Smithsonian Magazine: April 2008
Features
Homing In On Black Holes
To gain insight into the most mysterious objects in the universe, astronomers shine a light at the chaotic core of our own Milky Way
By Robert Irion
Inside Cape Town
Tourists are flocking to the city, but a former resident explains how the legacy of apartheid lingers
By Joshua Hammer
The Unmaking of the President
Lyndon Johnson believed that his withdrawal from the 1968 presidential campaign would free him to solidify his legacy
By Clay Risen
Larger than Life
Whether denouncing France's art establishment or challenging Napoleon III, Gustave Courbet never held back
By Avis Berman
To Catch a Thief
How a Civil War buff's chance discovery led to a sting, a raid and a victory against traffickers in stolen historical documents
By Steve Twomey
Pay Dirt in Montana
A librarian's sleuthing turns up a crime with at least 100 victims
By Steve Twomey
The Sodfather
Major-league teams are turning to third-generation groundskeeper Roger Bossard to give them a winning edge
By Mike Thomas
Departments
Indelible Images
Comrades and Arms
When Fidel Castro asked for a show of hands in support of his new policies, an American journalist captured the response
By Guy Gugliotta
My Kind of Town
Urbane Renewal
Claire Messud, the best-selling author of The Emperor's Children, discovers the grown-up pleasures of her adolescent playground
By Claire Messud
Interview
Patricia Zaradic, Conservation Ecologist, Pennsylvania
The trouble with "videophilia"
By Megan Gambino
Presence of Mind
"Those Aren't Rumors"
Two decades ago an anonymous telephone call sank Gary Hart's presidential campaign—and rewrote the rules of political reporting
By Dick Polman
From the Editor
Into the Void
Unraveling an astronomical mystery... and a presidency
By Carey Winfrey
Wild Things
Wild Things
Life as We Know It
By Kenneth R. Fletcher, T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Laura Helmuth and Sarah Zielinski
Points of Interest
Points of Interest
Notable American Destinations and Happenings
By David Zax, Wendee Holtcamp and Jennifer Moses
Around the Mall
Buried Treasure
A Clarion call from the new African American History Museum: What's in Your Attic?
By Josh Schollmeyer
The Object at Hand
Spirals of History
Hand-carved elephant tusks tell the story of life in the Congolese colonies of the late 1800s
By Owen Edwards
Q&A
James Luna
James Luna is known for pushing boundaries in his installations, where he engages audiences by making himself part of a tableau
By Kenneth R. Fletcher
