Rituals and Traditions
Established practices around weddings, funerals and celebrations
More Great Books and Where Best to Read Them
A continuation of last week's list of the author's favorite reads
July 27, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
How Aldous Huxley, 118 Today, Predicted the Present Far More Accurately than George Orwell
One of the pillars of science fiction would have turned 118 today.
July 26, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
World’s First Test Tube Baby Turns 34 Today
On this day 34 years ago, Louise Brown, the first "test tube baby," was welcomed into the world.
July 25, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Long Journey of Chief Joseph’s War Shirt
Important Native American artifact seen in Smithsonian portrait fetches $877,500 at Nevada auction
July 25, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Today’s the Shared Anniversary of Ruin Porn Poster Children Detroit, Machu Picchu
July 24th marks double jackpot for the intrepid explorers of years past as well for as fans of the latest photographic trend, "ruin porn."
July 24, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Q&A: Archaeologist Unearths 600-year-old Bra in Castle
Though in tatters, the undergarment looks thoroughly modern. But was it comfortable!?
July 23, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Great Books—and the Best Places to Read Them
Reading while traveling can serve as a sensory supplement to one's surrounding environment. Here's a list of some of my favorite books and where to read them
July 21, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Here’s What Nixon Would Have Said If Apollo 11 Hadn't Returned
Forty three years ago today, the crew of Apollo 11 set down on the surface of the Moon. In the event that things had gone horribly wrong, Safire had a speech ready for then-President Nixon
July 20, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Man’s Best Friend or the World’s Number-One Pest?
With perhaps 600 million strays skirmishing for food on the fringe of the human world, street dogs are a common element of travel just about everywhere
July 18, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Spooky Reads for Halloween
Vampires, Axe Murderers and Monsters from the Deep: Smithsonian's Reading Guide for All Things Halloween
July 16, 2012 |
By Smithsonian.com
A Short Walking Tour of New York’s Lower East Side
In the 1860’s the Lower East Side was deluged in a wave of immigrants from Germany; known as Klein Deutschland, it had the 5th largest German-speaking population among cities in the world at the time
July 11, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
Fifty Years Ago, Lyndon Johnson Answered the First Satellite Phone Call
Telstar 1, which launched into orbit 50 years ago today, was the world's first commercial satellite, and a testament to international, and government-industry, cooperation.
July 10, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
This One Beautiful Video Sums Up All of Space Shuttle History
This weekend marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis for STS-135, the final Shuttle mission, and artist McLean Fanestock 's video Grand Finale 2010-11 brings the Shuttles' 30 year tenure together by simultaneously displaying all 135 flights, from 1981 right on through to 2011.
July 09, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Tallest, Strongest and Most Iconic Trees in the World
Its bark is fire resistant. Its fruit is edible. It scoffs at the driest droughts. It shrugs, and another decade has passed. It is the baobab tree, one of the longest-living, strangest looking plants in the world
July 05, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Today is Actually the 1700th Anniversary of the Bikini, not the 66th
July 5th, 1946 is classically regarded as the birth date of what we now call the bikini. But that version of history misses the long view.
July 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
What if Newton’s Principia Mathematica, Published Today, Had Been in Comic Sans?
The seething rage over CERN's font choice drives the question: How would the world have reacted to Newton's world-changing tome had Comic Sans existed at the time?
July 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Fitness Afar: Great Places to Hang Out at the Bar
Going abroad needn’t mean going flabby—determined globe-trotters can find pull-up bars and other outdoor gymnastics equipment in some of the most unexpected places.
July 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Cork Trees: Soft-Skinned Monarchs of the Mediterranean
A cork tree stripped of its bark will be harvested again in nine years—if people are still using cork by then
June 28, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Swimsuit Series, Part 2: Beauty Pageants and the Inevitable Swimsuit Competition
In the latest chapter of the series, we look at how bathing suits came to be an integral part of the Miss America competition
June 28, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
The Hunt for a Bottle of Asturias Cider and the Stories of More Drinks From Northern Spain
In this part of Europe, a glass of rioja is nice, but nothing beats apple cider, a way of life
June 27, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
