CURRENT ISSUE

August 2002

Features

Sondheim!

A summer festival showcases the wit and artistry of the musical-theater master, drawing "nuts" from all over

Chip Brown

First City in the New World?

Peru's Caral suggests civilization emerged in the Americas 1,000 years earlier than experts believed

Smithsonian magazine

Presley in a Sun Records promotional photograph, 1954

Boy Wonder

For a few fleeting moments in 1956, Elvis Presley was still an unaffected kid from Tupelo, Mississippi, and the road to stardom seemed paved in possibility

Alina Corday-Taylor

Palm Plight

Assaulted by myriad threats to their survival, palm species around the world face the likelihood of extinction

Mike Grudowski

Odd DUKW

On land and in the water, World War II's amphibian workhorse showed the skeptics a thing or two now it shows tourists the sights

Thomas B. Allen

Dreams in the Desert

The allure of Morocco, with its unpredictable mix of exuberance and artistry, has seduced adventurous travelers for decades

Richard Covington

Palio: Italy's Mad Dash

Pageantry, passion and intrigue are all on display in the no-holds-barred, bareback horse race run twice each summer in the medieval city of Siena

Smithsonian magazine

Iron Will

While William Clark is best known for the expedition he made with Meriwether Lewis, his later life was as historic and more consequential

Landon Y. Jones

Departments

From the Editor

The Object at Hand

Macho in Miniature

For nearly 40 years, G.I. Joe has been on America's front lines in toy boxes from coast to coast

Phenomena & Curiosities

Thar They Blow!

Gentle giants? New research suggests that male sperm whales may butt heads over females

Kevin Roderick