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An illustration of Lancaster in the early 1800s. The Pennsylvania city served as the nation's capital on September 27, 1777.

America's 250th Anniversary

During the American Revolution, the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Served as the United States’ Capital for Just One Day

The nascent nation’s leaders fled to the inland city as the British advanced on Philadelphia in September 1777. They held one meeting at the local courthouse before moving on to York

These proboscis bats have chosen to roost under the soft roof of a pavilion.

These Small, Stealthy Bats Use High-Frequency Vocalizations to Keep Their Chatter Out of the Range of Predators and Prey

New research shows that proboscis bats communicate with each other and echolocate at higher frequencies than scientists expected. This could help the animals sneak up to their targets and evade creatures that want to eat them

A 1939 photo of Georgia Tann, head of the Memphis branch of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society

This Social Worker Was Supposed to Help Orphans Find Homes. Instead, She Abducted Children Who Already Had Families and Sold Them for Profit

Between 1924 and 1950, Georgia Tann placed more than 5,000 children—many of them seized from their parents without permission—with wealthy families across the U.S

The exterior of the National Museum of African American History and Culture during its opening ceremony in 2016

For Years, the Smithsonian Strove to Bring the African American History and Culture Museum to the National Mall. Now, It Celebrates a Decade as a Beacon of Understanding, Community and Resilience

The museum lovingly called the “Blacksonian” chronicles the past and present and envisions the future to tell the stories of Black life in America

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Did Thomas Jefferson Father Sally Hemings’ Children? After More Than a Decade of Research, the Answer Is Finally Firmly in Hand

A lock of hair, advances in genetic science and a community of descendants all contributed to solving an American mystery

In the lab, archaeologists showed how they could rapidly produce thick rope by threading cattail fibers through a replica of a Stone Age tool.

Archaeologists Are Reconstructing the ‘Invisible’ Technologies of the Stone Age, From Rope to Thread and Twine

Largely missing from the archaeological record, fiber innovations played a huge role in the lives of early humans. Researchers are weaving together new insights from the traces they left behind

The structure is a nod to clouds and tree canopies, not the starship that many imagine when they first see the building, according to its architect Ma Yansong.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a New Endeavor From the Creator of ‘Star Wars,’ Is a Story in Itself

Almost two decades in the making, the institution centers on art that shapes our everyday lives and reveals the craft behind it

Galaxy NGC 1386, which hosts an active supermassive black hole that was analyzed in a new study

Active Supermassive Black Holes May Be Engines of Star Formation, Not Just Destruction, Study Suggests

Scientists mapped out the structure of nine bright cores of galaxies located near the Milky Way and revealed common patterns that could shed light on how the universe evolved

Smoke from massive wildfires in Canada engulfed the New York City skyline, reducing visibility and casting an orange haze over city on July 16, 2026.

From 22,000 Miles Up, This Satellite Tracks Airborne Health Threats Almost in Real Time

The new instrument, called TEMPO, captures hourly snapshots of the pollutants swirling in the daytime atmosphere over North America—“chemical weather” reports that are helpful to public health researchers and government officials

The Earth in the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs roamed the planet, looked much unlike how it does today—even beyond presence of creatures like Giganotosaurus.

Five Ways the World of the Dinosaurs Looked Different From Ours, Beyond the Presence of the ‘Terrible Lizards’

Earth has changed dramatically since the Age of Dinosaurs, from its climate to geography and animal life

The New York Times building, with its newspaper logo sign above the entrance, seen in New York City on August 6, 2026

The Founders of the ‘New York Times’ Pledged to Cover ‘Every Subject of Public Importance.’ 175 Years Later, the Paper Continues to Publish ‘All the News That’s Fit to Print’

Much has changed since the publication debuted on September 18, 1851. What hasn’t changed, staff members say, is the paper’s mission

Focaccia di Recco is a thin flatbread filled with gooey cheese—usually crescenza or stracchino—and baked in a super-hot oven until crispy and golden brown.

A Tiny Town in the Italian Riviera Has Its Own Version of Focaccia, and Let This Be a Warning—It’s Addictive

Unlike the pillowy-soft focaccia that’s more widely known, focaccia di Recco is thin, crispy and filled with gooey cheese

Lake sturgeon—massive and long-living fish in the Great Lakes—may survive to much older ages than scientists previously thought, according to a recent study. Here, a juvenile lake sturgeon is captured during a fisheries assessment in the St. Clair-Detroit River System.

Some Fish in the Great Lakes Might Be More Than 400 Years Old, a Study Suggests, Outliving Around 15 Generations of Humans

Lake sturgeon may be among the longest-living vertebrates, second only to Greenland sharks, according to recent research. However, scientists note that follow-up work is necessary to clarify the species’ life span

An illustration from the 1720 text The History of Witches and Wizards, featuring witches offering wax dolls to the devil as part of a ritual

Six Ways That People of the Past Used Magic to Protect Their Homes, From Witch Bottles to Mystical Symbols

Throughout history, humans around the world have employed protective talismans such as special stones, herbs and plants, and decorative demon tiles

The center opened in December 2025.

Montana Built a $107 Million Museum. Its Smallest Room Says a Lot About the Thought That Went Into Designing the Space

The Montana Heritage Center in Helena has a smudge room. It is open to the public and teaches non-Native visitors why a room dedicated to the burning of cleansing materials, a practice of many Indigenous cultures, is needed

Schizophrenia is difficult for psychiatrists to diagnose. Can artificial intelligence help do it better?

Could Artificial Intelligence Help With Early Diagnosis of Schizophrenia?

The tool may pick up subtle differences in the speech of people with the mental health condition better than human psychiatrists

A man in New York City reads a copy of the September 19, 2001, issue of the Daily News, featuring Milton Glaser's updated "I ♥ NY More Than Ever" logo.

In the Aftermath of 9/11, Milton Glaser, Creator of the ‘I Love NY’ Logo, Declared That He Loved New York City ‘More Than Ever’

The graphic designer revamped his world-famous emblem in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The updated design underscored the city’s resilience in the face of tragedy

In the bitter chill of a six-degrees Fahrenheit morning in Olathe, Kansas, firefighters respond to a duplex fire. Working quickly despite the cold, they stopped the fire’s advance and saved the adjoining unit from damage.

These 15 Riveting Photos of Firefighters in Action Showcase the Strength and Courage They Need to Risk Their Lives to Save Others

On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, take in this collection of images pulled from the archives of the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

GLP-1 drugs, medications that are self-injected to support weight loss and lower blood sugar, helped peptides become mainstream.

Peptides Are All the Rage, Promising Miracle Cures and Makeovers Delivered by Injection. How Did We Get Here?

Experts say the peptide craze is part of a broader phenomenon, as patients look beyond the regulated health system to address problems that doctors have struggled to treat

From left to right: Thomas McKenzie as Alyce, Jamie Bell as John Ball and Andrew Garfield as the Ploughman in The Uprising, a new film by Paul Greengrass

Based on a True Story

The Real Story Behind ‘The Uprising’ and the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt, When Thousands Marched on London to Demand a Fairer Society

Paul Greengrass’ new film stars Andrew Garfield as a fictionalized, unnamed farmer who leads a rebellion against unfair taxes and the system of serfdom

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