Television
Microbe Hunters
Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, scientists search for the micro-organisms that lived inside ancient humans
April 23, 2013 |
By Elizabeth Quill
The 10 Worst Teachers and Principals From Pop Culture
From Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to Mean Girls, on-screen educators have a talent for causing trouble. Here are the worst offenders.
April 15, 2013 |
By Eleanor Barkhorn
TV Will Tear Us Apart: The Future of Political Polarization in American Media
In 1969, Internet pioneer Paul Baran predicted that specialized new media would undermine national cohesion
April 05, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
VIDEO: “MLK: The Assassination Tapes” now a Peabody Award Winner
The award-winning program brings to light recently rediscovered footage and offers a fresh perspective on one of America's greatest tragedies
March 29, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
VIDEO: The Show, Lincoln’s Washington at War, Depicts the Transformation of Washington
A new documentary from Smithsonian Channel looks at how the Civil War helped transform the city of Washington, D.C.
February 22, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Sneak Peek of “Seizing Justice: The Greensboro 4″
Airing February 11, the Smithsonian Channel documentary tells the story of the lunch counter sit-in that helped to change the country
February 11, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
3D-TV, Automated Cooking and Robot Housemaids: Walter Cronkite Tours the Home of 2001
In 1967, the most trusted man in America investigated the home of the 21st century
January 29, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
Sit Back and Plug In: Entertainment in the Year 2000
Was our future to be delightful or depraved? Sort of depends on your perspective
December 13, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
In the 1920s, Shoppers Got Punk’d By Fake Televisions
Don't touch that dial....really, don't
November 30, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Five Past Visions of Our Political Future
Some people thought that once women were allowed to vote, men would soon lose that privilege
November 06, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Smithsonian Channel: Upcoming October Shows
Get an in-depth look at the Smithsonian's Landsdowne Portrait, the Greensboro Lunch Counter and the Titanoboa Snake on the big screen (your big screen) this month
October 16, 2012 |
By Guest Blogger
A New Great Depression and Ladies on the Moon: 1970s Middle School Kids Look to the Year 2000
The ideal future according to a ten-year-old: shorter school days, lower taxes, and lots and lots of robots
October 12, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Predictions From The Father of Science Fiction
Hugo Gernsback's predictions give us a look at the most radical of technological utopianism from the 1920s
October 04, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Recapping “The Jetsons”: Episode 01 – Rosey the Robot
Meet George Jetson! The first installment of our 24-part series on the show that would forever change how we view the future
September 24, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
50 Years of the Jetsons: Why The Show Still Matters
Although it was on the air for only one season, The Jetsons remains our most popular point of reference when discussing the future.
September 19, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
September Offerings on the Smithsonian Channel
The Institution's award-winning channel offers up a month of premium programs, featuring the Hope Diamond, Titanoboa and a rainforest exploration
September 05, 2012 |
By Guest Blogger
1931′s Remote-Controlled Farm of the Future
The farmer of tomorrow wears a suit to work and sits at a desk that looks oddly familiar to those of us here in the year 2012.
July 02, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
1987 Predictions From Bill Gates: “Siri, Show Me Da Vinci Stuff”
The co-founder of Microsoft worried that, in the information age, people would prefer synthesized reality.
June 27, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Surgery, Security and Sales: The Future of Closed-Circuit Television
Just as people were experimenting with the potential uses of broadcast TV in the 1930s, so too were they envisioning ways to utilize closed-circuit TV in the 1950s
June 26, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Predictions for Educational TV in the 1930s
Before it became known as the "idiot box," television was seen as the best hope for bringing enlightenment to the American people
May 29, 2012 |
By Matt Novak


