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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, travel writer and historian Tony Horwitz is telling tales about his new book on John Brown at the American Art Museum.

Events April 6-8: Kyoto Kimonos, American Pictures: Tony Horwitz, Castle Highlights Tour

This weekend check out the Kyoto Kimono: Spring Trunk Show, American Pictures: Tony Horwitz and take a tour of the Institution’s first and oldest building

1928 article about astrologers predicting that 1929 will be a year of prosperity

Astrologers Predict 1929 Will Be Year of Prosperity

The world without the Great Depression looks a lot rosier in hindsight

The ballpark of the future in Miami

Welcome to the 21st Century Ballpark

The new Marlins Park in Miami isn’t another retro stadium. No, it’s high-tech and arty and a little bit wacky

As part of the Google Art Project, you can now virtually wander the halls of the American Art Museum and see remarkably detailed reproductions of hundreds of works

The Portrait Gallery and American Art Get the Google Art Project Treatment

As part of the Google Art Project, you can now virtually wander the halls of the museums and see remarkably detailed reproductions of hundreds of works

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Infographic: The Rise and Fall of Scoring in Baseball

From the dead-ball era to the steroids era, the balance between pitchers and hitters has always been in flux

Bugs Bunny pitches in Baseball Bugs.

Baseball on the Screen

In honor of baseball’s Opening Day, here’s a list of baseball-related films that may be new to you

New research suggests hominids were building fire by at least one million years ago.

The Earliest Example of Hominid Fire

New research reveals hominids were building fires one million years ago, pushing back the origins of controlled fire by more than half a million years

Were the arms of Tyrannosaurus adapted for catching and inspecting fish? No way.

Paleontologists Sink Aquatic Dinosaur Nonsense

Tales of aquatic dinosaurs have proliferated through the news, providing one more sad example of failed reporting and the parroting of fantastic claims

Huntley and Palmers biscuit tins that were found in Antarctica.

The Art of the Biscuit Tin

Double-baked biscuits with a long shelf life were the food of choice for European travelers, and the tins they were packaged in are now collector’s items

The Women in Science Edit-a-Thon in progress.

How Many Women Does It Take to Change Wikipedia?

Smithsonian Archives’ Wikipedian-in-Residence Sarah Stierch is determined to bridge the gender gap on Wikipedia

Better Feet Through Radiation: The Era of the Fluoroscope

A margarita at Margaritaville in Key West

A World of Cocktails

Unmixed feelings about mixed drinks, from the Singapore Sling to the Spritz con Aperol, courtesy of a thirsty traveler

Today, 245 floating homes nose into the five docks at Sausalito's Waldo Point Harbor.

Livin’ on the Dock of the Bay

From the Beats to CEOs, the residents of Sausalito’s houseboat community cherish their history and their neighbors

El Capitan, as seen here from the floor of Yosemite Valley, was once considered almost unclimbable.

A Short Talk With a Legend of Rock

“Climbing without risk isn’t climbing,” says Yvon Chouinard, American rock climbing pioneer and founder of Patagonia

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Ask Smithsonian: What Is Lightning? How Do Bees Make Honey? How Do Cats Purr?

Smithsonian experts answer your burning questions

A new study suggests that a daydreaming is an indicator of a well-equipped brain

The Benefits of Daydreaming

A new study indicates that daydreamers are better at remembering information in the face of distraction

Dinosaurs, such as this Apatosaurus at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, were landlubbers, not aquatic creatures.

Aquatic Dinosaurs? Not So Fast!

A cell biologist says dinosaurs spent their days floating in lakes, but his idea doesn’t hold water

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Making Noise and Selling Ice Cream

Put the bumpy, sour, off-key sound of a mobile ice cream vendor on repeat and play it loud, and you’ve got an infectious earworm

Polio patients in iron lungs in 1952

Salk, Sabin and the Race Against Polio

As polio ravaged patients worldwide, two gifted American researchers developed distinct vaccines against it. Then the question was: Which one to use?

In his new book, Learning From the Octopus, Rafe Sagarin argues that we ought to look to nature for how to better protect ourselves from danger.

How Plants and Animals Can Prepare Us for the Next Big Disaster

Author Rafe Sagarin looks to the natural world for tips on how to plan for national emergencies

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