Editors' Picks
How to Save the Taj Mahal?
A debate rages over preserving the awe-inspiring, 350-year-old monument that now shows signs of distress from pollution and shoddy repairs
The Beer Archaeologist
By analyzing ancient pottery, Patrick McGovern is resurrecting the libations that fueled civilization
Samuel Morse's Reversal of Fortune
It wasn't until after he failed as an artist that Morse revolutionized communications by inventing the telegraph
Games
WordSmith
Test your knowledge on Smithsonian.com's crossword puzzle
Daily Sudoku
Play the addictive number placement puzzle
Objects Of Desire
Chronicling passions that change the world, for good and ill
February 2012
| By Terence Monmaney
A collection of historic front pages shows how civilians experienced and read about the war
January 10, 2012
| By Jeanne Maglaty
Banished from Massachusetts, the Puritan minister originated a principle that remains contentious to this day—separation of church and state
January 2012
| By John M. Barry
Whether as a tourist, an outcast or a pilgrim, traveling is discovering
January 2012
| By Terence Monmaney
Longfellow made the patriot’s ride to Lexington legendary, but the story of Revere’s earlier trip to Portsmouth deserves to be retold as well
December 12, 2011
| By Christopher Klein
Forget “Dixie,” it was one New Yorker’s “Home Sweet Home” that was the song most beloved by Union and Confederate soldiers
November 30, 2011
| By John Hanc
In a new exhibit at the National Building Museum, imagine Washington D.C. as it could have been
November 23, 2011
| By Megan Gambino
The history of the holiday meal tells us that a tasty bird was always the centerpiece, but other courses have since disappeared from the table
November 21, 2011
| By Megan Gambino
Newly unearthed documents shed light on claims that the famous criminal attorney bribed a juror
December 2011
| By John A. Farrell
President Lincoln addresses the State of the Union and grows impatient with General McClellan
December 2011
| By David Zax
A Jefferson expert provides a list of indispensable reads about the founding father
November 08, 2011
| By Megan Gambino
For seven days, as the two presidential candidates maneuvered and schemed, the fate of the young republic hung in the ballots
November 01, 2004
| By John Ferling
The 70th anniversary of the completion of the South Dakota monument prompts a look back at what it took to create it
October 31, 2011
| By Megan Gambino
As Union generals came and left, personalities clashed and Southern farmers set fire to their fields
November 2011
| By David Zax
Deep in the collections of the Library of Congress are ghostly images and voices of Union and Confederate soldiers recalling the bloody battles of their youth
October 05, 2011
| By Fergus M. Bordewich
While the generals on both sides deliberated, troops in blue and gray fidgeted
October 2011
| By David Zax
"Whether it was TV or magazines, the world got changed one image at a time," says Maurice Berger, curator of a new exhibit at American History
October 2011
| By Arcynta Ali Childs
For 28 years, Bob Clevenhagen has designed the custom gloves of many of baseball’s greatest players
September 13, 2011
| By Jim Morrison
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Weekend Events Feb 10-12: Mourning, The Power of Chocolate Festival, and the Emerson String Quartet
This weekend, go to the Iranian Film Festival, taste and learn why chocolate was called the "food of the gods" by the Aztecs and Mayans, and enjoy a p...
By Aviva Shen
How Much the Hope Diamond is Worth and Other Questions From Our Readers
From American art, history and culture, air and space technology, contemporary art, Asian art and any of the sciences from astronomy to zoology, we'll...
By Aviva Shen
Events Feb 7-9: Water Matters, Multiplicity, and Touki Bouki
This week, learn why water matters, take a guided tour of the American Art Museum's exhibition, Multiplicity, and enjoy a free film at the African Art...
By Aviva Shen
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