Smithsonian Magazine: Explore History, Science, Arts & Culture

The Vicus Caprarius (City of Water), an underground museum that includes an ancient apartment complex, was discovered in 1999-2001.

Explore Rome's Hidden Underworld, Where a City Lurks Beneath a City

A journey into the vast subterranean grounds preserved under Rome—from ancient aqueducts and apartment buildings to pagan shrines

Tony Perrottet
Photographs by Paolo Verzone / Agence VU

DESI, seen here beneath star trails, aims to create a 3D map of the universe.

Mysterious Dark Energy Might Be Weakening—and That Could Upend Predictions About the End of the Universe

Smart News

Women Played a More Important Role in Producing Medieval Manuscripts Than Previously Thought

March 24, 2025 9:10 a.m.

Watch an Octopus Hitch a Ride on a Shark—an Unusual Duo Dubbed the 'Sharktopus'

March 21, 2025

The First Roman Aqueduct Ever Found in Slovakia Sports an Ancient Manufacturer’s Stamp and a Paw Print

March 21, 2025

A Chicago-Sized Iceberg Broke Off From Antarctica, Revealing a Hidden Ecosystem Never Seen Before

March 21, 2025

Mysterious Dark Energy Might Be Weakening—and That Could Upend Predictions About the End of the Universe

March 21, 2025

Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Unknown Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh

March 21, 2025

Latest Features

Stonehenge casts shadows from the past in this aerial photo taken in 2006.

How Far Did Neolithic Britons Carry Stonehenge's Most Famous Boulder?

April/May 2025

The Vicus Caprarius (City of Water), an underground museum that includes an ancient apartment complex, was discovered in 1999-2001.

Explore Rome's Hidden Underworld, Where a City Lurks Beneath a City

April/May 2025

Blue jeans poison dart frogs cannot be handled since their skin—not made of denim—is extremely toxic.

See Fantastic Frogs in 15 Fun Photographs

March 21, 2025

The city of Potosí rests at high altitude in Bolivia.

Can Researchers Find Remedies for the Problems Created by High-Altitude Pregnancies?

March 21, 2025

Washington Crossing the Delaware, Emanuel Leutze, 1851

America’s 250th Anniversary

March 21, 2025

A 19th-century lithograph of Patrick Henry's "give me liberty or give me death" speech

Discover Patrick Henry's Legacy, Beyond His Revolutionary 'Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death' Speech

March 21, 2025

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The Swarm of People Intent on Saving Our Bees

March 20, 2025

Mark Rylance (left) and Damian Lewis (right) as Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII in "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light"

The Real Story Behind 'Wolf Hall' and the Fall of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's Most Controversial Adviser

March 20, 2025

Current Issue
March 2025

Smithsonian magazine March 2025 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Unknown Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh

The king's mummy and sarcophagus are missing from the royal tomb, which is the second of its kind unearthed this year

2.

A Chicago-Sized Iceberg Broke Off From Antarctica, Revealing a Hidden Ecosystem Never Seen Before

When the A-84 iceberg calved in January, it unveiled a 209-square-mile swath of seafloor. Nearby scientists rushed to the scene for the “unprecedented” look below

3.

The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America

Fears of Communism during the Cold War spurred psychological research, pop culture hits, and unethical experiments in the CIA

4.

Scientists Are Investigating a Puzzling Underground 'Anomaly' Near the Giza Pyramids

Using remote-sensing technologies, researchers have discovered two connected structures in a previously unexplored area

5.

Paleontologists Stumble Across 15-Million-Year-Old Fish Fossils That Are So Well Preserved, Their Last Meals Are Intact

Discovered in Australia, the fossils represent a new species that lived during the Miocene epoch and highlight how iron-rich rock can protect specimens over time

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

Made Possible Through the Support of

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Smithsonian Videos

Preview thumbnail for video '10 Fun Facts About Jellyfish

10 Fun Facts About Jellyfish

Preview thumbnail for video 'The Ultimate Skywatching Guide for Every Season

The Ultimate Skywatching Guide for Every Season

Preview thumbnail for video '10 Enchanting Butterfly Facts Revealed!

10 Enchanting Butterfly Facts Revealed!

Photo of the day

This abstract aerial photo captures the Icelandic highlands from above. A black volcanic hill covered in green moss surrounds the center while layers of black and white shades create intriguing patterns. In the top left corner, a small red crater adds a pop of color to the scene.

Layers of Color

History

A 19th-century lithograph of Patrick Henry's "give me liberty or give me death" speech

Discover Patrick Henry's Legacy, Beyond His Revolutionary 'Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death' Speech

Delivered 250 years ago, the famous oration marked the height of Henry's influence. But the politician also served in key roles in Virginia's state government after the American Revolution

Mark Rylance (left) and Damian Lewis (right) as Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII in "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light"

The Real Story Behind 'Wolf Hall' and the Fall of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's Most Controversial Adviser

After a trolley conductor accused Alice Stebbins Wells of using her husband's police badge to avoid paying for public transit, the Los Angeles Police Department allowed her to wear a more feminine uniform of her own design, along with a special “Policewoman’s Badge No. 1.”

Armed With Just a Badge, Los Angeles' First Policewoman Protected the City's Most Vulnerable in the Early 20th Century

Science

The Barry Arm landslide in Alaska’s Prince William Sound

Studying This Slow-Moving Alaskan Landslide May Help Avert Future Disaster

If the landslide at the Barry Arm fjord collapses, its falling ice and rock could generate a devastating 650-foot-high tsunami

Cecelia Payne-Gaposchkin at Harvard College Observatory

A Century Ago, Pioneering Astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Showed Us What Stars Are Made Of

Before taking samples, students carefully examined the environment.

Nine New Tardigrade Species Discovered Thanks to the Efforts of Danish Schoolchildren

Innovation

The Burren House in San Rafael, California, is one of the most recent projects of the Irish Pub Company, a Dublin-based design group that has created upwards of 2,000 pubs in more than 100 countries on every continent except Antarctica.

How the Irish Pub Became One of the Emerald Isle's Greatest Exports

The Dublin-based Irish Pub Company has designed upwards of 2,000 pubs in more than 100 countries around the globe

Transplanting pig organs into people may soon become routine.

The Future of Transplanting Pig Organs in People

Surgeons operated on three patients in Canada.

Surgeons Are Conducting Rare 'Tooth-in-Eye' Surgeries to Restore Vision to Blind Patients in Canada

Travel

Ever since it debuted in 2008, the Running of the Reindeer has become one of the signature events of the Fur Rendezvous Festival.

Every March, Runners Race Reindeer Through the Streets of Anchorage

For three and a half blocks, athletes and ungulates share the road during the headlining event of Alaska's Fur Rendezvous Festival

Vietnam’s Hien Luong pedestrian bridge across the Ben Hai River is located along the 17th parallel, the former demarcation line between North and South Vietnam.

Former and Active DMZs Allow Visitors to Learn the Haunting History of These Landscapes

Completed in 2011, the Stuttgart City Library is one of the country’s most photographed locations.

Discover These 15 Enchanting Libraries Sure to Thrill Any Book Lover

Arts & Culture

Postman Joseph Roulin, Vincent van Gogh, 1888

Why Did Vincent van Gogh Paint 26 Portraits of a Postman and His Family While Staying in the South of France?

The artist met Joseph Roulin, a 47-year-old postal worker, in the late 1880s. The series of artworks will be reunited at upcoming exhibitions in Boston and Amsterdam

Completed in 2011, the Stuttgart City Library is one of the country’s most photographed locations.

Discover These 15 Enchanting Libraries Sure to Thrill Any Book Lover

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See 60 Remarkable Finalists From the 22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

At the Smithsonian

Astronaut Ed White conducts the first U.S. spacewalk on June 3, 1965

Two Trailblazing Spacewalks in 1965 Opened the Door to Decades of Astronauts Pushing the Limits of Their Capabilities

Since those early steps, extravehicular activity has helped provide the solutions to many problems that astronauts face in space

Sharad Purnima: The Autumn Full Moon, Nathdwara, Rajasthan state, India, opaque watercolor, tin and gold on cotton, possibly handwoven, late 19th century

See These Newly Restored Massive Paintings Devoted to a Hindu God

This is the first image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and released in 2022.

This Comprehensive Guide Will Answer the Questions You Have About Black Holes—and Spark Some New Ones