Workers wave proudly from the windows of a plant closed by the sit-down strike in Flint, Michigan, in 1937.

Organized Labor Took a Huge Step Forward When GM Workers Sat Down in Unison in 1937

Instead of picketing, striking autoworkers in Flint, Michigan, tried a bold tactic that gummed up the works and forced the company to recognize their union

Luke Savage

Pastis is an anise-flavored aperitif that was invented in 1932 in Marseille, France.

Travel

Get a Taste of Coastal Europe Through These Seven Spirits

February 20, 2026 8:00 a.m.

Smart News

This Massive, Meat-Eating Dinosaur Was a ‘Hell Heron’ That Waded Into Shallow Waters to Nab Slippery Fish

February 20, 2026 2:50 p.m.

Vincent van Gogh Adored the Color Yellow. A New Exhibition in Amsterdam Wants You to Fall In Love With the Hue, Too

February 20, 2026 1:30 p.m.

These 12 Popular Dog Breeds Are at Risk of Breathing Problems Related to Their Short Snouts, a New Study Suggests

February 20, 2026 12:00 p.m.

Watch Never-Before-Seen Footage of David Bowie Performing ‘Heroes’ at This New Immersive Exhibition

February 20, 2026 11:33 a.m.

Researchers Retrieve the Deepest-Ever Rock Core From Beneath Antarctica’s Ice. It Holds Clues About the Earth’s Past—and Future

February 20, 2026 10:00 a.m.

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Latest Features

Travel

Get a Taste of Coastal Europe Through These Seven Spirits

February 20, 2026 8:00 a.m.

A red-roofed residence is nestled in the rocks at the feet of the Cadini di Misurina.

Travel

Experience the Grandeur of the Italian Alps With These 15 Majestic Photographs

February 20, 2026 7:00 a.m.

History

Organized Labor Took a Huge Step Forward When GM Workers Sat Down in Unison in 1937

March 2026

Arts & Culture

Eating Challenges Are All the Rage. But When Was the Last Time You Saw Someone Eat a Mutton Shoulder Bone?

March 2026

At the Smithsonian

When Did Cooks Start Using Spices? And More Questions From Our Readers

March 2026

Based on Andrewsarchus’ skull size and the skull-to-body-size ratios of other hoofed predators called mesonychids, scientists estimated in 1924 that the beast was more than 12 feet long and about 6 feet tall. Reassessments of Andrewsarchus’ evolutionary tree, however, suggest this estimate is inaccurate.

Science

This Giant Carnivore Ran on Hooves. Scientists Are Investigating Its Massive Skull and Crushing Teeth to Decipher the Beast’s True Nature

February 19, 2026

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March 2026

OPENER - The Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve, in eastern Chad, encompasses 19,300 square miles of a vast sandstone plateau.

Science Shifting Sands

Petroglyphs on sandstone at a national park in Chad bear witness to wildlife that once roamed the area before the continent’s water largely receded 6,000 years ago. Could it return?

OPENER - Xin Ying, principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company, wears a costume from the 1948 ballet Diversion of Angels. Graham designed the dress, inspired by a splash of color in a Wassily Kandinsky painting.

Arts & Culture Modern Moves

Her choreography told stories in new ways and her collaborations with costume and stage designers changed the aesthetic of the art. Now, her dance company marks its first century

History Voice of Deception

As “Vicky With Three Kisses,” she strategically sweet-talked and sang to German troops over the airwaves of Europe. But Agnes Bernauer didn’t mean anything she was saying

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Smart News

A Man Bought a $13 Camera at a Thrift Shop—and Found 70-Year-Old Film Still Inside. Do You Recognize the Faces in the Photos?

At the Smithsonian

This Helmet Kept an Air Force Pilot Safe as She Was Soaring Through the Glass Ceiling

Science

When Coyotes Threatened Livestock on Central Texas Ranches, the Solution Was to Unlock an Ancient Ability in Dogs

Smart News

Archaeologists Unearthed a 2,200-Year-Old Bone. They Say It Could Be the First Direct Evidence of Hannibal’s Legendary War Elephants

Smart News

Couples Have Been Kissing Under the Lovers’ Arch in Italy for Years. On Valentine’s Day, It Collapsed Into the Sea

Special Report

Coastal Cities of Europe

Explore the history, culture and natural wonders of the continent's most celebrated ports

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Featured Stories

Travel

Can Venice’s Iconic Crab Dish Survive Climate Change?

Crabs not yet at the molting stage are thrown back into the Venice lagoon.

History

Go Behind the Scenes at an Iconic Irish Library as Staff Move 700,000 Historical Treasures Into Storage

A bust of Plato in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin

Travel

See Greece in All Its Gorgeous Glory

Brightly colored homes line the caldera in Santorini, a contrast to much of the blue-and-white motif.

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A small herd of zebras moves through tall golden grass, their stripes blending and contrasting with the savanna’s endless beauty.

Stripes in the Golden Plains

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Podcast

Smithsonian Podcast: There’s More to That

Smithsonian magazine covers history, science and culture in the way only it can — through a lens on the world that is insightful and grounded in richly reported stories. In There’s More to That, meet the magazine’s journalists and hear how they discover the forces behind the biggest issues of our time.

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Latest Episodes

The Tragedy of the Alps’ Disappearing Glaciers for Those That Live, Visit and Ski There

February 12, 2026 | 28 minutes

A Stunning Escape From Slavery Told on Tattered Pages

January 29, 2026 | 29 minutes

The Foods and Flavors That Make Our Holidays Delicious

December 18, 2025 | 33 minutes

The Astronomical Problem of Space Junk

December 4, 2025 | 26 minutes

History

This 2014 artwork by J.R. superimposes a historic photograph of immigrants on a broken window at the Ellis Island hospital.

A Stay at Ellis Island Hospital Could Determine Whether an Immigrant Had a Chance to Start a New Life in America

Some 276,000 patients were admitted to the medical facility between 1892 and 1951. But the abandoned complex has long been overlooked, and preservationists are fighting to save it

February 19, 2026

One of the Allies’ Secret Weapons Against the Nazis Was a 21-Year-Old Woman Armed With a Microphone and a Script of Lies

March 2026

‘Yankee Doodle’ Was One of America’s Earliest Protest Songs. But Its Origins Are Shrouded in Mystery

February 17, 2026

More History

Science

This Giant Carnivore Ran on Hooves. Scientists Are Investigating Its Massive Skull and Crushing Teeth to Decipher the Beast’s True Nature

For more than a century, paleontologists have been piecing together how the mysterious predator Andrewsarchus is related to other mammals, like the extinct “hell pigs” and “wolves with hooves”

February 19, 2026