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Arts & Culture

Christopher Robin Milne (1920-1996) son of author A.A. Milne photographed in 1928 with the bear who became Winnie the Pooh

How Winnie-the-Pooh Became a Household Name

The true story behind the new movie, “Goodbye Christopher Robin”

A suit worn by actor Lin-Manuel Miranda for the popular Broadway hit Hamilton and a mid-1800s portrait of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton by Daniel Huntington arrive at the Smithsonian.

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

A Portrait of Eliza Hamilton and a Costume Worn by Lin-Manuel Miranda for ‘Hamilton’ Arrives at the Smithsonian

Paying homage to the spirit of philanthropy, the museum honors the Eliza Project and the Graham Windham orphanage

Kiddie Pool

These Photographs Capture the Complexities of Life at Guantánamo

In a new book, photographer Debi Cornwall casts the naval base as “Camp America”

A detail from the controversial panel of Benton’s mural

History of Now

In Defense of Keeping the Indiana University Mural That Depicts (But Doesn’t Glorify) the KKK

American artist Thomas Hart Benton thought it crucial to highlight the dark spots in the state’s history

The History of Five Uniquely American Sandwiches

From tuna fish to the lesser-known woodcock, food experts peer under the bread and find the story of a nation

How a Ripped-Off Sequel of Don Quixote Predicted Piracy in the Digital Age

An anonymous writer’s spinoff of Cervantes’ masterpiece showed the peril and potential of new printing technology

Thor's Fight with the Giants by M.E. Winge, 1872

What a Smithsonian Folklorist Thinks about Marvel’s Cleaned-Up Version of Thor

In Hollywood’s hands, the Thor of ‘Ragnarok’ is a hunk with a heart compared to the brutish thug of lore

The Mysterious Murder Case That Inspired Margaret Atwood’s ‘Alias Grace’

At the center of the case was a beautiful young woman named Grace Marks. But was she really responsible for the crime?

El Greco: Apocalyptic Vision {The Vision of St. John)

Where Do New Ideas Come From?

With close study, the genealogies of even the most original ideas can be traced

African Lionesses by Lakshitha Karunarathna, 2017 Grand Prize

These Breathtaking Images Are the Cat’s Meow in Nature Photography

Sixty incredible outdoor scenes are now on view at the National Museum of Natural History

Wine grapes grow in the shadow of Mount Ararat.

Armenia

How Mobile Wine-Tasting Rooms Could Revolutionize Armenian Wine Country

“Wine Cubes” will be popping up on Armenian vineyards—and building up the country’s enotourism industry

One of the excavated burials in Drawsko, Poland showed a skeleton with a sickle placed over its neck, likely to prevent the dead from rising again as the undead.

Burials Unearthed in Poland Open the Casket on The Secret Lives of Vampires

What people actually did to prevent the dead from rising again was very different than what Hollywood would have you think

The creative output of Fats Domino, who died October 25, 2017 at the age of 89, was consistently compelling, and fans were delighted to eat it all up.

Fats Domino’s Infectious Rhythms Set a Nation in Motion

This Rock ’n’ Roll maverick was a true New Orleans original

Charles Brown (far right) with fellow Blazers (from left) Johnny Moore and Eddie Williams.

Who Really Wrote “Merry Christmas, Baby”

The co-author of a classic holiday song still can’t catch a break

This manuscript on astronomy by Issachar Ber Carmoly dates to 1751.

Hidden in a Basement for 70 Years, Newly Discovered Documents Shed Light on Jewish Life and Culture Before WWII

The 170,000 pages found might be “the most important collection of Jewish archives since the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

This pumpkin is eventually going to hold about 250 gallons of beer.

How Elysian Brewing Company Turns a 1,790-Pound Pumpkin Into a Keg

And is this insane thing really a pumpkin?

Confederate Prisoners Being Conducted from Jonesborough to Atlanta by Kara Walker, 2005, from the portfolio Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated)

How Kara Walker Boldly Rewrote Civil War History

The artist gives 150-year-old illustrations a provocative update at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

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Austria

How to Eat Like a Local in Vienna, Austria

Instagrammer Sothany Kim dishes on nicotine breakfasts, third-wave coffee houses and enemy bakers in Austria’s capital

Members of the chorus sing their parts in a performance of Antigone in Ferguson at Normandy High School in St. Louis.

The Healing Power of Greek Tragedy

Do plays written centuries ago have the power to heal modern day traumas? A new project raises the curtain on a daring new experiment

Rick Araluce's The Final Stop, installed at the Renwick Gallery, is a world unto itself.

At This Spectral Subway Platform, Trains Approach But Never Arrive

An otherworldly art installation debuts at the Renwick just in time for Halloween

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