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Latest Features

All mollusks build their own shells.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How Do Snails Get Their Shells? And More Questions From Our Readers

Award-winning filmmaker Janay Kelley honed her skills in the video lab in Cloud901. The state-of-the-art teen learning facility is one of the biggest and best of its kind.

INNOVATION

How Memphis Created the Nation's Most Innovative Public Library

For the first time in 16 years, a pair of golden-headed lion tamarins were born on the morning of October 7, 2021. New mom Lola carries the new infants on her back and cradles them close to her body. 

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Zoo's Historic Newborn Tamarin Twins Cling to Mom, Doing What Healthy Babies Do

On October 24, 1944, the Battle of Leyte Gulf had just begun when two Hellcat pilots U.S. Navy Capt. David McCampbell and his wingman Ens. Roy Rushing spotted a squadron of 60 Japanese aircraft, including bombers escorted by Zeroes (above: a 1943 photograph of Grumman F6F Hellcats in flight).

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

In One Mission in October 1944, Two F6F Hellcats Shot Down a Record 15 Enemy Aircraft

Shera from the series "Tales of the First Sunrise."

ARTS & CULTURE

How One Photographer Took Spiritual Inspiration From African Woodcarving

Single penguins will snag mates, and couples, both new and established, will start breeding around January or February.

TRAVEL

The South African Town Where Penguins Rule

A decent fellow after all? King George III, painted by Sir William Beechey (1753-1839).

HISTORY

In Defense of King George

Smithsonian scientist Genevieve Noyce conducts a plant census in a wetland at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland.  

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How the Smithsonian Grapples With Climate Change

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine October 2021 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Smart News

Ancient Stone Ram Heads Unearthed on Egypt's 'Avenue of the Sphinxes'

The newly restored road, once lined with around 700 towering sculptures, is set to open to the public in the coming weeks

2.

Smart News

Hans Holbein's Portraits Defined—and Immortalized—Tudor England's Elite

An exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum features some of the painter's most famous portraits of power players in Henry VIII's court

3.

At the Smithsonian

Zoo's Historic Newborn Tamarin Twins Cling to Mom, Doing What Healthy Babies Do

Keepers worked with breeding parents Lola and Coco, who soon “become very interested in each other”

4.

At the Smithsonian

In One Mission in October 1944, Two F6F Hellcats Shot Down a Record 15 Enemy Aircraft

U.S. Navy Pilots David McCampbell and Roy Rushing made history in a heroic air battle over the Leyte Gulf

5.

History

In Defense of King George

The author of a new biography shines a humane light on the monarch despised by the colonists

Smithsonian Voices
Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

West Virginia’s Mothman Leads Cryptid Renaissance

National Museum of American History

The Washington Senators Couldn't Win — But Excelled at Scouting Latino Talent

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

The Tools of a Real Life Willy Wonka

National Museum of Natural History

Your Genomic Story Awaits at Smithsonian

Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery

Contemporary Glass Art Exhibition Brings Fresh Global Perspectives to the Renwick Gallery

National Zoo

How I Study Elusive Prairie Bobcats

See All

Special Report
<p>The Smithsonian's Race and Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past initiative centers on six pillars.</p>

Race in America

To mark the Smithsonian's multi-year initiative, Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past, which will confront the history and legacy of race and racism through live and virtual events, pop-up exhibitions, digital resources, and other offerings, Smithsonian magazine has compiled this collection of relevant coverage.

View Full Report

Secretary Lonnie Bunch on Why the Smithsonian Is Talking About Race

158 Resources for Understanding Systemic Racism in America

The Relationship Between Race and Wellness Has Never Been More Pressing

Missing Caption

Smithsonian Store Fall Book Sale

20% Off All Books Through October 25

Smithsonian Channel

Preview thumbnail for video 'Was the Deepwater Horizon Disaster Preventable?

Was the Deepwater Horizon Disaster Preventable?

Play
Preview thumbnail for video 'This Object in History: Fernandomania

This Object in History: Fernandomania

Preview thumbnail for video 'This Ancient Egyptian Mega-Tomb Is the Largest of Its Kind

This Ancient Egyptian Mega-Tomb Is the Largest of Its Kind

Photo of the day

A pair of puffins stand side-by-side on the rock shores of Matinicus Rock off the coast of Maine. Here the two stand as if to celebrate. This island, along with some of its neighbors, are part of the triumphant success story in seabird conservation strategies and research that is known widely as the Puffin Project. This photo captures both the masculine and feminine nature of these marvelous birds. Atlantic Puffin Pair on Matinicus Rock

History

Hans Holbein the Younger,&nbsp;Portrait of&nbsp;Simon George of Cornwall&nbsp;(detail), circa 1535&ndash;40

Hans Holbein's Portraits Defined—and Immortalized—Tudor England's Elite

An exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum features some of the painter's most famous portraits of power players in Henry VIII's court

Attorney, author, scholar and reverend Pauli Murray, pictured here on December 22, 1976

The Trailblazing, Multifaceted Activism of Lawyer-Turned-Priest Pauli Murray

Almost 75 years after the mobster&rsquo;s death, an eclectic bunch of enthusiasts continue to chase his memory.

Inside the Global Cult of Al Capone

Science

The antiviral drug molnupiravir is in Phase 3 trials.

Seven Important Questions About Covid Antivirals Answered

New medicines may stop the virus from replicating so your immune system can fight a few viral soldiers instead of an army

Gigantic and extinct, Steller’s sea cows would have played an important role in shaping their environment.

How Steller's Sea Cows Impacted the Environment They Left Behind

An artist&#39;s concept of NASA&rsquo;s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER.

Five Things to Know About NASA's Lunar Rover 'VIPER'

Innovation

The device&nbsp;was developed by The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit that aims to remove 90 percent of floating ocean plastic by 2040.

This New Installation Pulled 20,000 Pounds of Plastic From the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The trash collection device dubbed 'Jenny' could help address overwhelming marine plastic pollution

Tinker Hatfield&rsquo;s game-changing design for the Air Jordan XIII in pen and crayon, dated 1996.

What Made the Air Jordan a Slam-Dunk Design

Throughout the project, Beethoven&rsquo;s genius loomed.

How Artificial Intelligence Completed Beethoven's Unfinished Tenth Symphony

Arts & Culture

Singer-songwriter and visual artist Solange has launched a free library of rare works by Black authors, available to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis.

Singer and Artist Solange Debuts Free Library of Rare Books by Black Authors

Readers in the U.S. can borrow 50 titles, including collections of poems by Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes and a sci-fi novel by Octavia Butler

Adam Driver (left) plays Jacques Le Gris, a French squire accused of raping Marguerite, wife of knight Jean de Carrouges (right, played by Matt Damon).

The True History Behind 'The Last Duel'

The internationally recognized paper artist Jiyong Chung&nbsp;works in the Korean craft of Joomchi&nbsp;(above: Balance IV, detail), a technique that was born of necessity centuries ago.

Three Craft Artists Share How the Pandemic Has Reshaped Life and Art

Travel

The free online map highlights sites spanning&nbsp;prehistoric times to the modern era, including this Roman fort next to Hadrian&#39;s Wall.

This Interactive Map Lets Users Explore England's Hidden Archaeological Landscape

A new online tool draws on more than 500,000 aerial photographs taken over the past 30 years

Stretching 4,800 square feet in size, the piece coincides with the United Nations&#39; International Day of the Girl Child initiative and is also part of World Space Week.

A Monumental Portrait of NASA Astronaut Stephanie Wilson Crops Up in Atlanta

&quot;As an artist and an art lover,&quot; says the&nbsp;artist Nicolas Party, his site-specific, 829-foot work,&nbsp;Draw the Curtain,&nbsp;&quot;is a way to pay homage&quot; to the many art museums located in Washington, D.C. The Hirshhorn invited Party to help to disguise&nbsp;construction scaffolding as it undergoes a lengthy renovation.

A Peek Behind the Curtain of Hirshhorn's Largest Artwork Ever

At the Smithsonian

On October 24, 1944,&nbsp;the Battle of Leyte Gulf&nbsp;had just begun when two Hellcat pilots U.S. Navy Capt. David McCampbell&nbsp;and his wingman Ens. Roy Rushing spotted a squadron of 60 Japanese aircraft, including bombers escorted by Zeroes (above: a 1943 photograph of Grumman F6F Hellcats in flight).

In One Mission in October 1944, Two F6F Hellcats Shot Down a Record 15 Enemy Aircraft

U.S. Navy Pilots David McCampbell and Roy Rushing made history in a heroic air battle over the Leyte Gulf

Smithsonian scientist Genevieve Noyce conducts a plant census in a wetland at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland. &nbsp;

How the Smithsonian Grapples With Climate Change

Tinker Hatfield&rsquo;s game-changing design for the Air Jordan XIII in pen and crayon, dated 1996.

What Made the Air Jordan a Slam-Dunk Design