Stories from this author
Eight Secret Societies You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
Many of these selective clubs peaked in popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries
The True Story of Pocahontas Is More Complicated Than You Might Think
Historian Camilla Townsend separates fact from fiction in the life of the Powhatan “princess”
The History Behind the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision
The phrase, first used in early 20th-century employment laws, is at the center of two new rulings against its use in higher education
Inside the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The L.A. institution finally opens, inviting visitors to learn about film history—even the not so glittery bits—and to contemplate the industry’s future
Using Art to Talk About the Holocaust in ‘The Evidence Room’
Museum staff discuss the reception of a difficult work that showed the vivid and painful documentation of a Nazi death camp
Why Cokie Roberts Admired Dolley Madison
The legendary newswoman, who died at 75, appeared on a Smithsonian podcast earlier this summer to speak about a favorite topic, the first ladies
3-D Map to Digitize Part of Carlsbad Caverns Down to the Millimeter
The National Parks Service is also compiling a modern cultural history of the caverns
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch Weighs In on Legendary Photo Archive of African-American Life
In historic moment, foundations and museums came together to rescue black history. “This is an optimistic tale,” says Bunch
The Women Who Coined the Term ‘Mary Sue’
The trope they named in a ‘Star Trek’ fan zine in 1973 continues to resonate in 2019
Dr. Ruth Changed the Way America Talked About Sex
A new documentary chronicles the revolution Ruth Westheimer brought to the air
!["My job as an artist is to inspire and heal," he says. "Around the election, my listeners were so distraught and I was distressed, too... so I felt compelled to create a piece of music ["Marigolds"] that would heal and educate."](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/3M2Fmyumsd5qAxJnFKIUnyJTks4=/450x300/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/a5/4b/a54b735c-ef09-43d4-ad1d-eb1730b5ce08/kishi_bashi_-_omoiyari_-_2_credit_max_ritter.jpg)
Kishi Bashi on Turning Hard History Into Memorable Music
Plus, listen to an exclusive debut of ‘Marigolds’ off his new album, ‘Omoiyari’
We’re Entering a New Age of Meatless Meat Today. But We’ve Been Here Before
At the turn of the 20th century, the first mock meat craze swept the nation
The Motorized Scooter Boom That Hit a Century Before Dockless Scooters
Launched in 1915, the Autoped had wide appeal, with everyone from suffragettes to postmen giving it a try
Historic Notre-Dame Cathedral Salvaged From Blaze
After a tense few hours, firefighters announce they saved the landmark from ‘total destruction’
An Early Run-In With Censors Led Rod Serling to ‘The Twilight Zone’
His failed attempts to bring the Emmett Till tragedy to television forced him to get creative
What ‘Project Runway’ Can Teach Us About the Creative Process
Seventeen seasons in, the show continues to demystify what it takes to ‘make it work’
‘Captain Marvel”s Missed Opportunity With Nostalgia
The ‘90s lives in the new superhero film but doesn’t tell us much about the decade
What’s the Deal With Ordering Iced Coffee in the Winter?
A hot take, if you will, on the iced trend
Why Is the Genie in ‘Aladdin’ Blue?
There’s a simple answer and a colonialist legacy for why the genie looks the way it does
There Was the Magazine Quiz. Then Came the Internet. What Now?
From the “Cosmo Quiz” to Quizilla to Buzzfeed… what’s next?
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