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People Are More Rational When Speaking in a Foreign Language

A backup duplicate of the original Telstar satellite, housed in storage at the National Air and Space Museum

Fifty Years Ago Today, the First Communications Satellite Was Launched Into Space

On this date in 1962, Telstar was launched, ushering in a new era of communications technology

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Baseball Played Near The Speed of Light: An Apocalyptic Vision

An American flag waving in Andover, Maine. This was the first video ever transmitted by commercial satellite.

Fifty Years Ago, Lyndon Johnson Answered the First Satellite Phone Call

Telstar 1, which launched 50 years ago today, was the world’s first commercial satellite, and a testament to government-industry cooperation

Figs are a great prize of roadside foragers—a fruit unwanted by many landowners and as available as it is delicious. The green figs shown here are desert kings, a variety that produces a large first crop in July.

Hungry? Pull Over. Here’s Your Guide to the Best Bets of Roadside Foraging

All along the roadways of America—and the world—there’s figs, avocados and wild berries ripe for the picking

A rigorous experiment lent truth to the idea that hot drinks can help the body stay cool.

A Hot Drink on a Hot Day Can Cool You Down

A rigorous experiment revealed that on a hot, dry day, drinking a hot beverage can help your body stay cool

Countess Markievicz in uniform with a gun, circa 1915

Daughters of Wealth, Sisters in Revolt

Gore-Booth sisters, Constance and Eva, forsook their places amid Ireland’s Protestant gentry to fight for the rights of the disenfranchised and the poor

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Why Store-Bought Popsicles Drip Less

Just in time for another scorching July day, the history of the modern popsicle - and why the store-bought ones are less drippy than the DIY kind

1954 Aerocar listed for sale by Greg Herrick in Minneapolis

1954 Flying Car for Sale

A bargain for just $1.25 million. But, you’ll need both aviation and auto insurance

Angela Milner on Dinosaurs

Almost 30 years after the program aired, DinosaurTheatre has shared part of an original interview with Natural History Museum paleontologist Angela Milner

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Were the Hobbits’ Ancestors Sailors?

The forefathers of Homo floresiensis reached Flores either by sailing to the island or being accidently washed out to sea by a tsunami, scientists say

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The Fate(s) of Australia’s Mega-Mammals

Nasty weather over Oslo, Norway

Going to Extremes

As weather, from droughts to violent storms, becomes more likely, tech companies are developing tools to help us deal with the worst nature has to offer

Duke Kahanamoku, pictured here circa 1915, helped popularize surfing on the mainland and won several Olympic medals for swimming.

Amy Henderson: Team USA!

Guest blogger and Portrait Gallery historian Amy Henderson reflects on the Gallery’s Olympian collection

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This One Beautiful Video Sums Up All of Space Shuttle History

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Synthetic Bacteria Could Turn Ocean Garbage into One Big Island

Monticello’s kitchen

Meet Edith and Fanny, Thomas Jefferson’s Enslaved Master Chefs

Monticello research historian Leni Sorensen offers an impression of what life was like for these early White House chefs

Makana Mountain, Honolulu

Flower Children on the North Shore of Kauai

In the late 1960s, a gorgeous stretch of beach in Ha’ena State Park was the site of a hippy haven called Taylor Camp

Works like this, Untitled by Jackson Pollock, can cause a fair amount of head scratching. So is it art? Find out Tuesday July 10.

Events July 10-12: Questionable Art, Crafty Mail, and the Battle of Shiloh

This week at the Smithsonian, debate the merits of contemporary art, craft your own stationery, and learn more about the Battle of Shiloh

In the grand tradition of college marching band tomfoolery, the Oregon State University Mars Rover cuts a path over marching band members and the OSU mascot.

July 8: Today’s Events at the Folklife Festival

Today at the Folklife Festival: laugh therapy, hunting for chocolate and African Heritage Dancers & Drummers

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