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This inscription, written in Old Khmer, reads “The Caka era reached year 605 on the fifth day of the waning moon.” The dot (at right) is now recognized as the oldest known version of our zero.

The Origin of the Number Zero

Deep in the jungle, an intrepid scholar locates a symbol of power and mystery

As Prohibition shut bars, an ad touted the family’s coffeehouse as a place to linger.

The Roosevelt Family Built a New York Coffee Chain 50 Years Before Starbucks

Teddy Roosevelt’s children brought fresh-roasted beans and European coffeehouse culture to Manhattan

The Controversial Afterlife of King Tut

A frenzy of conflicting scientific analyses have made the famous pharaoh more mysterious than ever

The Horrific Sand Creek Massacre Will Be Forgotten No More

The opening of a national historic site in Colorado helps restore to public memory one of the worst atrocities ever perpetrated on Native Americans

Middle-class families scooped up affordable and speedy Model Ts. As they began to race through the streets, they ran headlong into pedestrians—with lethal results.

When Pedestrians Ruled the Streets

The driverless car may take a while to catch on—just as the automobile did a century ago

The Oswald family—with Marguerite Oswald second from right—sit next to Lee Harvey Oswald's casket.

When Lee Harvey Oswald Shot the President, His Mother Tried to Take Center Stage

Marguerite Oswald had a series of bizarre reactions to her son’s transgression, forever making her a famous mother to history

National Museum of Natural History physical anthropologists Lucille St. Hoyme, J. Lawrence Angel and Thomas Dale Stewart hold Hans Langseth's beard upon its arrival to the Smithsonian in 1967.

The World’s Longest Beard Is One Of The Smithsonian’s Strangest Artifacts

Kept in storage at the National Museum of Natural History, the world’s longest beard measures over 17 feet in length

Illustration from Nellie Bly's 1887 book Ten Days in a Mad-House, depicting her practicing feigning insanity. Bly's work was originally published as a 17-part series of articles for the New York World.

Before Serial, There Were These Groundbreaking Examples of Serialized Non-Fiction

Can’t wait for the next episode of the podcast series? Take a look at these popular predecessors

One of the original Regency TR-1 models resides in the Smithsonian collections.

How the Transistor Radio with Music for Your Pocket Fueled a Teenage Social Revolution

In a burst of post World War II innovation, the Regency TR-1 transistor radio became the new “It” gift for the holiday season

Vice President Al Gore, with President George Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney

How the Office of the Vice Presidency Evolved from Nothing to Something

Vice President John Adams once said “In this I am nothing, But I may be everything.” A new book tells how the office has moved from irrelevance to power

An illustration from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper that depicts soldiers raiding an illegal distillery in Brooklyn in 1869.

The Whiskey Wars That Left Brooklyn in Ruins

Unwilling to pay their taxes, distillers in New York City faced an army willing to go to the extreme to enforce the law

The earliest surviving photograph, taken in 1826 or 1827, titled View from the Window at Le Gras.

Armenia: Smithsonian Guide

Where to See the Oldest Artifacts in the World

From a royal soccer ball to a very old book, see humanity’s history of innovation in ten amazing everyday objects

Sunflower sea stars are just one of 20 species affected.

New Research

Meet the Tiny Killer Causing Millions of Sea Stars to Waste Away

The deadly sea star wasting disease, which turns live animals into slimy goop, is caused by a previously unknown virus

Some of Mrs. Jerry Davis' students saved letters from their Vietnam War pen pals, which they donated to the American History Museum on November 14.

Vietnam War Vets Reconnect With Their 1960s Pen Pals For a Museum Donation

Decades after they sat in Mrs. Davis’ fourth grade class, former students donated Vietnam War materials to the American History Museum

Muhammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln, and Georgia O'Keeffe are among the Americans listed

Meet the 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time

A new, special issue of Smithsonian magazine attempts the impossible: to list out the most significant people in United States history

A new, zero-power screening method might make testing for lead and other pollutants easier than ever.

Drop This Capsule Into a Stream and It Will Screen For Pollution

Researchers have developed a sensor (no batteries required) that creates a barcode indicating the amount of pollutants and their whereabouts in water

Nuenen, where Van Gogh lived from 1883 to 1885, is located within the Brabant province.

Experience Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ on This Beautiful Illuminated Bike Path

To mark the 125th anniversary of the artists’ death, a group of designers have lit a solar-powered path through historic Van Gogh sites

Around 1,400 chimps might lose their home in Congo.

Cool Finds

How a Misdrawn Map Put 1,400 Chimps and a Rare Plant in Peril

Miners and farmers are moving into a protected forest in Congo thanks in part to an administrative blooper

Window at Chartres Cathedral.

Why Colors You See in an Art Museum Can’t Be Replicated Today

A look into the history of the pigments used in spectacular art

This is how you build the world's first solar bike path.

A Bike Path Near Amsterdam Is Now Generating Solar Power

As cyclists ride above, solar panels embedded in the pathway pump energy into the power grid

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