture artifacts in conversation with Japan’s rich visual traditions. According to Christie’s, these items “trace the enduring resonance of motifs, techniques and narratives rooted in Japan’s past”

Wallace and Gromit chase Feathers McGraw in this model from "The Wrong Trousers" (1993).

Here’s How Animators Make Stop-Motion Masterpieces Like ‘Wallace & Gromit’ Come Alive

Aardman’s shows, shorts and feature films require painstaking craftsmanship. An interactive exhibition at the Young V&A museum in London brings museumgoers behind the scenes

A view of the Action Comics No. 1 cover

The Historic Comic Books That Introduced Superman and Captain America Just Entered the Smithsonian in a Landmark Acquisition

The National Museum of American History adds ‘Action Comics No. 1’ and ‘Captain America Comics No. 1’ to its vast pop culture and entertainment library

A Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon card, on January 14, 2026, in Los Angeles, California

Nintendo Released Its First ‘Pokémon’ Games 30 Years Ago. Here’s How the Beloved Catchable ‘Pocket Monsters’ Became the World’s Biggest Media Franchise

The phenomenon—with its video games, trading cards, shows, movies and merchandise—has generated billions in revenue

Marlene Dietrich, George Hurrell, gelatin silver print, c. 1935

These Extraordinary Photographs of Golden Age Hollywood Stars, From Greta Garbo to Clark Gable, Are Worth a Second Look

Photographer George Hurrell gets another exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, spotlighting a dazzling array of legends captured in black-and-white

Easy-Bake Oven, 1977

How the Easy-Bake Oven, an Appliance That Allowed Kids to Heat Treats With a Light Bulb, Revolutionized the Toy Industry

The product, launched in 1963, became a staple in American households

The new miniature Sphere at National Harbor would have 6,000 seats.

A Smaller Version of the Las Vegas Sphere May Be Coming to the Washington, D.C. Area

Officials have proposed building a mini-Sphere in Maryland’s National Harbor. One-third the size of the original, the structure would cost about $1 billion

Wooden cabinetry shown in The Testament of Ann Lee 

‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ Showcases the Minimalist Ingenuity of Shaker Furniture

Recreating the industrious world of the Shakers wasn’t just movie magic—it required conservators, curators and artisans

Irving Berlin sings at the dedication of Los Angeles City Hall in 1928

Tragedy Struck Composer Irving Berlin on Christmas Day. Years Later, He Would Write One of the All-Time Holiday Classics

“White Christmas” is one of the world’s best-selling tunes and continues to be in rotation more than eight decades later

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