A pod of dolphins swim along a boat in the Channel Islands National Park, California

What Archaeologists and Historians Are Finding About the Heroine of a Beloved Young Adult Novel

New scholarship reveals details about the Native American at the center of the classic Island of the Blue Dolphins

The Ten Best Travel Books of 2017

These reads will remedy even the direst cases of wanderlust

Thomas Wilfred Sitting at the Clavilux “Model E,” about 1924

This Artist Painted With Light. An Admiring Astronomer Helped Make Him a Star

The works and machinations of Thomas Wilfred, a lone performer, inventor and visionary, are now on view

From left to right: Toni L. Martin (Sephronia), Harriett D. Foy (Nina Simone), Felicia Curry (Sweet Thing) and Theresa Cunningham (Sarah) in Nina Simone: Four Women, running November 10-December 24, 2017 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.

Maverick Music Takes Center Stage in This New Play on Nina Simone

A Smithsonian expert delves into the song and struggle at the heart of ‘Four Women’ at D.C.’s Arena Stage

The accused "Angel Makers of Nagyrév" walk in the Szolnok prison yard in Hungary.

Is There Humanity to Be Found Within Serial Killers?

A new book tells the complex stories behind murderous women, the so-called “femmes fatales.”

Gotcha!

Gulliver’s Travels Wasn’t Meant to Be a Children’s Book And More Things You Didn’t Know About the Literary Classic

Even now, 350 years after his birth, the great Irish satirist Jonathan Swift remains as sharp and relevant as ever

Johnny Depp stars in Twentieth Century Fox’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”

A Trip Inspired by ‘Murder on the Orient Express’

On the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the murder mystery is not included

Marley Dias

American Ingenuity Awards

Marley Dias’ Inspirational Goal to Collect Books About Girls of Color

What can we learn from a 12-year-old who’s turning the literary world upside down? Everything

John Legend

American Ingenuity Awards

What Makes John Legend America’s Most Versatile Artist

Songwriter, singer, actor, producer, virtual reality maven. John Legend is an entertainment all-star

Dave Malloy & Rachel Chavkin

American Ingenuity Awards

These Shooting Stars of Broadway Staged the Impossible: A Musical About ‘War and Peace’

Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin brought the Tolstoy epic to life with Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

Sesame Street & Julia

American Ingenuity Awards

Why the Team Behind Sesame Street Created a Character With Autism

The bravest new face on television is a Muppet that doesn’t say much. But she speaks volumes about life on the spectrum

Ava DuVernay

American Ingenuity Awards

Ava DuVernay’s Visionary Filmmaking Is Reshaping Hollywood

Her eye for American history puts her in the vanguard. Her passion for justice makes her a hero

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2017

These eye-opening works invite us to find ourselves in history and nature

Mark Bradford's installation Pickett’s Charge at the Hirshhorn spans almost 400 feet and consists of eight canvases measuring 12 feet tall and more than 45 feet long.

Mark Bradford’s Paintings Scratch at the Surface of a Conflicted America

The Hirshhorn Museum hosts the artist’s first solo show in Washington

New York Seen from the Terrace [Nueva York desde la terraza] by Rufino Tamayo, 1937

A Mexican Painter Changed by the City, Changes Art 

“In New York, I went berserk over painting,” said Rufino Tamayo, whose works are now on view in a new retrospective

In the film, Whoopi Goldberg emphasizes that ignorance does not equate with evil, and that people are capable of broadening their outlooks when presented with diverse narratives.

‘The Problem with Apu’ Does More Than Pick Apart a ‘Simpsons’ Stereotype

This new documentary tackles Asian representation in media with humor and poise

Libby’s continues to fiercely compete with pumpkin pie peddlers Borden’s, Snowdrift and Mrs. Smith’s for a place on the Thanksgiving table.

The Invisible Way That Marketers Set the Menu for Your Thanksgiving Feast

Advertising from decades ago put in place the traditions we hold dear each year

The proof is in the lack of pudding.

Why You Won’t See Pudding on the Thanksgiving Table

The once-classic American dish has been widely replaced with the casserole—thanks in part to anti-immigrant sentiments

Theatergoers will find Coco to be a powerfully communicated story about the importance of family, community, a sense of belonging, tradition and remembrance.

Did Disney Pixar Get Day of the Dead Celebrations Right in Its Film ‘Coco’?

Smithsonian folklorist Cynthia Vidaurri says: “It’s complicated”

The Ten Best Books About Food of 2017

Hungry minds would enjoy one of these illuminating books about the world of food and drink

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