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Stories from Megan Gambino

Rhinos and pigs wallow and coat themselves in mud, which protects them from the sun and helps to keep moisture in their skin.

Ask an Expert: Do Animals Get Sunburned?

Staffers at the National Zoo clue us in to how animals like elephants and hippos protect themselves from harmful UV rays

A selection of the stamps featuring American inventions

U.S. Postal Service Honors American Designers

Twelve pioneering industrial designers, many of whom are represented in the Cooper-Hewitt’s collection, are featured on a new set of stamps

"What I like best about myself is my demeanor. I'm seldom ruffled," said Arthur Ashe following his five-set triumph in the men's final of the 1968 U.S. Open (above).

How Arthur Ashe Made Tennis History

On July 5, 1975, Arthur Ashe beat heavily-favored Jimmy Connors to become the first African-American man to win Wimbledon

Ronald Reagan, by Aaron Shikler

“One Life: Ronald Reagan” Opens at National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery tells the story, through portraits, of Reagan’s ascension from radio announcer to president of the United States

This past June, racers, ages 8 to 17, took part in the 70th running of the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

The History of Soap Box Derby

For nearly 80 years, kids have steered their gravity-powered racers toward a coveted national championship

Mike Tyson's tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Entertainment this spring, claiming that the use of his design in the movie The Hangover Part II was copyright infringement.

Ten Famous Intellectual Property Disputes

From Barbie to cereal to a tattoo, a copyright lawsuit can get contentious; some have even reached the Supreme Court

Cheetah cub at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

Adorable Photos of the New Cheetah Cubs

Biologists at the National Zoo get their first opportunity to inspect five new cheetah cubs

Two of the newest U.S. citizens who were naturalized on Sept. 20, 2010.

Twenty People Become Citizens at the American History Museum

Holocaust survivor and civil rights activist Gerda Weissmann Klein addresses new citizens at the museum’s sixth naturalization ceremony

Gerda Weissmann Klein, founder of Citizenship Counts, speaks to new citizens and students at a naturalization ceremony at the Maryland School in Phoenix, Arizona.

Gerda Weissmann Klein on American Citizenship

The Holocaust survivor, author and Medal of Freedom winner discusses liberation day and cherished freedoms

A Superman comic book

Superman Turns 73

Superman made his debut appearance in the June 1938 edition of Action Comics, and has since captured the hearts of Americans

No recordings of Abraham Lincoln's voice exist since he died 12 years before Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, the first device to record and play back sound. Shown here is Lincoln delivering his famous Gettysburg Address in 1863.

Ask an Expert: What Did Abraham Lincoln’s Voice Sound Like?

Civil War scholar Harold Holzer helps to decode what spectators heard when the 16th president spoke

This aerial photograph shows 68 whale sharks feeding (and four snorkelers swimming) at the Afuera in August 2009.

How Do You Feed A Whale Shark?

Whale sharks gather off of the Yucatán Peninsula every summer for one big feeding frenzy

A dozen roses from a suitor may be flattering, but they can't compare to the tacit admission that we are in the same league.

The Newlywed Games

“You compete me”

Continuum, the 2011 National Design Award winner in the Product Design category, designed the air bladder fit control system for the Reebok Pump sneaker in the late 1980s, among other successful products.

National Design Award Winners Announced

The Cooper-Hewitt’s 2011 National Design Award winners are an impressive group of thinkers

An adorable elephant shrew

A New Shrew at the Zoo

Small Mammals curator Bob King talks about the short-eared elephant shrew, a new addition to the National Zoo

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What Is It Like to View a Space Shuttle Launch?

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A New App Called Leafsnap

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Face to Face With a Garbage Patch at Sea

American artist George Ault had the ability in his paintings to take specific locations in Woodstock, New York, where he lived from 1937 until his death in 1948, and make them seem universal. Shown here is Ault's Daylight at Russell's Corners, 1944.

George Ault’s World

Structured with simple lines and vivid colors, the paintings of George Aultcaptured the chaotic 1940s in a unique way

In April 2005, Zazi, one of the National Zoo’s female cheetahs, gave birth to six cubs.

What Animal is the Best Mother?

Cheetahs and gorillas have some of the strongest maternal instincts, according to a National Zoo biologist

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