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Latest Features

Carol Burnett's charwoman costume from her award-winning variety show (above in 1973) is now held in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Carol Burnett Reveals How She Came to Create the Charwoman

This year's list includes Bird Planet, Floridas, I Just Wanna Surf and more.

ARTS & CULTURE

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2022

A young Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryan Francis-DeFord) in The Fabelmans 

HISTORY

The Making of Steven Spielberg

“Dale Chihuly is one of the most important artists of the 21st century,” says Stephanie Stebich, the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, who is among the experts interviewed in a new documentary, "Master of Glass: The Art of Dale Chihuly."

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Unrivaled Legacy of Dale Chihuly

Fishers have employed all manner of strategies to prevent dolphins and other marine mammals from raiding their nets. “Hot sauce” is the latest in the arsenal.

SCIENCE

Dolphins Shrug Off Hot Sauce-Spiked Nets

The top ten toys rated by Purdue University engineers help children build spatial reasoning, problem solving, coding and design thinking skills, among others.

INNOVATION

Engineers Pick the Ten Best STEM Toys to Give as Gifts in 2022

This year's titles include Watermelon and Red Birds, To Boldly Grow, Budmo! and Diasporican.

ARTS & CULTURE

The Ten Best Books About Food of 2022

J. Edgar Hoover (second from left) stands behind Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the president signs a bill in 1934.

HISTORY

How World War II Helped Forge the Modern FBI

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine November/December 2022 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Science

The Scariest Zombies in Nature

Parasites found in ant bodies tell us that Hollywood’s stories of the undead may be closer to truth than fiction

2.

History

The Myths of the Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage They Imbue

In truth, massacres, disease and American Indian tribal politics are what shaped the Pilgrim-Indian alliance at the root of the holiday

3.

Smart News

Drought Reveals Rare American Lion Fossil in Dried-Up Mississippi River

Low water levels have also stranded barge traffic and threatened drinking water

4.

History

The Real History Behind 'The Woman King'

A new film stars Viola Davis as the leader of the Agojie, the all-woman army of the African kingdom of Dahomey

5.

Smart News

Study Rewrites History of Ancient Land Bridge Between Britain and Europe

New research suggests that climate change, not a tsunami, doomed the now-submerged territory of Doggerland

Smithsonian Voices
Smithsonian Associates

Get Ready for the Holiday Season With These Festive Programs

National Museum of Natural History

Lucy’s Legacy: Celebrating the 48th Anniversary of Her Discovery with a Selfie

National Museum of Natural History

How Leafcutter Ants and Other Culinary Creatures Prepare a Feast

National Museum of the American Indian

Thanksgiving from an Indigenous Perspective

National Air and Space Museum

Five Things On Board NASA's Artemis I Mission

Smithsonian Books

We’re Living in a New Era for Women in Space, On Screen and Off

See All

Special Report
The famed Ruby Slippers were worn by by Judy Garland in her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

Artifacts from the stage, screen and sports highlight how what we watch defines who we are

View Full Report

Featured Stories

The Enduring Legacy of Celia Cruz, the 'Queen of Salsa'

The Rise and Fall, and Rise Again, of America’s First Celebrity—a Woman Who Loved Other Women

A Portrait of Eliza Hamilton and a Costume Worn by Lin-Manuel Miranda for 'Hamilton' Arrives at the Smithsonian

  image   image

Smithsonian Channel

Preview thumbnail for video 'A Biologist on an Underwater Scooter Delights Young Dolphins

A Biologist on an Underwater Scooter Delights Young Dolphins

Play
Preview thumbnail for video 'Journey to the Dark Side of the Moon

Journey to the Dark Side of the Moon

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

Photo of the day

In the early morning fishermen fish near this ancient wooden bridge by using fishnet as many birds watch in awe. Life Of Fishermen

History

J. Edgar Hoover (second from left) stands behind Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the president signs a bill in 1934.

How World War II Helped Forge the Modern FBI

Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, J. Edgar Hoover consolidated immense power—and created the beginnings of the surveillance state

Felton advocated lynching Black men accused of raping white women—“a thousand times a week if necessary,” as she said in an infamous 1897 speech.

The Nation's First Woman Senator Was a Virulent White Supremacist

“I was the daughter of an enormously popular president and the first girl in the White House since Nellie Grant, and I looked upon the world as my oyster,” Alice recalled in her 1933 autobiography.

From a White House Wedding to a Pet Snake, Alice Roosevelt's Escapades Captivated America

Science

Angel Blue performing in the 2021 production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the Met.

Can Pathogens at the Opera Haunt a Performance?

New results show performers’ breath control can prevent disease from spreading

The Milky Way’s black hole, Sagittarius A*

What the Image of the Milky Way's Black Hole Really Shows

Barges stranded by low water in the Mississippi River in Rosedale, Mississippi, a small town near where the lion fossil was found

Drought Reveals Rare American Lion Fossil in Dried-Up Mississippi River

Innovation

The top ten toys rated by Purdue University engineers help children build spatial reasoning, problem solving, coding and design thinking skills, among others.

Engineers Pick the Ten Best STEM Toys to Give as Gifts in 2022

Children can build strategy, critical thinking and resilience during expert-approved play

Chicken nuggets made from lab-grown meat in Singapore, the only country where lab-grown meat can currently be sold. 

Lab-Grown Meat Is Safe to Eat, FDA Says

Under the right conditions, researchers say, some crop yields could increase by 50 percent or more.

Is Hacking Photosynthesis the Key to Increasing Crop Yields?

Arts & Culture

Rhea L. Combs (left) and Ava DuVernay (right) share a laugh in front of DuVernay’s portrait during the National Portrait Gallery's 2022 Portrait of a Nation Gala on Saturday, November 12, 2022.

See Stunning Portraits of Ava DuVernay, José Andrés and the Williams Sisters

The National Portrait Gallery's 2022 Portrait of a Nation Award honors seven changemakers, from Anthony Fauci to Clive Davis

The mural was painted on the side of a building damaged by Russian airstrikes. 

Banksy Reveals Seven Murals Throughout War-Torn Ukraine

Actor Charlotte Cushman defied gender norms, often dressing in a masculine style represented in this 1853 portrait from the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. She managed her own career and demanded equal pay with male actors.

The Rise and Fall, and Rise Again, of America’s First Celebrity—a Woman Who Loved Other Women

Travel

A scene from the Goodnight Moon immersive exhibition

Step Inside the Colorful Pages of 'Goodnight Moon'

As the book turns 75, a new immersive exhibition brings the beloved children's story to life

The 1.3-acre campus includes the Parker's family home, a museum, a neighboring house and a gift shop.

You Can Now Buy Ralphie Parker's House From 'A Christmas Story'

In July, protesters from Ultima Generazione glue their hands to the glass covering of Sandro Botticelli's Primavera.

In Response to Climate Protests, Italian Museums May Raise Ticket Prices

At the Smithsonian

“Dale Chihuly is one of the most important artists of the 21st century,” says Stephanie Stebich, the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, who is among the experts interviewed in a new documentary, "Master of Glass: The Art of Dale Chihuly."

The Unrivaled Legacy of Dale Chihuly

The pioneering glassmaker and octogenarian is the subject of a new Smithsonian Channel documentary

The famed Ruby Slippers were worn by by Judy Garland in her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

It's Showtime at the National Museum of American History

Rhea L. Combs (left) and Ava DuVernay (right) share a laugh in front of DuVernay’s portrait during the National Portrait Gallery's 2022 Portrait of a Nation Gala on Saturday, November 12, 2022.

See Stunning Portraits of Ava DuVernay, José Andrés and the Williams Sisters