Games and Competition

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It All Comes Down To This

It's been a long hunt through some of the darkest corners of the Smithsonian vaults, but the light at the end of the tunnel is at hand

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The Last Row

But at least two of the last three puzzles in the grid (including today's!) may be among the hair-pullingest yet.  I'm not a sadist, mind you.  I genuinely think you'll have fun with them.

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Don’t fold now!

We're past the midpoint of the Great American History Puzzle now, friends.  By this point, the plot has thickened.  For some of you, I'm guessing, it's positively congealed.

Chemistry set manufacturing for children began in the early 20th century and peaked popularity in the 1950's.

The Rise and Fall and Rise of the Chemistry Set

Banning toys with dangerous acids was a good idea, but was the price a couple generations of scientists?

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To new friends and old

Why are there so few rules or instructions? It's all part of the plan

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Curiouser and Curiouser

The fourth puzzle is now unlocked. Have at it!

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The Moment of Clarity

Some good news and some bad news from the Puzzle Master

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The Trail Continues!

Here are a few (non-spoiler!) answers to questions we've received from a bunch of solvers

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Great American Puzzle Update: Solving a Sticky Question

A subscriber wondered if the mailing label that is printed on the mailed copies of Smithsonian magazine would interfere with his solving the Great American Puzzle

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Welcome to the Great American History Puzzle!

Hello, Great American History Puzzlers! I’m Ken Jennings–yes, the 70-something-time Jeopardy! champion, but also a lifelong history buff and puzzle addict. In the weeks to come, I’ll gradually be unveiling a series of diabolically devious enigmas and brain-teasers over at The Great American History Puzzle website. One lucky winner will be headed to Washington D.C. [...]

The high-tech arms race between cheaters and testers has pushed both sides to the cutting edge of science.

The Future of Cheating in Sports

As technology advances, so will access to ingenious—and troubling—new techniques

A crowd of 250,000 jammed Times Square to see the start of the race.

Paris or Bust: The Great New York-to-Paris Auto Race of 1908

Even before there were roads, there were men who wanted to drive fast

Halo 2 is a first-person shooter game that allows for multiple players as well as online competition. According to video game designer Kellee Santiago, "The music, the visuals, the character designs—they were all taken to a whole new level."

The Essentials: Video Games

Designer Kellee Santiago picks five artful video games that tell the history of the medium

In Mass Effect 2, human colonies in space mysteriously vanish.

The Art of Video Games

For decades, video games have enthralled and inspired, and now they are the subject of a new exhibit that views them as serious works of art

Some orchid species mimic nectar-producing flowers to lure bees; others emit the fetid smell of rotting meat to attract carrion flies.

The Orchid Olympics

Breeders from 19 countries put their creations to the test at the 20th World Orchid Conference in Singapore

Christmas in the future as imagined in the 1981 book "Tomorrow's Home" by Neil Ardley

Santa’s Trusty Robot Reindeer

A special visit from the Ghost of Christmas Retro-Future

Paul Morphy (left) and a friend

A Chess Champion’s Dominance—and Madness

As a young man, Paul Morphy vanquished eight opponents simultaneously while effectively blindfolded

The winner of the 1911 Indianapolis 500 averaged about 75 mph, less than half the winning speed in today's race.

One Hundred Years of the Indy 500

A century ago, the first Indianapolis 500 race started in high excitement and ended in a muddle

A dozen roses from a suitor may be flattering, but they can't compare to the tacit admission that we are in the same league.

The Newlywed Games

"You compete me"

Many of the tracks A.F. Van Order frequented were built of wood and banked to enable riders to go faster.

The Early, Deadly Days of Motorcycle Racing

Photographer A.F. Van Order captured the thrills and spills of board-track motorcycle racing in the 1910s

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