Smithsonian.com | Smithsonian Magazine | Smithsonian

The Nerdiest Christmas Cards Ever?

The unusual holiday exchange, which lasted decades during the early 20th-century, hints at the drama between the two colleagues

Making the Moon a Gateway to Mars and Beyond

At a 50th-anniversary event for Apollo 8, NASA’s Jim Bridenstine envisioned the moon’s potential for future space exploration

We Don't Know Why the Reign of the Dinosaurs Ended

The asteroid strike on the Yucatán Peninsula 66 million years ago is only part of the story

See Kurt Vonnegut’s Unpublished WWII Scrapbook

Volume features 22 letters from author to his family, photographs of the razed city of Dresden, telegrams and news clippings

Neanderthal Genes Affect Skull Shape, Brain Size

Individuals carrying these ancient ancestors' DNA are more likely to have slightly elongated, rather than rounded, brains

Fentanyl-Related Overdoses Outpace Heroin Deaths

In 2016, more than two-thirds of fentanyl-related deaths involved at least one other drug

The Ill-Fated Expedition of a 19th-Century Scientist

Even facing exposure and starvation, Josiah Gregg insisted on stopping to take measurements and observations, much to his companions' distress

The Nerdiest Christmas Cards Ever? — The Nerdiest Christmas Cards Ever?

The unusual holiday exchange, which lasted decades during the early 20th-century, hints at the drama between the two colleagues

Making the Moon a Gateway to Mars and Beyond — Making the Moon a Gateway to Mars and Beyond

At a 50th-anniversary event for Apollo 8, NASA’s Jim Bridenstine envisioned the moon’s potential for future space exploration

We Don't Know Why the Reign of the Dinosaurs Ended — We Don't Know Why the Reign of the Dinosaurs Ended

The asteroid strike on the Yucatán Peninsula 66 million years ago is only part of the story

See Kurt Vonnegut’s Unpublished WWII Scrapbook — See Kurt Vonnegut’s Unpublished WWII Scrapbook

Volume features 22 letters from author to his family, photographs of the razed city of Dresden, telegrams and news clippings

Neanderthal Genes Affect Skull Shape, Brain Size — Neanderthal Genes Affect Skull Shape, Brain Size

Individuals carrying these ancient ancestors' DNA are more likely to have slightly elongated, rather than rounded, brains

Fentanyl-Related Overdoses Outpace Heroin Deaths — Fentanyl-Related Overdoses Outpace Heroin Deaths

In 2016, more than two-thirds of fentanyl-related deaths involved at least one other drug

The Ill-Fated Expedition of a 19th-Century Scientist — The Ill-Fated Expedition of a 19th-Century Scientist

Even facing exposure and starvation, Josiah Gregg insisted on stopping to take measurements and observations, much to his companions' distress

January 2019

The Story of Dyngo, a War Dog Brought Home From Combat

January 2019

A Warrior Comes Home

December 14, 2016 | Updated: December 17, 2018 10:51PM

Seven Places Reinventing the Christmas Tree

December 17, 2018 11:21AM

The Nerdiest Christmas Cards Ever May Be These Microscope Slides Composed of Shells

December 17, 2018

The Ill-Fated Expedition of a 19th-Century Scientist to Explore the California Wilderness

December 17, 2018

Was History Fair to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Owners?

December 14, 2018

We Still Don’t Know Why the Reign of the Dinosaurs Ended

December 14, 2018

What Do a Toilet Seat and the Mail Have to Do With Art?

December 13, 2018

NASA Won’t Be Going ‘Back’ to the Moon—It Wants to Go Beyond It

Innovative Spirit December 13, 2018

How Savvy Advertising Helped Make Stereo Technology Mainstream

December 13, 2018

How a 19th-Century Photographer Made the First 'GIF' of a Galloping Horse

Innovative Spirit December 13, 2018

How the First Popular Video Game Kicked Off Generations of Virtual Adventure

December 12, 2018

Tips for Getting Tickets to NMAAHC and When They Are Not Necessary

December 12, 2018

A Photographer's Quest to Document the Last of the Rainforest Caribou

December 12, 2018

Ant Colonies Retain Memories That Outlast the Lifespans of Individuals

December 12, 2018

The Mind-Bending Math Behind Spot It!, the Beloved Family Card Game

December 11, 2018

New Molina Family Latino Gallery Opens in 2021 at the National Museum of American History

December 11, 2018

Why Did Humans Lose Their Fur?

December 11, 2018

The Ten Best Board Games of 2018

December 11, 2018

How Apollo 8 ‘Saved 1968’

More Recent Stories »

SmartNews Keeping you current

New Digital Archive Provides Critical Record of Egon Schiele's Body of Work

December 17, 2018 5:31PM

Trending Today

It's the Bicentennial of "Silent Night"

December 17, 2018 1:38PM

Fentanyl Has Outpaced Heroin as Drug Implicated Most Often in Fatal Overdoses

December 17, 2018 1:36PM

Shrinking of Utah National Monument May Threaten 660 Bee Species

December 17, 2018 1:35PM

Archaeologist Reconstructs Ruins of Tiwanaku Temple in Bolivia Using 3-D Printing Technology

December 17, 2018 12:58PM

Cool Finds

Biologists Describe Legendary, Two-Foot-Long Salamander for the First Time

December 14, 2018

Neanderthal Genes Influence Contemporary Humans’ Skull Shape, Brain Size

December 14, 2018

Trending Today

Solar Probe Sends Back First Image and Data From the Sun

December 14, 2018

Kurt Vonnegut’s Unpublished World War II Scrapbook Reveals Origins of ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’

December 14, 2018

Trending Today

We Finally Know What Sank the U.S.S. San Diego During World War I

December 14, 2018

Rethinking the Corny History of Maize

December 14, 2018

Washington Governor Proposes Dramatic Plan to Save Dying Orca Population

More SmartNews Stories »

History

Dyngo cover image

Science

red Christmas fossil card 1921

Innovation

Featured Videos

Lioness Uses New Tactics to Take Down a Kudu

A Honey Badger and Mole Snake Fight to the Death

Why Building a Carbon Fiber Car Is So Labor-Intensive

Subscribe

Save 84% off the newsstand price!

First & Last Name

First Name

Last Name

Address 1

Address 2

City / State

City

State

Zip

Email Address

Enter your email address