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.
After Nearly 70 Years, How Do Stealth Planes Stay Stealthy?
From the Horten Ho 229 to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, stealth technology has changed a lot
December 13, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
North Korea’s Failing Satellite Could Ruin Space for Everyone
North Korea's new satellite is out of control, and it could wipe out human's access to space
December 13, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Pet Store Refuses to Sell Impulse-Buy Puppies for Christmas
Too many animals end up on death row, one Australian pet shop says, so their shop will not sell kittens or puppies around Christmas time
December 12, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
More Than One Person Has Built an Ark To Prepare for the Mayan Apocalypse
How exactly does one prepare for the end of the world?
December 12, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Your Christmas Tree Helps Fight Climate Change
The key for trapping carbon lies in the soil, rather than the trees.
December 12, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Did Early Dinosaurs Burrow?
Were enigmatic, 230-million-year-old burrows created by dinosaurs?
December 12, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Before the Civil War, There Were 8,000 Different Kinds of Money in the U.S.
It wasn't until after the war that the U.S. started to really use the dollar
December 12, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
This Is Probably the World’s Most Beautiful Seismograph
Using different colors of paint and a map of Christchurch, this machine lays down beautiful portraits of New Zealand's deadly earthquakes
December 11, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
We Don’t Know the Origins of the Candy Cane, But They Almost Certainly Were Not Christian
There are a lot of explanations floating around out there about the candy cane - but almost none of them are true
December 11, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
In a Homemade Tank, Syrian Rebels Use a PlayStation Controller to Operate a Machine Gun
The Syrian rebel forces, who face a strong disparity in access to the tools of war, have fashioned themselves a homemade tank
December 10, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
How Did Raptors Use Their Fearsome Toe Claws?
Claw Shapes: A Glimpse Into the Lifestyle of Raptors?
December 07, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Climate Change May Have Driven Genghis Khan’s Army Across Eurasia
A multidecadal blip in temperature and rainfall patterns may have spurred the rise of the Mongol Empire
December 07, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
It’s the Final Day of the Doha Climate Talks, And, Uh, Did Anything Actually Happen?
Reports from Doha don't provide much hope that any progress has been made on the increasingly urgent issue of global climate change
December 07, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Is Every Bomb Dropped on London During the Blitz
See all 100 tones of explosives the Germans dropped on London in one map
December 07, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
What Prehistoric Reptile Do These Three-foot Claws Belong To?
Claws once thought to belong to a giant turtle turned out to be from one of the weirdest dinosaurs ever found
December 06, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Here’s How to Make a Scorpion Bomb
Want to keep your enemies at bay? How about throwing a jar of scorpions at them?
December 06, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Day Henry Clay Refused to Compromise
The Great Pacificator was adept at getting congressmen to reach agreements over slavery. But he was less accommodating when one of his own slaves sued him
December 06, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Scientists Discover Oldest Known Dinosaur
A fragmentary skeleton pins the emergence of dinosaurs more than 10 million years earlier than previously thought
December 05, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
World’s Greatest Extinction May Have Actually Been Two Extinctions in One
The Permian-Triassic extinction nearly wiped out life on Earth
December 04, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Pope’s Tweets Are Official Church Doctrine
The pope is officially Tweeting now, under the handle @pontifex, and his Tweets are officially "part of the church's magisterium." Which means that anything he Tweets is the teaching authority of the Catholic Church
December 03, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth

