Time
The past, present and future divided into geologic and historic eras, significant historic and cultural events, and centuries and decadesDiscover Smithsonian articles as they relate to the past, present and future.
When Uncle Sam Backs Your Film
How Act of Valor is only the latest in a long history of official military involvement in the film industry
February 08, 2012 |
By Daniel Eagan
How Much the Hope Diamond is Worth and Other Questions From Our Readers
From American art, history and culture, air and space technology, contemporary art, Asian art and any of the sciences from astronomy to zoology, we'll find an answer
February 07, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
The Man Who Wouldn’t Die
The plot to kill Michael Malloy for life-insurance money seemed foolproof—until the conspirators actually tried it
February 07, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
The Debate Over Dinosaur Sight
Did Velociraptor hunt under the cover of darkness?
February 03, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Nice Things to Say About Attila the Hun
How did the terrible Attila the Hun command so much loyalty—and why, in death, was he so mourned?
February 03, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
The “Duck-billed” Dinosaur That Wasn’t
Instead of a long, low duck bill, the beak of Tethyshadros was shaped like a snowplow and serrated. Why it had such a strange beak is a mystery
February 01, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
The Oldest Modernist Paintings
Two thousand years before Picasso, artists in Egypt painted some of the most arresting portraits in the history of art
February 2012 |
By Smithsonian Magazine
Meet Lucy Jones, "the Earthquake Lady"
As part of her plan to prepare Americans for the next "big one," the seismologist tackles the dangerous phenomenon of denial
February 2012 |
By Amy Wallace
Revisiting The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Recently reissued, William L. Shirer's seminal 1960 history of Nazi Germany is still important reading
February 2012 |
By Ron Rosenbaum
Going Mad for Charles Dickens
Two centuries after his birth, the novelist is still wildly popular, as a theme park, a new movie and countless festivals attest
February 2012 |
By Joshua Hammer
The Game that Put the NFL’s Reputation on the Line
In 1930, many football fans believed the college game was better than the professional one
January 31, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
How an Ankylosaur Went Out to Sea
How did a heavily armored dinosaur wind up at the bottom of Alberta's Cretaceous sea?
January 30, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
The Most Terrible Polar Exploration Ever: Douglas Mawson’s Antarctic Journey
A century ago, Douglas Mawson saw his two companions die and found himself stranded in the midst of Antarctic blizzards. His epic three-week march to safety is one of the greatest survival stories in the history of polar exploration
January 27, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
Paleontologists Uncover Oldest Known Dinosaur Nest Site
The "lay 'em and leave 'em" strategy might not have been the ancestral state for these dinosaurs
January 25, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Hit by a Bus, How Ben Hogan Hit Back
The champion golfer was critically injured in 1949—and went on to the most dominant phase of his career.
January 25, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Fearsome Dinosaur Had Ridiculously Short Arms
The forelimbs of this animal look like an evolutionary joke
January 24, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Some Dinosaurs Used Natural Heat for Their Nests
The sauropod site may have resembled Yellowstone National Park, with geysers, hot springs and mud pots
January 23, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
The Largest Ceratosaurus
How many species of this rare, ornamented genus were there?
January 19, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Diving for the Secrets of the Battle of the Atlantic
Off the coast of North Carolina lie dozens of shipwrecks, remainders of a forgotten theater of World War II
January 18, 2012 |
By Jim Morrison
The Stalking of the President
Charles J. Guiteau said he wanted to kill President James A. Garfield "in an American manner." He passed up several opportunities before he thought the time was right.
January 17, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
