Smithsonian Magazine: September 2011
Features
What Ails the Taj Mahal?
Preservationists say the 250-year-old marble masterpiece is falling prey to shoddy repair work, graffiti, air pollution—even a deteriorating foundation. We sent a veteran correspondent to evaluate the claims
By Jeffrey Bartholet
What 9/11 Wrought
In a personal essay, the former editor of the New York Times raises questions about the nation's response
By Joseph Lelyveld
Road Music
Long before country was cool, settlers and slaves created heartfelt "crooked tunes" that still enliven the mountains of southern Virginia
By Abigail Tucker
Reversal of Fortune
It wasn't until after Samuel Morse failed as an artist that he revolutionized communications by inventing the telegraph
By David McCullough
Picky Eaters
California sea otters have highly specialized diets. That might just be their problem
By Jess Righthand
A+ for Finland
Kids aren't required to go to school until they're 7. Standardized tests are rare. And yet the Nordic nation's success in education is off the charts.
By LynNell Hancock
Departments
Indelible Images
Super Model
William Wegman thought he was finished with dog portraits. Fay Ray had other ideas
By David Schonauer
The Civil War
On the March: September 1861
The war expands and Lincoln rejects an attempt at emancipation
By David Zax
My Kind of Town
Beyond Bourbon Street
From out-of-the-way jazz joints to po' boy shacks, a native son shares his favorite haunts in the Big Easy
By Randy Fertel
Around the Mall
Mail Pooch
For nine years, Owney rode the rails and the wagons on top of mailbags. Today, a stamp honors his odd service as the mascot of the mailmen
By Arcynta Ali Childs
The Object at Hand
Down But Not Out
Fans still argue about who really won the 1927 "long count" fight between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey
By Owen Edwards
Presence of Mind
The Struggle Within Islam
Extremists get the attention. But the forces of moderation are gaining ground
By Robin Wright
The Last Page
Strike Up the Brand
In an ever more competitive world, nations strive for the perfect slogan
By Richard Conniff
