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As a child, Nicholas Alan Cope recalls hearing the national anthem at Orioles games in Baltimore, the song's hometown. As an adult, he rose to the challenge of photographing the icon itself.

These Artistic Interpretations of the Star-Spangled Banner Call Out the Inner Patriot

In paintings, photos, music, videos and poetry, contemporary artists intrepret the flag that bravely waved above Fort McHenry

The American paddlefish, which makes spawning migrations up the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers.

Trending Today

This Weekend, Celebrate the World’s Weird and Wonderful Migratory Fishes

The first annual World Migratory Fish Day is making a splash with hundreds of outdoor, fish-centric events

Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing plastic that can heal damage on its own.

Tech Watch

Plastic That Can Repair Itself

Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing material that will “bleed” to heal damage on hard-to-repair objects.

Syrian refugee children in the Bekka Valley. In Lebanon there are currently over a half million school aged Syrian refugees. Many of them are unable to access education. Syrian children confront obstacles of being refugees in unfamiliar countries, but also face schools taught in English and French, rather than Arabic.

These Photos of Syria’s Children Put a Face on the Humanitarian Crisis in the Middle East

‘The Children of Syria,’ a documentary photography exhibition on display in Washington, presents a stark case of the challenges refugees confront

World War I: 100 Years Later

Europe’s Landscape Is Still Scarred by World War I

Photographs of the abandoned battlefields reveal the trenches’ scars still run deep

In the hit game Space Invaders, a menacing four-note soundtrack sped up as the aliens got closer.

The Generation That Grew Up With “Space Invaders” Now Has Gaming Children Of Their Own

Thirty-five years after the arcade game hit it big, its impact is still felt nationwide

How a Tightknit Community of Ghanaians Has Spiced Up the Bronx

From fufu to omo tuo, Ghanaian immigrants are adding their own distinctive flavor to the New York City borough

Getting to Know Whistler’s Father

Whistler’s mother is a superstar. But the painter’s dad has languished in obscurity—until now

The delicate painting in question depicts a hibiscus, a symbol of autumn.

A Scholar’s Detective Work Uncovers a Masterpiece at the Freer Gallery

Thought to be from a minor artist, this painting proved to be older and more significant than previously thought

When Collectors Cut Off Pieces of the Star-Spangled Banner As Keepsakes

For years patriots clamored for swatches of the enormous flag that raised spirits at “dawn’s early light”

The Pocket Watch Was the World’s First Wearable Tech Game Changer

Google Glass is just the latest in a long line of body-borne technologies designed to enhance our lives

Fast Forward: The Alvin Will Make The Ocean More Accessible Than Ever Before

A League of Its Own

The Massive and Controversial Attempt to Preserve One of the World’s Most Iconic Islands

Mont-Saint-Michel is trying an extreme makeover to save its dreamlike setting

Tiktaalik roseae had fish-like fins, a flattened skull (similar to a crocodile), and is thought to have lived in shallow water, using its fins to prop itself up.

Did the Evolution of Animal Intelligence Begin With Tiktaalik?

How one marvelously preserved fossil sheds light on how the vertebrate invasion of land took place

Why Are People So Comfortable With Small Drones?

The FAA will soon allow commercial drones to fly in U.S. airspace, but researchers have found that they aren’t seen as much of a nuisance at all

Noc (in 1995) strongly “wanted to make a connection,” says former naval trainer Michelle Jeffries. “I think that was part of the thing behind him mimicking speech.”

The Story of One Whale Who Tried to Bridge the Linguistic Divide Between Animals and Humans

While captive in a Navy program, a beluga whale named Noc began to mimic human speech. What was behind his attempt to talk to us?

Was Lincoln Bald And More Questions From Our Readers

Ask Smithsonian: You asked, we answered

Window washer Jan Demczur used his squeegee to pry open the elevator doors where he and five others were trapped. Taking turns, they used the squeegee and its metal handle to hack through drywall so that they could squeeze through and escape down the stairs.

How a Squeegee Handle Became a Life-Saving Tool on September 11, 2001

Artifacts now on loan to New York City’s National September 11 Memorial and Museum tell the story in ways that words cannot

The Thailand display at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Photos: Impressive Floral Displays Unveiled at the U.K.’s Most Prestigious Garden Show

Flower sculptures and elaborate themed gardens are on display at London’s annual Chelsea Flower Show

The Clarion nightsnake, brought into the scientific light at last.

New Research

Written Off as a Figment, the Mysterious Clarión Nightsnake Reemerges after Nearly 80 Years

The snake was discovered on a remote Mexican island in the 1930s, but the notes of the famous naturalist who documented it were later called into question

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