Transportation
The Ultimate Spy Plane
The SR-71 Blackbird, now featured in the Transformers movie sequel, was faster than a rifle bullet and flew 16 miles above the earth
July 2009 |
By Owen Edwards
Borne on a Black Current
For thousands of years, the Pacific Ocean’s strong currents have swept shipwrecked Japanese sailors onto American shores
June 16, 2009 |
By Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Eric Scigliano
Setting Sail on the Hudson River 400 Years Later
Using 17th century techniques, volunteers built a replica of Henry Hudson's vessel in honor of the anniversary of his exploration
June 08, 2009 |
By Wayne A. Hall
Alice Ramsey's Historic Cross-Country Drive
In 1909, 22-year-old Alice Ramsey made history as the first woman to drive across the United States
June 05, 2009 |
By Marina Koestler Ruben
The Legends Behind the Dragon Boat Festival
Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, Duanwu Jie honors storied history with culinary treats
May 15, 2009 |
By Jeninne Lee-St. John
Buckle Up Your Seatbelt and Behave
Do we take more risks when we feel safe? Fifty years after we began using the three-point seatbelt, there's a new answer
April 2009 |
By William Ecenbarger
Under the Radar with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
The five-pound RQ-14A takes high-tech reconnaissance to new heights
March 2009 |
By Owen Edwards
Endangered Site: Historic Route 66, U.S.A.
The 2,400 mile highway was eclipsed by interstate highways that bypassed neon signs of roadside diners
March 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Steering Ships Through a Treacherous Waterway
Braving storms with high seas a group of elite ship pilots steers tankers and freighters through the Columbia River
February 2009 |
By Matt Jenkins
The Perils of Bird-Plane Collisions
When airlines want to investigate dangerous bird strikes against planes, they turn to the head of the Smithsonian’s Feather Identification Lab
January 16, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Africa on the Fly
Dangling from a paraglider with a propeller on his back, photographer George Steinmetz gets a new perspective on Africa
January 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
Spirit of the Sea
Tlingit artisans craft a canoe that embodies their culture's oceangoing past
September 2008 |
By Megan Gambino
The Truth About Traffic
Author Tom Vanderbilt Shows Why Cars and People Don’t Mix
August 25, 2008 |
By Abigail Tucker
Termite Bellies and Biofuels
Scientist Falk Warnecke's research into termite digestion may hold solutions to our energy crisis
August 01, 2008 |
By Julia Olmstead
A World on Rails
A journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway offers inspiring sights, from snowscapes to wildlife
July 2008 |
By Sally McGrane
Raiders or Traders?
A replica Viking vessel sailing the North Sea has helped archaeologists figure out what the stalwart Norsemen were really up to
July 2008 |
By Andrew Curry
Abandoned Ship: the Mary Celeste
What really happened aboard the Mary Celeste? More than a century after her crew went missing, a scenario is emerging
November 2007 |
By Jess Blumberg
Who's Fueling Whom?
Why the biofuels movement could run out of gas
November 2007 |
By Richard Conniff
