How an Unremarkable "Brunch in the Forest" Turned Into the Thanksgiving We Know

Document Deep Dive

W.E.B. Du Bois’ Visionary Infographics Come Together for the First Time in Full Color

Science in the Movies

Fantastic Things We Learned This Year About Fantastic Beasts of the Real World

Innovative Spirit

This Apartment-Size Wind Turbine Makes Use of Gusts Coming From All Directions

Astronomers Discover Second-Closest Known Exoplanet

Women Who Shaped History

Mary Katharine Goddard, the Woman who Signed the Declaration of Independence

Ingenious Minds

AOL Co-Founder Steve Case Talks With Smithsonian Geologist John Grant About the Search for Life on Mars

Scientists Are About to Redefine the Kilogram and Shake Up Our System of Measures

How the First LGBTQ Mariachi Became an Outlet for Advocacy

Stan Lee Helped Shape the Story of What It Is to Be American

History of Now

The History of First Ladies’ Memoirs

A Letter to Stan Lee, Comic Book Legend, Written by One of His Biggest Fans

Why Walking on Legos Hurts More Than Walking on Fire or Ice

New Research

With Humans Out of the Way, Humpbacks Are Flourishing—But So Are Orcas

Ingenious Minds

A Smithsonian Sports Curator Explains How Athletes Turn Social and Political Issues into National Conversations

Three Centuries After His Beheading, a Kinder, Gentler Blackbeard Emerges

Ingenious Minds

The Future Is Bright If More Teens Could Think About High School the Way Kavya Kopparapu Does

A Veteran Combat Photographer Recalls His Most Memorable Shots

Prehistoric Angolan “Sea Monsters” Take Up Residence at the Natural History Museum

How a Photograph Solved an Art Mystery

More Recent Stories »

Keeping you current

The Eruptions of an Italian Supervolcano Seem to Follow a Pattern

Excavation Hints at Opulent Lifestyle Enjoyed by Inhabitants of Ancient Greek City

Cool Finds

Massive Impact Crater Found Under Greenland's Ice

Trending Today

No, Archaeologists Probably Did Not Find a New Piece of the Antikythera Mechanism

Orangutans Are the Only Non-Human Primates Capable of ‘Talking’ About the Past

Dutch Company Can’t Copyright the Taste of Its Cheese, E.U. Court Rules

Heatwaves May Dramatically Reduce Insect Fertility

New Research

This Dino-Era Bird Was as Advanced as Modern Species. So Why Did It Disappear?

DNA Analysis Offers Insights on Origins of Extinct Jamaican Monkey

Wes Anderson's Curatorial Debut With Juman Malouf Transforms Vienna Museum Into One of Filmmaker's Dollhouses

How the Los Angeles Zoo Prepares Its Animals to Face Natural Disasters

Deaf Moths May Use Their ‘Fur’ To Avoid Hungry Bats

More SmartNews Stories »

History

The First Thanksgiving

Science

Chicken Monster

Innovation

international winners 2018
FREE INFO FROM ADVERTISERS »
AD SHOWCASE »

Featured Videos

These Minesweeping Boats Paved the Way for D-Day
A Honey Badger and Mole Snake Fight to the Death
Why Building a Carbon Fiber Car Is So Labor-Intensive
Airfare Included
America in Color: The Wild West