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Arts & Culture

These recently discovered portrait miniatures by Nicholas Hilliard are believed to depict Elizabeth Knollys, Lady Leighton, and Henry Wriothesley, Third Earl of Southampton.

Cool Finds

Tudor Courtiers Exchanged Portrait Miniatures as Love Tokens. Centuries Later, New Research Is Unlocking the Secrets of These Intimate Artworks

Over the past few years, art historians have identified several previously unknown paintings by Elizabeth I’s favorite artist, Nicholas Hilliard

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best books to complement this year's Oscar-nominated films include Sing, Unburied, Sing, Frankenstein and The Vegetarian.

The Ten Best Books to Complement Your Viewing of This Year’s Oscar-Nominated Movies

Ahead of the 2026 Academy Awards, take a look at the titles that have been adapted into some of the recognized films, and books that perfectly accompany others

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Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

This series will trace how the American West’s identity has been shaped by its people, landscapes and legacies

Jessie Buckley in The Bride! (left) and Elsa Lanchester in Bride of Frankenstein (right)

In ‘Bride of Frankenstein,’ the Monster’s Wife Never Speaks. Now, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ‘The Bride!’ Gives the Iconic Character a Voice

Directed by James Whale, the 1935 movie and its prequel, a 1931 adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, laid the groundwork for the modern horror genre

A Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon card, on January 14, 2026, in Los Angeles, California

Nintendo Released Its First ‘Pokémon’ Games 30 Years Ago. Here’s How the Beloved Catchable ‘Pocket Monsters’ Became the World’s Biggest Media Franchise

The phenomenon—with its video games, trading cards, shows, movies and merchandise—has generated billions in revenue

An Egyptian chef prepares koshary at Abou Tarek in downtown Cairo.

The Layered History of Koshary, Egypt’s Most Beloved Street Food

Now popping up in upscale restaurants, the carb-loaded national dish recently earned a spot on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage

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There's More to That

How to Fit 250 Years of American History and Culture Into One Map

Smithsonian magazine explores some of the many ways to celebrate the nation and looks back at how previous big birthdays were commemorated amid domestic turmoil

Letter from Karl, Gertrude Abercrombie, 1940. Oil on canvas. 24 x 30 in.

Meet the ‘Bop Artist’ Who Was Inspired by Dreams and Hosted Some Surreal Salons in Her Chicago Brownstone

Dizzy Gillespie said his friend Gertrude Abercrombie was able to translate the spirit of jazz music onto a canvas

A photo of the Prochnik family on Easter Sunday in 1925. Gretchen Prochnik is standing second from left.

Untold Stories of American History

This Austrian Diplomat Resigned When the Nazis Annexed His Country. To Make Ends Meet, His Wife Turned to Dressmaking—and Captivated the American Public

Gretchen Prochnik was known around Washington, D.C. for her stylish looks. She capitalized on this interest to launch a successful business after Austria “ceased to exist” in 1938

Pastis is an anise-flavored aperitif that was invented in 1932 in Marseille, France.

Coastal Cities of Europe

Get a Taste of Coastal Europe Through These Seven Spirits

From aquavit to pastis, these libations have notes of flavor and history

English farmer Nicholas Wood.

Eating Challenges Are All the Rage. But When Was the Last Time You Saw Someone Eat a Mutton Shoulder Bone?

Even before the internet, overindulgence was something of a spectator sport for those who reveled in gastronomic glory

Xin Ying, principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company, wears a costume from the 1948 ballet Diversion of Angels. Graham designed the dress, inspired by a splash of color in a Wassily Kandinsky painting.

Martha Graham Took Classic Ballet and Turned It Into Modern Dance. It’s Still Moving Us 100 Years Later

Her choreography told stories in new ways and her collaborations with costume and stage designers changed the aesthetic of the art. Now, her dance company marks its first century

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Get Your Red-Hot History Lesson! How the Hot Dog Rose From Coney Island Carts to Platters at Presidential Picnics

A simple sausage from Germany overtook ballparks and backyards to become the quintessential hand-held meal that is decidedly all-American

A 19th-century painting of the siege of Yorktown, with the Marquis de Lafayette depicted to the right of George Washington (center, right). A popular story suggests that Lafayette ordered the Continental fife and drum corps to play “Yankee Doodle” as the defeated British soldiers marched out to surrender after the battle.

America's 250th Anniversary

‘Yankee Doodle’ Was One of America’s Earliest Protest Songs. But Its Origins Are Shrouded in Mystery

Historians have debunked many of the popular theories surrounding the tune’s creation. Still, its legacy as a patriotic anthem endures

A vintage spray-paint canister containing Fire Orange—one of DayGlo’s most recognizable and ubiquitous hues—and produced by New York Bronze Powder Company Inc., likely in the early 1980s.

With an Experiment in Their Basement Photo Lab, Two Brothers Created a Paint That Outshines Them All

In the 1930s, the Switzer brothers stumbled onto a way to mimic fluorescence. That led to Day-Glo, which has been making the world a brighter place ever since

Wu’s innovation won the top prize of $25,000 at the 2025 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge.

This 14-Year-Old Is Using Origami to Imagine Emergency Shelters That Are Sturdy, Cost-Efficient and Easy to Deploy

Miles Wu folded a variant of the Miura-ori pattern that can hold 10,000 times its own weight

A pair of vinegar valentines poking fun at the recipients’ looks

Feeling More Hate Than Love This Valentine’s Day? Send Snarky ‘Vinegar Valentines’ to Your Enemies Like the Victorians Did

These oft-anonymous messages took aim at pretentious poets, unhelpful salespeople, suffragists and secessionists alike

The Château de Montal's early Renaissance style marked a transition from the medieval fortresses that dot a landscape so keenly fought over by the English and French during the Hundred Years’ War.

How a Little-Known French Region Safeguarded the Louvre’s Treasures During World War II

More than 3,000 artworks from national museums were stowed in chateaus in the Lot—about 350 miles south of Paris

“If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated,” wrote Carter G. Woodson in a 1926 essay.

Traveling Along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

A White Historian Claimed That Black People ‘Had No History.’ This Trailblazing Scholar Dedicated His Life to Proving Otherwise

Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history,” founded the celebration now known as Black History Month in 1926. A prolific writer and activist, he viewed his efforts to educate the public as a “life-and-death struggle”

A skier takes advantage of several inches of snow covering blanketing the landscape, including trees that resemble piles of cotton balls, on Revelstoke Mountain in British Columbia.

These 15 Inspiring Images of Winter Sports Will Help You Rediscover Your Olympic Spirit

You don’t have to be an Olympian to enjoy these snowy activities

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