Smithsonian Magazine: Explore History, Science, Arts & Culture

Herbert O. Yardley claimed that the Black Chamber deciphered more than 45,000 diplomatic code and cipher telegrams of foreign governments between 1917 and 1929.

The Spy Who Exposed the Secrets of the Black Chamber, One of America's First Code-Breaking Organizations

In 1931, Herbert O. Yardley published a tell-all book about his experiences leading a covert government agency called the Cipher Bureau

Researchers found higher levels of microplastics in brain tissue than in liver and kidney tissue.

The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon's Worth of Microplastics, New Research Suggests

Smart News

When Bonobos Know What You Don't, They'll Tell You. It's a Sign of a Cognitive Ability Called 'Theory of Mind'

February 5, 2025 11:29 a.m.

Oldest Known Evidence of Lead Pollution Found in Ancient Greece

February 5, 2025 11:20 a.m.

The Breathtaking Hermitage Museum, Filled With Treasures Like the Kolyvan Vase and the Peacock Clock, First Opened to the Public on This Day in 1852

February 5, 2025 5:00 a.m.

A Five-Pound Hunk of the World's Oldest Known Synthesized Pigment Was Found in Nero's Palace

February 4, 2025 4:34 p.m.

The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon's Worth of Microplastics, New Research Suggests

February 4, 2025 3:49 p.m.

See the First Stunning Images Taken by the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander on Its 'Scenic Route' to the Moon

February 4, 2025 2:22 p.m.

Latest Features

A view of "The Sims 4" during the EA press conference for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on June 9, 2014, in Los Angeles, California

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

'The Sims' Turned Mere Mortals Into Gods. Twenty-Five Years Later, the Addictive Computer Game Is Still Going Strong

February 4, 2025 5:05 p.m.

Herbert O. Yardley claimed that the Black Chamber deciphered more than 45,000 diplomatic code and cipher telegrams of foreign governments between 1917 and 1929.

The Spy Who Exposed the Secrets of the Black Chamber, One of America's First Code-Breaking Organizations

February 4, 2025

The Tyrannosaurus at Spain’s Jurassic Museum of Asturias offer a speculative take on how dinosaurs mated.

Everything You Want to Know About Dinosaur Sexual Anatomy and Reproduction, From Their Genitalia to How They Laid Eggs

Updated: February 3, 2025 | Originally Published: February 14, 2012

Six of the 24 Orthodox Christian monasteries strewn across Meteora, a collection of massive stone pillars and rounded boulders in northwestern Greece, are still active more than 700 years after the first was founded in the 14th century.

Ten Isolated, Gravity-Defying Monasteries You Can Visit Around the World

January 31, 2025

Ray Fearon plays Macbeth and Tara Fitzgerald plays Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Macbeth directed by Iqban Khan at the Globe Theatre in June 2016 in London, England.

Businesses Have a Lot to Learn From the Impromptu 'Teaming' That Happens in Theater

January 30, 2025

Embers from the Eaton Fire fly down a residential street in Altadena, California, on January 8.

How A.I. Can Help Humans Battle Wildfires, From Advanced Camera Systems to Forecasting Models

January 30, 2025

View of the S.S. Pacific anchored near Fort Tongass in Alaska in 1868

Hundreds Died When This Steamship Sank in the Pacific Northwest in 1875 With Gold Worth Millions On Board

January 30, 2025

A tiger keelback feeds on poisonous toads and stores the poison for its own use.

Six Clever Snakes to Celebrate as We Slither Into the Lunar New Year

January 29, 2025

Current Issue
January/February 2025

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Most Popular

1.

Meet the Fantastically Bejeweled Skeletons of Catholicism’s Forgotten Martyrs

Art historian and author Paul Koudounaris elucidates the macabre splendor and tragic history of Europe’s catacomb saints

2.

Six Clever Snakes to Celebrate as We Slither Into the Lunar New Year

These fascinating serpents embody acclaimed qualities including cunning and intelligence

3.

The Spy Who Exposed the Secrets of the Black Chamber, One of America's First Code-Breaking Organizations

In 1931, Herbert O. Yardley published a tell-all book about his experiences leading a covert government agency called the Cipher Bureau

4.

Archaeologists Say They've Located Harold II's Lost Manor House

A latrine found in Bosham, England, has helped identify the location of the king's long-lost residence, offering new insights into medieval life before the Norman Conquest

5.

Discover Why 'The Raven,' Edgar Allan Poe's Narrative Poem About a Distraught Lover and a Talking Bird, Remains an American Classic

Published on this day in 1845, the work used alliteration, internal rhyme and repetition to draw in readers, lending it a dark and melancholic tone

Special Report

A brown bear launches into a river in Katmai National Park to try and catch one of the many sockeye salmon spawning in large numbers.

Alaska

Alaska is nicknamed "The Great Land," and for good reason: it is wild, rugged and expansive. In a series of articles, Smithsonian magazine explores the history, culture and natural wonders of the 49th state.

View Full Report

Featured Stories

Alps-Style Hut-to-Hut Travel Is On Its Way to Alaska

The World’s Most Grueling Race Journeys 1,000 Miles Down the Yukon

These Students Are Part of a 75-Year Study to Map Alaska’s Glaciers

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Photo of the day

A Bhutanese woman dressed in traditional kira attire is carefully spreading spices under the sun against a backdrop of a traditional Bhutanese wall. The setting reflects the vibrant culture and resourcefulness of Bhutanese life. Bhutan, a picturesque kingdom perched atop the Himalayan hills, experiences harsh winters, compelling its people to dry and store vegetables and spices during the warmer months. This practice ensures sustenance during the extreme cold, when venturing outside becomes difficult. The scene captures a harmonious blend of tradition, resilience, and natural beauty.

The Bhutanese Wall

History

Herbert O. Yardley claimed that the Black Chamber deciphered more than 45,000 diplomatic code and cipher telegrams of foreign governments between 1917 and 1929.

The Spy Who Exposed the Secrets of the Black Chamber, One of America's First Code-Breaking Organizations

In 1931, Herbert O. Yardley published a tell-all book about his experiences leading a covert government agency called the Cipher Bureau

Togo and his owner, musher Leonhard Seppala, in 1927

This Heroic Dog Raced Across the Frozen Alaskan Wilderness to Deliver Life-Saving Medicine—but His Contributions Were Long Overlooked

Marilyn Monroe performs in front of service members in Korea in 1954.

The Wartime Organization That Brought Hollywood Stars Like Marilyn Monroe and Nancy Sinatra to the Front Lines to Entertain the Troops

Science

A tiger keelback feeds on poisonous toads and stores the poison for its own use.

Six Clever Snakes to Celebrate as We Slither Into the Lunar New Year

These fascinating serpents embody acclaimed qualities including cunning and intelligence

Laminella venusta is a state land snail endemic to Molokai.

How a Hawaiian High School Student Inspired Nine New State Animals

Dinosaurs only started to live large after a mass extinction altered the planet in their favor.

How a Mass Extinction Driven by Ancient Volcanoes Led to the Age of the Dinosaurs

Innovation

Air Ring 48 attaches to the base of a construction helmet, providing crucial airflow to the sweatiest areas of the head and neck.

Could This New Wearable Device Reduce Heat Stress in Construction Workers?

Architecture students at the University of Hong Kong invented a cooling apparatus that attaches to a construction helmet

The products range from programmable rovers to books that introduce the terminology of robotics and circuitry to childen.

Engineers Choose the Ten Best STEM Toys to Gift in 2024

The plant-based egg substitutes available today are less than perfect. Food scientists are working hard to improve them — and, maybe, make them better tasting and more nutritious than the real thing.

Scientists Are Trying to Crack the Recipe for the Perfect Plant-Based Eggs

Travel

Around the world, a wealth of new museums are also bringing art and culture, science and technology, and education and storytelling to the forefront.

Ten Must-See Museums Opening Around the World in 2025

New institutions dedicated to artificial intelligence, West African art, barbeque and more are expected to welcome visitors this year

The new Chuckwalla National Monument protects more than 624,000 acres in southern California.

Biden Establishes Two New National Monuments in California

Matanuska Glacier north of Anchorage is one of the best spots for a more intense experience in the Alaskan wilderness.

Seven Ways to Explore Alaska's Endangered Glacial World

Arts & Culture

Works like Tissot's The Convalescent (1872), pictured here, reflect a sense of unease over a modernizing society that was sweeping women up in its fray.

These Stunning 19th-Century Artworks Reveal the Contradictions of the Modern Woman

A new exhibition spotlights James Tissot, whose paintings and prints reflected women’s ever-evolving roles in Victorian society

Zora Neale Hurston wanted to tell the world about the "real ... historical Herod, instead of the deliberately folklore Herod."

Why Was Zora Neale Hurston So Obsessed With the Biblical Villain Herod the Great?

A Revolutionary War pension and bounty land warrant application submitted by James Lambert

Can You Read This Cursive Handwriting? The National Archives Wants Your Help

At the Smithsonian

A view of "The Sims 4" during the EA press conference for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on June 9, 2014, in Los Angeles, California

'The Sims' Turned Mere Mortals Into Gods. Twenty-Five Years Later, the Addictive Computer Game Is Still Going Strong

The audience for the trailblazing life simulation game has stuck around through new editions, expansion packs and designs to keep playing

Male giant panda Bao Li plays on a wooden climbing structure. Beginning on January 24, visitors to the National Zoo can finally see Bao Li and Qing Bao in person.

The National Zoo's Giant Pandas Are Finally Making Their Public Debut

Honoree Lonnie G. Bunch III, the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian speaks on stage during National Archives Foundation Records of Achievement Award Ceremony and Gala 2023 at the National Archives Museum on December 4, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

The Head of the Smithsonian Talks About America’s 250th, Why Experts Still Matter and What to Expect From the Institution in 2025