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Smithsonian Books

Four Cute Bats to Help You Celebrate Halloween and Bat Week

Enjoy beautiful bat photography from conservationist and wildlife photographer Merlin Tuttle

Design of the quarter with Zitkala-Ša from the waist up holding a book. The words “author, activist, composer” are beside her.

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Zitkala-Ša, Native American Rights Activist, Honored on New Quarter

Zitkala-Ša, “Red Bird,” Gertrude Simmons Bonnin: an activist, author, and composer who fought for citizenship and sovereignty for Native Americans is honored on a quarter as part of the American Women Quarters Program.

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National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Ten Fascinating Facts About the Arapaima, the Largest Freshwater Fish in South America

A keystone species of the Amazon River ecosystem, the arapaima is a powerful predator known by many names.

More From Smithsonian Voices
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National Museum of Natural History

Meet the Scientist Decoding Human History in South America Through Giant Ground Sloth Fossils

Thaís Pansani examines the marks humans left on megafauna bones to determine when people arrived in South America and how they interacted with giant mammals

A black and white photograph of Bobby Flay in his signature white chef’s coat, with his initials, BF, embroidered on the front.

Smithsonian Associates

Hear From Bobby Flay About His 100 Favorite Recipes and Discover Other Smithsonian Events You Can Enjoy From Home in November

Online and in person, Smithsonian Associates offers lectures and seminars, studio arts classes, and study tours for curious minds

Candid black and white photo of people walking down the street. Two women face the camera in the foreground under an awning with the words “The First Women’s Bank” on it.

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

How the Equal Credit Opportunity Act Transformed Women's Economic Power

Learn about Emily Card, Jeanne Hubbard, Stephanie Lipscomb, and Rosemary Reed—four women whose stories about financial independence demonstrate the importance of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 and the phenomenon of women’s banks.

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National Museum of the American Indian

Meet Montana’s Teacher of the Year: Kevin KickingWoman

It is very rare for an American Indian who has deep roots in his culture, to receive teaching recognition in formal education. Here is his story.

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Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

'Scientists for Scientists' Wartime Grant Brings Ukrainian Bat Biologists to Panama

Over the last two years, staff at the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center have worked to save bats from the dangers of the Russian full-scale invasion. Now, they join researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to study bat behavior in Panama

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Office of the Secretary of the Smithsonian

The Global Story of Slavery in the Americas Comes to the Smithsonian

"In Slavery's Wake," an international exhibition set to debut next month, illuminates the unfinished work of securing freedom

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National Museum of American History

What's Happening in November: Events for Native American Heritage Month and More!

Here's what's happening this month at the National Museum of American History

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National Museum of Natural History

The Name Game: A 'Celebrity' Cephalopod Specimen Correctly Identified More Than 80 Years After Discovery

Collected by the iconic American writer John Steinbeck, the octopus has received a number of scientific monikers

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Smithsonian Books

Bird Nests and Eggs Reveal More Than Meets the Eye

Learn more about the natural world with three incredible bird specimens

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National Museum of Natural History

Our Planet On the Big Screen: New Museum Exhibition Explores Ever-Changing Earth from Space and on the Ground

The Smithsonian partners with NASA to present the Earth Information Center, a larger-than-life display that visualizes interconnected changes on the planet

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National Museum of the American Indian

The Long Path Toward Establishing Indigenous People's Day, a Day to Honor and Recognize the First Peoples of America

Native American Indians are committed to making Indigenous Peoples Day a national holiday in 2024.

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Smithsonian Books

The History of the Ballot and the People Who Cast Them

Learn about the fascinating role of voting in the United States

CWNYC24

Life on a Sustainable Planet

The Climate Crunch - Why Every Fall Feels Like a Race to Save the Planet

Every autumn, climate conferences ignite efforts in the fight against climate change. How do these gatherings inspire reflection and drive action?

An illustration of a new species of phyla with a cone shaped bottom and thin tendrils coming out of the top.

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Science Illustration: A Creative Door for Early Women in Science

Learn about Violet Dandridge, Aime Motter Awl, Carolyn Bartlett Gast, and Marilyn Schotte: four women from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Invertebrate Zoology who broke through the gendered barriers of science and made significant contributions to scientific discovery through art.

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National Museum of American History

How a Newspaper Revolution Sparked Protesters and Influencers: Disinformation and the Civil War

How the most divided period in the history of U.S. democracy – the mid-1800s – coincided with a sudden boom in new communications technologies, confrontational political influencers, widespread disinformation, and nasty fights over free speech. This media landscape helped bring about the Civil War.

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National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Inside the Zoo: A Rare and Life-Preserving Cheetah Surgery

With the help of 3D modeling technology, a team of veterinary experts successfully carried out a rare spinal surgery on an 11-month-old cheetah cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in August.

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National Museum of American History

Bernice Johnson Reagon's Lessons for Living

Bernice Johnson Reagon’s life offers us lessons to navigate an unjust world and work toward change. From her role as a Civil Rights activist to her transformative curatorial position at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Reagon demonstrated how songs and musical traditions, particularly those of the oppressed and marginalized, can transform the world.