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Stories from Amy Crawford

Bruce Willis donates John McClane's undershirt to the National Museum of American History, as museum director Brent Glass looks on.

Die Hard Donation

Bruce Willis gives John McClane’s blood-smeared undershirt to the Smithsonian. Yippee-ki-yay…

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What’s Up

Playing with words, painting on plexiglass and wearing teeth

Course du BOC 2010

Guiding Lights

Owen Edwards, an old hand at writing our “Object at Hand” column, explains and how he developed a passion for motorcycle racing

Joelle Linhoff, winner of our 4th Annual Photo Contest, spent three days on a hill overlooking a New Zealand pasture before she snapped the photo that would net her the grand prize. “I just took as many photos as I could,” she says, “using as much film as I had brought. I allotted one whole roll of film to the pasture.”

Capturing the Moment

The winner of the 4th Annual Photo Contest shows off her work in this exclusive photo gallery

Portuguese King Manuel I (who ruled from 1495-1521), commissioned this Belgian tapestry to commemorate explorer Vasco da Gama's "discovery" of India in 1498. Da Gama is the figure at the left, kneeling before an Indian sultan. In the center, Portuguese sailors load exotic animals—including, strangely, a unicorn—into their ships, for transport to the Portuguese royal zoo.

Global Empire

The curator of an ambitious new exhibition explains how Portugal brought the world together

Joan of Arc retains her status as a religious and patriotic heroine, especially in France.

France’s Leading Lady

Relics from her 1431 execution are a forgery. Will we ever know the real Joan of Arc?

The first thing Terry Smith did after moving to Washington in 1977 was buy a boat and sail it on the Bay.

A Great Adventure

Terry Smith, author of “Beyond Jamestown,” sailed in the 400-year-old wake of colonial explorer Capt. John Smith

The question doesn't rank up there with, say, What is gravity? But where was the hamburger invented? To promote its claim, Akron, Ohio, hosts the National Hamburger Festival on July 21 and 22. Over 20,000 people served, including competitive eater Dave "Coondog" O'Karma.

Highlights & Hotspots

A selection of the season’s noteworthy events

"During Derby Week, Louisville is the capital of the world," wrote John Steinbeck in 1956.

Derby Days

Thoroughbreds, mint juleps, big hats—the Kentucky Derby’s place in American history

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What’s Up

Duke Ellington, animated movies and the old ballgame

An Old Bailey trial, circa 1808

Capturing a Narrative

In this interview, Guy Gugliotta, author of “Digitizing the Hanging Court,” talks about the Old Bailey’s influence on Dickens, Defoe and other writers

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Horse Appeal

In this interview, Steve Twomey, author of “Barbaro’s Legacy,” discusses how interest in the horse extends outside the racetrack

Zuni or not, every woman is obliged to pitch in for the Sha'lako corn-grinding ceremony. During the religious festival, says Morell (far right), "people are expected to set aside all feelings of ill-will and hostility."

Mystery and Drama

Virginia Morell, author of “The Zuni Way,” on the mystical ceremonies of the Zuni pueblo

Lawler, upriver from Alexandria in the Sudan: "The feeling of Alexandria was more evocative of the ancient world than anywhere else."

City of the Imagination

Andrew Lawler, author of “Raising Alexandria” talks about the hidden history of Egypt’s fabled seaside capital

The Egyptian queen frequently surrounded herself with splendor, but luxury was less an indulgence than a political tool.

Who Was Cleopatra?

Mythology, propaganda, Liz Taylor and the real Queen of the Nile

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What’s Up

Visual music, Macbeth and people wearing hats

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Highlights & Hotspots

Some of this year’s noteworthy European events

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General Resent

In this interview, Ernest “Pat” Furgurson, author of “Catching Up with ‘Old Slow Trot,’” says some people are still fighting the Civil War

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Writer Turned Scientist

In this interview, Mary K. Miller, author of “Reading Between the Lines,” describes becoming a shift supervisor in the lab

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Celebrating St. Patrick

On March 17, everyone’s green-even the Chicago River. Yet St. Patrick remains colored in myth

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