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Pop Culture

Beyoncé’s single “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and Taylor Swift’s album 1989 were added to the National Recording Registry.

Music From Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, Plus Dozens of Other ‘Audio Treasures,’ Added to National Recording Registry

The 25 newest additions to the national playlist at the Library of Congress have been deemed “worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage”

A museum-goer looks at a Vincent van Gogh painting.

New Research

The Relaxation of Regularly Listening to Songs or Drawing Pictures May Actually Slow Cellular Aging, New Research Shows

According to a new study, people who are exposed to art on a weekly basis are about a year younger “biologically” than those exposed only once or twice per year

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

William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies

‘Lord of the Flies’ Comes to Television for the First Time in a New Miniseries. In the 1950s, the Now-Famous Novel Almost Never Got Published

Publishers rejected the original manuscript for “Lord of the Flies” many times, yet the story still sparks a buzz today. Author William Golding later won the Nobel Prize in Literature

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

The Spice Girls performed at the Brit Awards in 1997.

The Spice Girls Changed Pop Forever in 1996. Thirty Years Later, Their Iconic Outfits Are on Display in a New Exhibition in London

The Barbican Music Library is celebrating British pop culture with a show that features Mel B’s leopard catsuit, Emma Bunton’s blue dress and Geri Halliwell’s Union Jack boots

The League for Spiritual Discovery, an LSD-based meditation center in New York City, in 1967

The First LSD Trip Was a Literal Bicycle Ride 83 Years Ago. Fans of the Psychedelic Celebrate the Occasion Every April 19

In 1943, a chemist in Switzerland synthesized a drug that alters consciousness. His discovery changed the study of medicine, psychiatry and biology—and became a central component of the counterculture movement

Wishbone ready for his close-up

In the 1990s, a Dog Taught Kids About Shakespeare and Homer. A New Documentary Tells the Tale of ‘Wishbone’—From His Backflips to His Historical Hats

The film reunites the human cast and crew who saw the potential of a Jack Russell terrier to bring classic literature to life on PBS

Traffic fatalities increased by about 15 percent on major album release days, according to a new study.

On Major Music Release Days, Stay Extra Vigilant While Driving. Car Crash Deaths Seem to Spike When Top Artists Drop New Albums

A new study found a correlation between big album release days and traffic fatalities. While the research can’t prove the new music caused the accidents, the work hints at a major distractor while driving

“Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art” is showing at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

This Fashion Designer Collaborated With Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau to Imagine Fabulous Surrealist Ensembles

A new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum lays out the history and legacy of the House of Schiaparelli, focusing on its founder’s unique creative processes

This fully assembled robot was found inside an unclaimed bag. Staffers aren't sure what its purpose is.

Cool Finds

What’s Inside America’s Lost Luggage? These Travelers Abandoned a Samurai Sword, a Meteorite and a Robot With a Mysterious Purpose

Unclaimed Baggage sells lost belongings at a 50,000-square-foot store in Alabama. An annual report explores how objects packed in 2025 reflect cultural trends

The C-3PO head used in The Empire Strikes Back

This C-3PO Head From ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ Just Sold for More Than $1 Million at Auction

The ‘Star Wars’ prop was likely the only C-3PO head from the 1980 film to appear on the collector market. It features working light-up eyes, including one with the original wiring

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

Toni Morrison in Milan, November 1994

A New Book of Toni Morrison’s University Lectures, Now Collected for the First Time, Shares Some of the Legendary Novelist’s Most Important Lessons

At Princeton, the author analyzed the depictions of Blackness in the works of canonical American authors

President William Howard Taft boards the Mayflower in 1909, the year that he supposedly got stuck in a bathtub on board the Oleander steamship.

Popular Lore Claims That William Howard Taft Got Stuck in a Bathtub. New Research Sheds Light on the Legend’s Forgotten Origins

A long-overlooked 1929 account contains the earliest known reference to the anecdote, suggesting that the 27th president found himself trapped in a tub during a Mississippi River voyage

When tickets went on sale for the “Pokémon Fossil Museum" exhibition, eager fans overwhelmed the Field Museum’s website.

This Museum Is Using Pokémon to Teach Visitors About Fossils. Fans Are Waiting for Hours to Snag Tickets

“Pokémon Fossil Museum” in Chicago compares “fossil Pokémon” from the popular franchise to the real-world creatures they’re based on

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

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

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