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Arts & Culture

Printed graphene supercapacitor

Future of Energy

Flexible Batteries May Soon Be Printed Right On Your Clothes

Graphene supercapacitors, printed directly on textiles, could power medical devices, wearable computers, even phone-charging shirts

What is it about cheap eats, long hours, counters, and booths that so consistently captures the American imagination?

The Mystique of the American Diner, From Jack Kerouac to “Twin Peaks”

Freedom, fear and friendliness mingle in these emblematic eateries

Ai Weiwei worked with Amnesty International and other groups to collect the stories of people imprisoned in 33 countries.

Ai Weiwei Depicts the Brutality of Authoritarianism in an Unusual Medium–Legos

The renowned Chinese Artist finally gets to see his work about political prisoners at the Hirshhorn

Made of sugar, these milk pods could someday replace traditional creamer cups.

Milk and Sugar Pods That Dissolve in Coffee Could Replace Single-Serve Containers

Why use plastic when you can use sugar?

United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta organizing marchers on the second day of March Coachella in Coachella, CA 1969

Civil Rights Icon Dolores Huerta Offers Advice to a New Generation of Activists

A new documentary charts the 87-year-old leader’s advocacy across the decades

His teeming canvases were like a “browser window with lots of different tabs open,” says Nairne.

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Artwork Is Appreciated Now More Than Ever

Decades later, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s complex works are increasingly prescient—and valuable

The Smithsonian's well attended Asian-American Literature Festival could soon be traveling to other cities around the nation.

At the Smithsonian’s First Asian-American Lit Fest, Writers Share Falooda, Politics and Poetry

More than 80 award-winning and aspirational writers shared work across multiple genres

Esperanza Spalding’s Pop Culture Loves

She may not own a television, but the Grammy-award winning musician definitely has her favorite books and films

Thirty million TV viewers watched Fonzie water-ski while wearing his leather jacket.

Why ‘Happy Days’ — and the Fonz — Never Truly ‘Jumped the Shark’

The Fonz was the epitome of ’50s chill on TV’s family-friendly “Happy Days.” And then he went over the top

The cornerstone of the edifice was laid by Andrew Jackson in 1836. The third-oldest public building currently standing in Washington, D.C. (behind the White House and Capitol), it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

The Fused History of Two of Washington, D.C.’s Beloved Museums

A new exhibition sheds light on the enduring legacy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery

Typical of tiki bar serving ware were these ceramic mugs, now held in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

There’s More to Classic Tiki Than Just Kitsch

Bartender Martin Cate reveals eight fun facts about the past, present and future of tiki culture

Monty Claw with a section of his jewelry works.

Meet the Artists Displaying at This Year’s Santa Fe Indian Market, the Largest Juried Native Art Show in the World

The annual show brings together some of the country’s best traditional and contemporary artists

Visit the Real-Life Winterfell Castle for a ‘Game of Thrones’ Festival

NASA's Earth-orbiting satellite Hinode observes the 2011 annual solar eclipse from space.

Eclipse 2017: In Pursuit of Totality

You’ve made plans, packed bags, obtained glasses. Here’s what to read to fully appreciate this event in all its glory

Customers shop during at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Out of the Closet thrift store in Columbus, Ohio.

How Artists and the LGBTQ Community Made Wearing Trash Cool

Before hipsters descended on your local thrift store, repurposing discarded goods was a subversive art form

The Cavern Grotto restaurant is located 21 stories underground.

Dine 21 Stories Underground in This 345-Million-Year-Old Cavern

Cavern Grotto, a new restaurant in Arizona, opens inside the largest dry cavern system in the country

Like humans, individual tigers react differently to sedatives, says Minnesota Zoo veterinarian Rachel Thompson.

The Big Unsexy Problem With Tiger Selfies

Why drugging and caging the cats for Tinder photos is even more messed up than it sounds

The Fuzzy History of the Georgia Peach

Once a feral resource for planters, the stone fruit got a marketing makeover in the late 19th century—and a boost from the segregated labor market

Kim Novak and Sammy Davis Jr.'s relationship endangered both of their careers.

Hollywood Loved Sammy Davis Jr. Until He Dated a White Movie Star

A decade before the Supreme Court ruled in favor of interracial marriage, the Rat Packer risked losing his career—and his life

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