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The Space Shuttle Era

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Based on the popular print Collector's Edition Space Shuttle 1981-2011, this digital version includes bonus interactive features, extra photographs, and multiple videos.

Editors' Picks

If the Interstate System Were Designed by a Slime Mold

How a brainless, single-celled organism created a startlingly efficient route map for U.S. highways

When Celebrity Jeopardy Comes to the National Mall

Jeopardy's annual "Power Players" show airs this week, pitting journalists, pundits and newsmakers against each other

The 20 Best Small Towns in America

From the Berkshires to the Cascades, we've crunched the numbers and pulled a list some of the most interesting spots around the country

In The Magazine

  1. Tasmania's New Devil
  2. Sympathy for the Devil
  3. The 10 Best Small Towns in America
  4. A Man and His Islands
  5. There Is No Wind in Oslo

Table of Contents »

Games

WordSmith

Test your knowledge on Smithsonian.com's crossword puzzle

Daily Sudoku

Play the addictive number placement puzzle

Reel Culture Blog

Whitewash or Fair Use: Portraying Race on Film

How much does context matter when looking at instances of racism in movies? A journey back to the earliest instances of unapologetic stereotypes to this week's release of The Dictator
May 18, 2012 | By Daniel Eagan

Paleofuture Blog

Tripping Through the Cold War: Drug Warfare in the Retrofuture

Was LSD the Soviet Union's secret weapon?
May 18, 2012 | By Matt Novak

Surprising Science Blog

The ‘Ring of Fire’ Eclipse You Might See Sunday

For the first time in 18 years, a solar eclipse will be visible in the continental United States
May 18, 2012 | By Joseph Stromberg

Off the Road Blog

Free Beer in the Dordogne Valley: Come and Find It!

These beers should last for several hot summers and cold winters. Where exactly are they hidden? Here are the directions
May 18, 2012 | By Alastair Bland

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

People & Places

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Protecting Women From Militant Islam

Even in democratic nations, mothers and daughters are held back from basic freedoms
May 15, 2012 | By Kathleen Burke

putting up a tent

Travel

Deep in the Ndoki Jungle, A Few Sheets of Nylon Can Feel a Lot Like Home

The founding editor of Outside magazine explains why a tent is sometimes the difference between life and death
June 2012 Issue | By Tim Cahill

Food and Think Blog

Books on How To Get Pickled

Curious about the middle ground between fresh and rotten? These four books tell you how to preserve the fleeting tastes of spring
May 18, 2012 | By Peter Smith

Julia Child

History & Archaeology

Julia Child's Recipe for a Thoroughly Modern Marriage

Food writer Ruth Reichl looks at the impact of the famous chef's partnership with her husband Paul
June 2012 Issue | By Ruth Reichl

Dinosaur Tracking Blog

When Dinosaur Parties Go Bad

The key take-home lesson: Never anger anyone with a thagomizer
May 18, 2012 | By Brian Switek

Gumbo

Arts & Culture

Best. Gumbo. Ever.

He ate far and wide, but the author found only one true version of the New Orleans dish—Mom's
June 2012 Issue | By Lolis Eric Elie

The Constant Traveler Blog

There’s No Place Like Naples for Pizza

Forget Chicago deep-dish, Roman pizza bianca and Domino's. For the best, most authentic pizza, go to Napoli
May 18, 2012 | By Susan Spano

Milky Way

Science & Nature

Top Ten Mysteries of the Universe

What are those burning questions about the cosmos that still baffle astronomers today?
May 08, 2012 | By Joseph Stromberg

Egyptians embalming a corpse

History & Archaeology

The Gruesome History of Eating Corpses as Medicine

The question was not “Should you eat human flesh?” says one historian, but, “What sort of flesh should you eat?”
May 07, 2012 | By Maria Dolan

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AT THE SMITHSONIAN
Scenes and Sightings from the Museums

  • Around the Mall
  • Visitor's Guide

UPDATE: Betty White Visits the National Zoo

Betty White is a self-described “zoo nut.” At age 90, she balances her still-thriving ac...
By Megan Gambino

Events May 18-20: Identities in Motion, Metro Mambo, Surfboard Carving

This weekend celebrate Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, do the Mambo at the National Museum of African ...
By K. Annabelle Smith

Chuck Brown, Godfather of Go-Go, Dies at 75, But Will Live on at the Smithsonian

The guitarist and singer pioneered the genre of Go-Go and became intricately connected with DC's cul...
By Joseph Stromberg




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