Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Articles

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin deploys a device to detect moonquakes during the first moonwalk.

Thousands of Moonquakes Rocked the Apollo Landing Sites in Less Than a Decade

A new study found 22,000 previously unidentified lunar seismic events recorded between 1969 and 1977

A hazel-eyed tiger glares through a tangled web of branches in Satpura Tiger Reserve.

Feast on 15 Ferocious Tiger Photos From the Smithsonian Photo Contest

This majestic big cat is one of the world’s most recognizable

Whether decorated with a photo of a bustling subway stop or a striking Andy Warhol painting, album cover designs can constitute masterpieces in their own right.

The Stories Behind Six Iconic Album Cover Shots Taken in America—and Where to Recreate Them

These picture-perfect album covers have turned unassuming street corners, empty beach stretches and looming buildings into musical monuments

Members of the U.S. team participate in the opening ceremony at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Untold Stories of American History

At the 1960 Olympics, American Athletes Recruited by the CIA Tried to Convince Their Soviet Peers to Defect

Al Cantello, a star of the U.S. track and field team, arranged a covert meeting between a government agent and a Ukrainian long jumper

A jar containing Ascaris, a parasitic worm that affects over one billion people worldwide

Parasites Are Everywhere. Why Do So Few Researchers Study Them?

Aging parasitologists are working hard to inspire more students to enter the field

Johnny Weissmuller (left) and Duke Kahanamoku (right) at the 1924 Paris Olympics

The Paris Olympics

At the 1924 Paris Olympics, Tarzan Faced Off With the Ambassador of Aloha

The second Paris Games, exactly one century ago, hosted a 100-meter freestyle race that became an instant classic

A 2022 view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

Why the Eiffel Tower Has So Many Copycats

Replicas have popped up around the globe for decades, showcasing the design power and cultural significance of the world-famous French landmark

In the first century B.C.E., Fulvia, Octavia and Cleopatra competed for Mark Antony's heart.

Who Were Cleopatra’s Rivals for Mark Antony’s Love?

The Roman general’s third and fourth wives, Fulvia and Octavia, adopted varying strategies for luring their husband away from the queen of Egypt

Rainforests, like this one in Ecuador, only appeared after the mass extinction that ended the Age of Dinosaurs.

No, Dinosaurs Did Not Trudge Through Thick Rainforests

The first jungles dense with flowering plants only formed after an asteroid impact wiped out the giant creatures

Formerly a royal residence, the Louvre Palace is now home to one of the world’s most famous museums.  

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

See 15 Picturesque Views of Paris

France’s charming capital city welcomes the 2024 Summer Olympic Games

A rhesus macaque on Cayo Santiago, which is less than a mile east of Puerto Rico. Rhesus macaques spend upwards of 20 percent of their time engaged in cooperative behaviors like grooming.

How Do Animals Change Their Social Habits as They Age?

In patterns that may sound familiar, long-term studies reveal what elderly deer, sheep and macaques are up to in their twilight years

Bridge, Glenn Kaino, fiberglass, steel, wire and gold paint, 2013-2014

The Paris Olympics

Tommie Smith’s Raised Fist at the 1968 Olympics Inspired a Massive Golden Sculpture That Signifies the Art of His Protest

At the Smithsonian American Art Museum, an installation by artist Glenn Kaino made in collaboration with Smith reclaims the Olympian’s iconic gesture

Shade-protecting overhangs known as awnings line a street in New York City in the 1850s.

History of Now

Six Innovative Ways Humans Have Kept Cool Throughout History

From sleeping porches to coastal escapes, these tips and tricks helped people deal with extreme heat before the advent of air-conditioning

Technological advances have changed Olympic sports—including fencing, sprinting, distance running and pole vaulting.

From Sleek Swimsuits to Specialized Running Shoes, These Five Innovations Transformed the Olympics

Technology has advanced sports including fencing and pole vaulting

Established in 2019, Indiana Dunes National Park represents one of the most understated successes of 20th-century conservation—and the battle is far from over today.

Inside the Fight to Save the Indiana Dunes, One of America’s Most Vulnerable National Parks

Caught between steel mills, suburbs and a hard place, the 15,000-acre site is a fantasia of biodiversity—and a case study for hard-fought conservation

None

There's More to That

How to Sweat Like an Olympian

This summer, don’t be embarrassed by those pit stains or your drenched workout clothes. Our expert on the science of sweat says perspiration is what makes humans faster, higher and stronger

A thin slice of the ancient rocks collected from Gakkel Ridge near the North Pole, photographed under a microscope and seen under cross-polarized light

Geologists Uncover Remnants of Earth’s Mantle That Have Lasted Over 2.5 Billion Years

New research suggests that a discrepancy in rocks shows they endured extreme heat, and reveals more about an ancient part of our planet’s history

A little over a century ago, a limestone cave system north of Kuala Lumpur was reborn as a holy Hindu shrine, called Batu Caves.

From Cisterns to Temples, These Twelve Underground Worlds Are Open for Exploring

Some of these age-old subterranean spaces have even been transformed into amusement parks, art galleries and restaurants

The JOIDES Resolution in 2012 off the coast of Costa Rica, on an expedition to understand how earthquakes form

What Will Happen If This Iconic Research Vessel Stops Drilling in the Deep Sea?

After a career marked by major discoveries, the JOIDES Resolution is likely on its last official mission to retrieve rock cores from the ocean floor

The Wentworth brothers campaigned ceaselessly for the liberty of free speech in the House of Commons. They were driven by the ongoing succession crisis, which they felt Elizabeth was ignoring, placing England in danger of civil war or foreign invasion.

The Brothers Who Asserted Their Right to Free Speech in Tudor England

Peter and Paul Wentworth called on Elizabeth I to name an heir to the throne, wielding Parliament’s free speech privileges to urge the queen to take action

Page 54 of 1322