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Latest Features

Archaeologists excavate the remains of friars buried at the former Augustinian friary in central Cambridge.

SCIENCE

Why Were Medieval Monks So Susceptible to Intestinal Worms?

Audre Lorde lectures students at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

You May Have Borrowed These Terms from Black Feminism

Long Covid is a morass to figure out, but the answers are important for the multitudes still suffering from an infection that happened to them months or even years ago.

SCIENCE

How Long Will It Take to Understand Long Covid?

The so-called frogmen swam into enemy beaches unarmed, wearing only swim trunks, dive masks and fins.

HISTORY

The Stealth Swimmers Whose WWII Scouting Laid the Groundwork for the Navy SEALs

Donkeys often trample plants in the deserts of the southwestern United States, including in Death Valley National Park in California.

SCIENCE

Cougars Are Killing Feral Donkeys, and That’s Good for Wetlands

The Titanic sank around 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.

SCIENCE

The Incredible Story of the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic

In the aftermath of the disaster and for decades to follow, numerous theories emerged. The men had been captured by the Japanese. They had been murdered by a stowaway. They had killed each other in a fight over a woman. They had simply fallen out of the blimp.

HISTORY

The 80-Year Mystery of the U.S. Navy's 'Ghost Blimp'

In the Mediterranean Sea, ship strikes are the leading cause of death for sperm whales.

INNOVATION

A New Detection System Could Save Sperm Whales From Ship Strikes

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine July/August 2022 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Innovation

This 17-Year-Old Designed a Motor That Could Potentially Transform the Electric Car Industry

Robert Sansone's research could pave the way for the sustainable manufacturing of electric vehicles that do not require rare-earth magnets

2.

History

The 80-Year Mystery of L-8, the U.S. Navy's 'Ghost Blimp'

The L-8 returned from patrolling the California coast for Japanese subs in August 1942, but its two-man crew was nowhere to be found

3.

Science

The Incredible Story of the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic

The three-year-old chunk of ice had just weeks to live when it hit the cruise ship

4.

Smart News

Why Are the Capitol Stones in Rock Creek Park?

The fate of the stones that were once a part of the U.S. Capitol has locals despondent

5.

Smart News

Why Was Benjamin Franklin’s Basement Filled With Skeletons?

Repairs on Franklin's old London house turned up 1200 pieces of bone from at least 15 people

Smithsonian Voices
National Museum of Natural History

5 Facts About Meteors and Meteorites That Are Out of This World

Smithsonian Education

Awards Ceremony Highlights the Reach and Impact of Smithsonian Education for Teachers and Students

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Exploring Our Institution’s History With "Smithson to Smithsonian"

National Museum of Natural History

A Bird in the Hand: How a Smithsonian Zoologist Spent the Pandemic Tracking Nectar-Robbing Orioles

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Saving Waste to Win the War, One Grocery Store at a Time

National Zoo

How Zookeepers Care for Aging Lions

See All

Special Report
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Untold Stories of American History

Explore the lives of little-known changemakers who left their mark on the country

View Full Report

Featured Stories

The Civil War's First Civilian Casualty Was an Elderly Widow From Virginia

The Barrier-Breaking Rowers of America's First All-Black Crew Team

The Black Buffalo Soldiers Who Biked Across the American West

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Smithsonian Channel

Preview thumbnail for video 'You’re Not Ready for How Playful Komodo Dragons Can Be

You’re Not Ready for How Playful Komodo Dragons Can Be

Play
Preview thumbnail for video 'An Energetic Dog Is Best Friends With an Orphan Raccoon

An Energetic Dog Is Best Friends With an Orphan Raccoon

Preview thumbnail for video 'A Vervet Monkey Befriends Some Hostile Dogs

A Vervet Monkey Befriends Some Hostile Dogs

Photo of the day

A boat takes a closer look at Alaska's Portage Glacier. I used my drone to get a unique perspective. Portage Glacier's Last Tour Boat of 2021

History

A small accent table found in a Pompeii bedroom

Excavations Shed Light on the Everyday Life of Pompeii's Middle Class

An ornate courtyard found in an otherwise humble home may have reflected the owners' aspirational vision of the future

Experts were unable to pinpoint a cause of death, but three medical witnesses who testified during an inquest into the Somerton Man case agreed that his passing “was not natural.” 

Have Scholars Finally Identified the Mysterious Somerton Man?

Ornithologist Edmund Selous made empathy for birds respectable and, in doing so, changed the world. Bird-watching became a popular pastime, eventually making birding scientific and playing a pivotal role in the animals’ conservation.

How Bird Collecting Evolved Into Bird-Watching

Science

Donkeys often trample plants in the deserts of the southwestern United States, including in Death Valley National Park in California.

Cougars Are Killing Feral Donkeys, and That’s Good for Wetlands

Mountain lions play an important role in the Death Valley ecosystem by preying on the introduced species

The Titanic sank around 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Incredible Story of the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic

By mid-October, adults with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to buy hearing aids over the counter.

FDA Approves Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

Innovation

The ultrasound sticker

This Wearable Ultrasound Sticker Can Continuously Image Organs for 48 Hours

Developed by engineers at MIT, the new technology is about the size of a postage stamp

An alkaline hydrolysis machine at White Rose Aqua Cremation in Escondido, California

Could Water Cremation Become the New American Way of Death?

Travelers are facing long lines, delays, cancellations and other disruptions at airports this summer.

Will Electronic Bag Tags Make Air Travel Less Chaotic?

Arts & Culture

Abigail Barlow (bottom left) and Emily Bear (bottom right) won a Grammy for their Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.

What the 'Unofficial Bridgerton Musical' Lawsuit Means for Fan-Created Content

Netflix has accused the songwriting duo behind the viral production of stealing copyrighted material for their own financial gain

Musicians Cindy Campbell and DJ Kool Herc take center stage in a 2013 celebration of the 40th anniversary of hip-hop. The brother and sister duo threw a "Back-to School Jam" in August, 1973 and launched a lasting music genre.

How the Block Party Became an Urban Phenomenon

A love note found among the collection’s many cards and letters

From Lists to Love Letters, What Do People Leave Behind in Library Books?

Travel

Waves at Pōhue Bay

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Is Expanding by 16,000 Acres

The National Park Service is taking over stewardship of Pōhue Bay, an area full of cultural sites and endangered animals

Travelers are facing long lines, delays, cancellations and other disruptions at airports this summer.

Will Electronic Bag Tags Make Air Travel Less Chaotic?

French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral on July 28

Notre-Dame Cathedral Will Reopen by 2024

At the Smithsonian

Audre Lorde lectures students at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

You May Have Borrowed These Terms from Black Feminism

Two curators have turned co-hosts in the podcast, “Collected,” a six-part examination of the origins of self-care, identity politics, and intersectionality

Between March 19 and April 17, 1964, Geraldine "Jerrie" Mock (above: at the start of her journey at Ohio's Port Columbus Airport) flew her single-engine Cessna 180, dubbed "Charlie," solo around the globe setting a world record.

Who Was the First Woman to Fly Solo Around the World?

Musicians Cindy Campbell and DJ Kool Herc take center stage in a 2013 celebration of the 40th anniversary of hip-hop. The brother and sister duo threw a "Back-to School Jam" in August, 1973 and launched a lasting music genre.

How the Block Party Became an Urban Phenomenon