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A replica of Benjamin West's Reception of the American Loyalists by Great Britain in the Year 1783 appears in the background of this 1812 portrait of English judge John Eardley Wilmot.

America's 250th Anniversary

Meet the Defiant Loyalists Who Paid Dearly for Choosing the Wrong Side in the American Revolution

American colonists who aligned with the British lost their lands, their reputations and sometimes even their lives

Just like bridges enable cars to cross rivers and lakes, raised tracks allow trains to travel over bodies of water.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Get Your Day Back on Track With These 22 Photos of Trains Around the World

Take to the rails with inspiring images of life on and around train lines

Portrait of Rashid Johnson, New York, 2025 

This Renowned Artist Brings Plants, Shea Butter and Black Soap Into His Groundbreaking Work

In Rashid Johnson’s largest show of art yet, the power of mixed media is on full display

A German submarine torpedoed the S.S. Pennsylvania Sun on July 15, 1942, destroying 107,500 barrels of U.S. Navy fuel oil.

The Hidden History of the Nazi U-Boats That Prowled the Gulf Coast, Bringing World War II to America’s Shores

Between 1942 and 1943, German submarines sank 56 Allied ships in the region and damaged another 14, losing just one of their own in the process

Two male polar bears square off for battles over territory and, ultimately, mating rights.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Explore the Spectacular Landscapes and Awesome Animals of Western Canada

Enjoy some northern exposure with these 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization.

This 14-Year-Old Built an App That Detects Heart Diseases in Seconds

Siddarth Nandyala wants to put his tool in the hands of medical professionals so that they can catch cardiovascular abnormalities in their early stages

Water may have arisen as early as 100 million years after the universe began.

Did Water Form in the Earliest Years of the Universe?

A recent study suggests huge volumes of the molecule emerged during the cosmic dawn

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These 11 Marble Sculptures of Iconic Artists Once Decorated One of America’s First Art Museums. What Happened to Them?

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was adorned with the statues, commissioned in the late 1800s. But since then, they’ve changed hands many times and finally found their way back to each other in a botanical garden

A baby Atlantic sturgeon caught from Virginia’s James River is measured by Matt Balazik, a research ecologist with Virginia Commonwealth University.

Once in Dire Straits, Atlantic Sturgeon Are Staging a Comeback on the East Coast

From Maine to Florida, the endangered, prehistoric fish is rebounding, but a recent study shows just how vulnerable the U.S. population remains

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There's More to That

The Stunning Search for the Remains of Fallen WWII Airmen

After three crewmen were swallowed up by the Pacific at the end of World War II, a modern-day rescue effort went to find them

A 17th-century still life featuring a plate of oysters

From Peasant Fodder to Fine Dining, Feast on the Tasty History of How Snails and Oysters Became Luxury Foods

Humans have eaten mollusks for millennia, but they weren’t always viewed as elite treats

Enceladus (center) orbits Saturn in this 2007 image captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.

Should Scientists Inject Saturn’s Moon Enceladus With Life?

A new study proposes that seeding the orb’s underground ocean with microbes might help us learn how to make other worlds habitable

If marriage was just a piece of paper, then the bride’s gown could be one, too. “The ultimate disposable gown must be the paper wedding dress,” the Australian Women’s Weekly declared in 1967. “Why not? You only wear it once, anyway.” 

Would You Wear a Wedding Dress Made of Disposable Paper? These 1960s Brides Donned Them to Save Money—and Make a Daring Fashion Statement

Created with synthetic textiles, the “nonwoven” gowns could be shortened for the reception or easily packed away for the honeymoon

A grizzly bear walks along a road in Lake Louise, Alberta. 

To Reduce Human and Grizzly Bear Conflicts, Both Species Must Change Their Behavior

Rural Alaskan and Canadian communities are trying to get along with the large mammals

Sarah Grandmother’s Knife, Apsáalooke (Crow), age 10, wearing an elk-tooth dress and sticking out her tongue playfully in Montana, 1910

See the Stunning Archival Photographs That Tell the Stories of Everyday Native Life and Communities

The Archive Center at the National Museum of the American Indian presents a new exhibition that can help “interrupt the romanticized, stereotypical images often shared of Native peoples throughout history”

The Ake archaeological site on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.

What Can We Learn From Apocalyptic Times of the Past?

More than a millennium ago, a Maya community collapsed in the face of a devastating drought. One writer joined an intrepid archaeologist to upend what they thought they understood about why it all happened

Loaded with colorful containers, a cargo ship floats right into the Port of Miami.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Set Sail With These 15 Scenes of Sensational Ships

These seafaring shots are harbored in the archives of the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

Scoresby Sund in Eastern Greenland is the largest fjord system in the world.

Nine Ways to Experience Greenland’s Unique Culture and Icy Landscapes

The first-ever direct flights from the United States to Greenland will give tourists easier access to the island’s history, culture and natural wonders

During its first year of service, Freedom House Amublance Service transported more than 4,600 patients across 5,800 calls, saving 200 lives.

These Trailblazing Black Paramedics Are the Reason You Don’t Have to Ride a Hearse or a Police Van to the Hospital

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Freedom House Ambulance Service set the standard for emergency medical care, laying the groundwork for the services available today

Teacher John T. Scopes (second from left) stands in the courtroom during his trial for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution in his high school science class.

A Century Ago, a High School Teacher From a Small Tennessee Town Ignited a National Debate Over Human Evolution

The Scopes “monkey trial” garnered international attention, and the battle that was fought continues in some form in other states today

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