Smithsonian Magazine | Smithsonian Magazine

Ed Dwight: The Astronaut Who Wasn't

The Kennedy administration sought a diverse face to the space program, but for reasons unknown, the pilot was kept from reaching the stars

Pink Manta Ray Spotted Near Lady Elliot Island

Researchers suspect a genetic mutation may have gifted the giant fish, named Inspector Clouseau, his rosy hue

Dozens of Old Mexican Cookbooks Now Online

The University of Texas San Antonio's vast collection makes traditional Mexican and Mexican-American cooking accessible

14 Fun Facts About Love and Sex in Nature

Out in the wild, flowers and candy just aren’t gonna cut it

Jetting Into the Future

The unique design of the flyer, held in the collections of the Smithsonian, has infatuated aviation enthusiasts for decades

This 11,000-Year-Old Piece of Wood Is More Than It Seems

It looks like a fairly nondescript plank of wood, found in the fields of Star Carr. But from an archaeological perspective, it’s far more significant: It’s the oldest piece of carpentry found anywhere in Europe.

Ed Dwight: The Astronaut Who Wasn't — Ed Dwight: The Astronaut Who Wasn't

The Kennedy administration sought a diverse face to the space program, but for reasons unknown, the pilot was kept from reaching the stars

Pink Manta Ray Spotted Near Lady Elliot Island — Pink Manta Ray Spotted Near Lady Elliot Island

Researchers suspect a genetic mutation may have gifted the giant fish, named Inspector Clouseau, his rosy hue

Dozens of Old Mexican Cookbooks Now Online — Dozens of Old Mexican Cookbooks Now Online

The University of Texas San Antonio's vast collection makes traditional Mexican and Mexican-American cooking accessible

14 Fun Facts About Love and Sex in Nature — 14 Fun Facts About Love and Sex in Nature

Out in the wild, flowers and candy just aren’t gonna cut it

Jetting Into the Future — Jetting Into the Future

The unique design of the flyer, held in the collections of the Smithsonian, has infatuated aviation enthusiasts for decades

This 11,000-Year-Old Piece of Wood Is More Than It Seems — This 11,000-Year-Old Piece of Wood Is More Than It Seems

It looks like a fairly nondescript plank of wood, found in the fields of Star Carr. But from an archaeological perspective, it’s far more significant: It’s the oldest piece of carpentry found anywhere in Europe.

February 18, 2020 8:00AM

How Sugar’s Bacteria Could Point the Way to More Efficient Agriculture

February 18, 2020 8:00AM

Ed Dwight Was Going to Be the First African American in Space. Until He Wasn't

March 2020

Why the Experimental Nazi Aircraft Known as the Horten Never Took Off

March 2020

The Defiance of Florence Nightingale

February 14, 2020

Fourteen Fun Facts About Love and Sex in the Animal Kingdom

February 13, 2020

How Baseball's Negro Leagues Defied the Stereotypes of Segregation

February 13, 2020

Grammy Nod to Folkways’ Pete Seeger Collection Is a Fitting Tribute

February 13, 2020

These Supper Clubs Are Using Food to Cross Cultural Divides

February 13, 2020

These Jellyfish Don't Need Tentacles to Deliver a Toxic Sting

February 12, 2020

Mexico City Is Proposing to Build One of the World's Largest Urban Parks

February 12, 2020

Charles Darwin's Publisher Didn't Believe in Evolution, but Sold His Revolutionary Book Anyway

February 12, 2020

How Two 1950s Kids Playing on the Railroad Tracks Found a National Treasure

February 12, 2020

George Washington Saw a Future for America: Mules

February 11, 2020

How One Museum Helps the Nation Mourn

February 10, 2020

Seven Spots Where You Can See Big-Name Architecture in Small-Town America

February 10, 2020

Newly Discovered Tyrannosaur Was Key to the Rise of Giant Meat-Eaters

February 10, 2020

When a Women-Led Campaign Made It Illegal to Spit in Public in New York City

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Nine Women Whose Remarkable Lives Deserve the Biopic Treatment

February 7, 2020

How Simple Blood Tests Could Revolutionize Cancer Treatment

February 6, 2020

Why Mosquitoes Find Your Warm Blood So Appealing

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History

Ed Dwight in Air Force uniform

Science

corn plants inoculated with sugarcane microbes comparison

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Horten Ho 229 V3 on display

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