Smithsonian Magazine: January 2009
Features
Samarra Rises
In 2006, sectarian violence engulfed Iraq after terrorists destroyed the mosque of the golden dome, built on a site sacred to Shiites for 1,100 years. Today, Sunnis and Shiites are working together to restore the shrine and the war-torn city
By Joshua Hammer
Commander in Chief
A self-taught strategist with no combat experience, Lincoln saw the path to victory more clearly than his generals
By James M. McPherson
Winging It
Dangling from a paraglider with a propeller on his back, photographer George Steinmetz gets a new perspective on Africa
By Abigail Tucker
Gene Therapy in a New Light
A husband-and-wife team's experimental genetic treatment for blindness is renewing hopes for a controversial field of medicine
By Jocelyn Kaiser
The Spotted Owl's New Nemesis
An epic battle between environmentalists and loggers left much of the bird's habitat protected. Now the celebrity species faces a new threat—a tougher owl
By Craig Welch
Night Visions
For Vincent Van Gogh, fantasy and reality merged after dark in some of his most enduring works, as a new exhibition reminds us
By Paul Trachtman
Mining the Mountains
Explosives and giant machines are increasingly destroying Appalachian peaks to obtain coal. Opponents say the practice kills forests, threaten tourism and damages human health. One operation looms over a tiny West Virginia town, where residents and the industry are fighting over mining the mountain
By John McQuaid
Departments
Indelible Images
With Santa, the More the Merrier
Neal Slavin captures the night some Santas bent the rules
By David Zax
Wild Things
Wild Things:
Life as We Know It
Butterflies, clicking antelopes, creatures of the deep and more
By Amanda Bensen, T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Anika Gupta and Abigail Tucker
Presence of Mind
Frost, Nixon and Me
How I discovered what is gained and list when history is turned into entertainment
By James Reston Jr.
The Last Page
Your Name Here
If you're not yet a Hall of Famer, maybe you're just not trying
By Richard Conniff
