People
These influential artists, celebrities, leaders and scholars have shaped our world
Painting Portraits With Bacteria
Microbiologist Zachary Copfer has created detailed portraits of famous artists and scientists in petri dishes
October 10, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Doing the T. rex Stretch
Did T. rex use its tiny arms to do push-ups?
October 10, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Events October 9-11: Short Films, Chef Demonstrations and a Shanghai Quartet
This week at the Smithsonian, daily screenings, the best of American cuisine and new arrangements of Chinese folk songs
October 08, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Sinfully Delicious Apples That You Should Never Try to Eat
Inspired by the work of Cornell scientists, Los Angeles-based Jessica Rath creates sculptures and photographs of the autumn fruit
October 05, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
George Washington and Abigail Adams Get an Extreme Makeover
Conservators at the National Gallery Art restored Gilbert Stuart portraits of our founding figures, making them look good as new
October 05, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Events October 5-7: Mrs. Judo, Staring at the Sun and Chamber Society Music
This weekend, a 99-year old judo legend, a scientist who studies the sun and a season-opener with the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society.
October 04, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Amazing Photographs of Water Droplets Colliding
See the results of 98-year-old Irving Olson's kitchen experiments
October 03, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Long Live the King
Paleontologists have named scores of dinosaurs, but why is T. rex our favorite?
October 03, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Ai Weiwei Takes Over the Smithsonian: “According to What?” Opens at the Hirshhorn
The museum hosts the U.S. premier of a blockbuster show from the controversial artist
October 03, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Eight Lessons for the Presidential Debates
What are the key dos and don'ts the candidates should remember when campaigning for the White House?
October 03, 2012 |
By Kenneth C. Davis
The Unsolved Mystery of the Tunnels at Baiae
Did ancient priests fool visitors to a sulfurous subterranean stream that they had crossed the River Styx and entered Hades?
October 01, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
Events October 2-4: Nomadic Arts, Guided Tours and Music from Kazakhstan
This week, music and finds from Kazakhstan's nomadic past and daily, guided tours
October 01, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Kennedy After Dark: A Dinner Party About Politics and Power
In this exclusive transcript from the JFK library, hear what he had to say just days after announcing his candidacy for the presidency
October 2012 |
By Ted Widmer
The Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson
A new portrait of the founding father challenges the long-held perception of Thomas Jefferson as a benevolent slaveholder
October 2012 |
By Henry Wiencek
The Adventures of the Real Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain prowled the rough-and-tumble streets of 1860s San Francisco with a hard-drinking, larger-than-life fireman
October 2012 |
By Robert Graysmith
Winged Tapestries
Jim des Rivières' portraits of moths capture the insects' exquisite patterns
September 28, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Events September 28-30: Dance Parties, Family Days and Artist Talks
This weekend, get down after dark, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and get an artist's perspective on art in the collection
September 27, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
The Silence that Preceded China’s Great Leap into Famine
Mao Zedong encouraged critics of his government—and then betrayed them just when their advice might have prevented a calamity
September 26, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Science Images that Border on Art
This year's Wellcome Image Award winners pull at your "art" strings. The curious seek out the science behind them
September 26, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Did Dinosaurs Swim?
Carnivorous theropod dinosaurs were once thought to be hydrophobic, but rare swim tracks show that these predators at least sometimes took a dip in lakes and rivers
September 24, 2012 |
By Brian Switek

