Editors' Picks

The Early History of Faking War on Film

Early filmmakers faced a dilemma: how to capture the drama of war without getting themselves killed in the process. Their solution: fake the footage

PHOTOS: The History of Abraham Lincoln on Film

The 16th president has been a Hollywood star and box office attraction since the earliest days of Hollywood

Esperanza Spalding Took on Bieber, Now Takes on Jazz

The innovative bassist and winner of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for performing arts is taking jazz to a whole new place

Science Beats

Sheila E. On Her Glamorous Life, Upcoming Album and Future Collaborations

The diva on the drums, Sheila E. says she has no plans to slow down as she works on a solo album and autobiography
May 16, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

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With the release of the 12th Star Trek film, curator Margaret Weitekamp explains why the franchise is so influential
May 15, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

Gil Goldstein lends an experienced hand to Bobby McFerrin's new concert series and recording project that honors familiar spirituals with a fresh new spirit
May 13, 2013 | By Joann Stevens

Curator Amy Henderson explores how the 1920s came alive in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel
May 10, 2013 | By Amy Henderson

The actor talks about getting vetted by the baseball legend's grandchildren, meeting with his wife and why baseball was actually his worst sport
April 16, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

From Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to Mean Girls, on-screen educators have a talent for causing trouble. Here are the worst offenders.
April 15, 2013 | By Eleanor Barkhorn

The 1985 film that famously revealed the lives of astronauts in zero gravity returns to the big screen
April 02, 2013 | By Marina Koren

Even though most of 1950s Vegas is long gone, there are still many ways to relive the haunts of Ol’ Blue Eyes and the Rat Pack
April 01, 2013 | By Nina Fedrizzi

Under a new editor, the latest issue features a day in a dog's life, audio postcards from around the world and more
March 28, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

Families preserving the old ways in the young keep Hawaiian culture blooming in DC area
March 27, 2013 | By Joann Stevens

Musicians in a fair trade coffee cooperative hope to change the world through song and coffee
March 21, 2013 | By Paul Bisceglio

A new film recreates the epic voyage—and revives the controversy over its legendary leader, Thor Heyerdahl
April 2013 | By Franz Lidz

How the make-believe alter ego of an imaginative teen in the 1970s won him the fame he always dreamed of 40 years later
March 05, 2013 | By Paul Bisceglio

A new album from Smithsonian Folkways will brighten anyone’s St. Patrick’s Day
March 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

It's the birth of the modern cosmetics business as young women look for beauty enhancers in a tube or jar
February 07, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

The young, fashionable women of the 1920s define the dress and style of their peers in their own words
February 05, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

Jazz is synonymous with the Big Easy, and there’s no bigger name in the history of the genre than Satchmo
January 31, 2013 | By Nina Fedrizzi

How does following the adventures of Spider-Man and Batman inspire us to cope with adversity?
February 2013 | By Robin Rosenberg

The museum director and former film studies professor examines Quentin Tarantino's take on slavery
January 14, 2013 | By Guest Blogger

Our Pop Culture Curator Amy Henderson Strolls the Halls of the Old Patent Office Building Imagining the Scene of Lincoln's 1865 Inaugural Ball
January 15, 2013 | By Amy Henderson

Peter Jackson’s blockbuster movie draws upon stories behind stories behind stories, just as J.R.R. Tolkien’s original works did.
January 03, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Christian Marclay’s The Clock, now on view at MoMA, puts YouTube mashup artists to shame
December 28, 2012 | By Joseph Stromberg

The Hobbit was shot on a RED camera developed by sunglass mogle Jim Jannard
December 17, 2012 | By Rose Eveleth

The 16th president has been a Hollywood star and box office attraction since the earliest days of Hollywood
November 2012 | By Jesse Rhodes

Steven Spielberg, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Tony Kushner talk about what it takes to wrestle an epic presidency into a feature film
November 2012 | By Roy Blount Jr.

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