Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Around the Mall

Painting of an Inuit woman with face tattoos, 1654. See a film by an Inuit director attempting to reclaim this tradition in “Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos.” Author unknown.

Events January 25-27: Persian Drama, Inuit Face Tattoos and Schubert’s Fantasy

None

Two New Prehistoric Bloodsucking Species Found in Montana

Forty-six million-year-old fossils help identify mosquito species from an ancient insect hot spot

None

What Happens When You Give an Orangutan an iPad?

A new program at the National Zoo transports the great apes to the 21st century

Tile art in Iran. Learn how to make ornate designs like this — from carving to installation — in Tuesday night lessons at the Ripley Center.

Events January 22-24: Persian Tile Lessons, Arts & Craft Beer and MLK Book Signing

This week, learn to be a Persian artist, get crafty in Renwick Gallery and pick up an illustrated copy of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s most famous speech

Today, President Barack Obama will take the oath of office for his second term.

Inauguration Day 2013

All you need to know for the day: where to eat, rest and what to see

Not officially on the guest list for Richard Nixon’s 1973 inaugural ball, this chicken decided to check out the scene anyway. Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Inauguration History

That Time a Chicken Crashed Nixon’s Inaugural Ball and Other Crazy Inaugural Tales

Ten quirky moments from inaugural history, including presidential lassoing

None

VIDEO: Making Mount Rushmore

Get up close and personal with four presidents with video and now a new National Park Service app

None

Poetry Matters: Lessons From America’s First Inaugural Poet

Introducing a new monthly poetry column, just in time to offer inaugural poet Richard Blanco some advice from Robert Frost

Japanese taiko drumming, one of a panoply of performances from cultures around the world at this weekend’s Multicultural Festival.

Events January 18-20: A Multicultural Festival, the Voices of Emancipation and the Smithsonian Staff’s Best Photos

This week, travel around the world in one museum, celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation and see the world through the Smithsonian staff’s eyes

The six men line up before the parade begins.

Inauguration History

Who Were the Six Native American Chiefs in Teddy Roosevelt’s Inaugural Parade?

Another inauguration, another opportunity to learn more about the men whose presence shocked the country

None

How to Win Inauguration Weekend: There’s an App for That

One man won the election, but with free tours and insider information, you can still win the weekend. Plus hours, eating spots and where to rest your feet

Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries building decorated for James Garfield’s inaugural ball, complete with string light garlands and patriotic buntings.

Inauguration History

Party Like It’s 1881: President Garfield’s Inaugural Ball

Nothing says, “Welcome, Mr. President,” like 3,000 gas lights and a big hulking statue

Inauguration History

If Only Hollywood Would Show Us Lincoln’s Second Inaugural

Our pop culture curator Amy Henderson strolls the halls of the Old Patent Building imagining the scene of Lincoln’s 1865 inaugural ball

None

What Django Unchained Got Wrong: A Review From National Museum of African American History and Culture Director Lonnie Bunch

The museum director and former film studies professor examines Quentin Tarantino’s take on slavery

None

VIDEO: The Story Behind the Emancipation Proclamation

You’ve seen Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” now hear director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture Lonnie Bunch talk about the forces behind the January 1, 1863 order and the eventual abolition of slavery

Astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss is in the house on Monday to explain why our understanding of physics in the past 50 years has been based on a particle whose existence we couldn’t prove.

Events January 14-17: Higgs Boson, Up “Close” with President Obama, Modern Origami and Shiny Pots

This week, learn why the Higgs Boson particle matters, see a huge portrait of President Obama, discover modern origami and stand in DC’s most opulent room

An illustration of the variety of planets in our galaxy being detected by NASA’s Kepler spacecraft. Research on their frequency suggests one in six stars in the Milky Way is orbited by an Earth-size planet, which means there would be at least 17 billion planets on which life might exist.

17 Billion Earth-Size Planets! An Astronomer Reflects on the Possibility of Alien Life

The “Greensboro Four,” above immortalized on their North Carolina A&T State University campus, fought racial segregation by refusing to leave a local retail store when the staff would not serve them coffee. Learn to protest like a pro this weekend at the American History Museum.

Events January 11-13: Civil Disobedience, Farm-Fresh Foods and Arabic Calligraphy Lessons

This week, protest racial segregation in the 1960s, discover DC’s “slow food” movement and learn to write in Arabic

NBA Commissioner David Stern is in the building, along with Wolf Blitzer, Michael Lee, the Washington Post’s Wizard’s beat writer, Mike Wise, the Post’s sports columnist.

Events January 8-10: Get Sketchy, Raise Your Voice and Play Ball

This week, draw your way through the collection, join a chorale, and hear from NBA Commissioner David Stern plus basketball superfan Wolf Blitzer

Pianist Sarah Fridrich performs this weekend at Luce Unplugged.

Events January 4-7: Talk Back to Historic Figures, Weave the Mayan Way and Unplug with Musicians

A professor from the 19th century will take your questions, a Mayan weaver will craft a keepsake and an Indie group will keep you in the groove

Page 15 of 111