The first edition of The Guinness Book of Records had a waterproof cover to protect it from pub spills.

The Guinness Book of World Records: A Promotional Stunt That Became an International Phenomenon

The book that makes us ooh and ahh, and squirm in our seats is more than 65 years old

The Castle and the Enchanted Forest Sign as they look today on Clark's Elioak Farm.

The Abandoned Theme Park That Finally Got a Storybook Ending

This Maryland amusement park was once an East Coast version of Disneyland and was left for dead until one woman rescued it

Innovative Spirit Health Care

Six Children’s Books That Use Psychological Techniques to Help Kids

The sleep-inducing “The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep” has become a mega bestseller. But it’s not the only story to lean on psychology

This Woman Invented Monopoly to Combat Greed

Monopoly, arguably the most-famous board game, was invented by Charles Darrow. But many attribute the original idea to Lizzie Magie

"Meshology" is a collaboration between French photographer Dimitri Daniloff and German computer graphics artist Sven Hauth.

Get Tripped Up by These Tricked-Out Photographs

A new photography collaboration aims for an unbearable lightness

The True Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Never Truly Ate the South

A naturalist cuts through the myths surrounding the invasive plant

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The 21st Century Life List: 25 Great New Places to See

Something for the scientist, the history buff, the artist and the thrill-seeker

Krzyżtopór Castle in Ujazd, Poland, once the largest castle in all of Europe, now in a state of ruin.

Visit the Ruined Castles of Poland

Grand but dilapidated structures from many centuries ago dot the country’s landscape

Five of the World’s Most Fascinating Topiary Gardens

Whimsical gardens in surprising shapes decorate homes, churches and cemeteries around the world. We’ve rounded up five of the most extraordinary

Jon Batiste and Stay Human perform at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Why Jon Batiste Is the Perfect Choice to Be the “Late Night” Bandleader

The tall, lanky jazz musician will bring his unique talents to television this fall

Could This ‘Drinkable Book’ Provide Clean Water to the Developing World?

Pour untreated water over a page from the book and silver nanoparticles embedded in it will kill nearly 100 percent of disease-causing bacteria

A Scottish Duke Transformed This Abandoned Coal Mine into a Cosmological Land-Art Park

A scarred landscape in rural Scotland has become a grassy multiverse now open for exploration

Aymara people prepare an offering to Mother Earth during the sunrise of the winter solstice ceremony in La Apacheta, El Alto, on the outskirts of La Paz.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Inca Road

In Bolivia’s High-Altitude Capital, Indigenous Traditions Thrive Once Again

Among sacred mountains, in a city where spells are cast and potions brewed, the otherworldly is everyday

These islands in Peru are made by villagers, who form the "land" beneath their houses out of reeds.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Inca Road

Visit These Floating Peruvian Islands Constructed From Plants

The Uro people who live on Lake Titicaca have been building their own villages by hand for centuries

Angel Salvatory, 17, left, poses with her mother Bestida, right, and one-year-old brother Ezekial, at the Kabanga Protectorate Center. People with albinism are in danger from a black market in albino body parts driven by traditional beliefs, black magic and witch doctors. Bestida recounts how Angel’s father had wanted to attack their daughter ever since she was three-months-old. “He thought if we would take Angel to a witch doctor as a sacrifice that we could get rich,” says Bestida. She managed to talk him out of it for years until one day a group of men came armed with machetes. Despite surviving her father’s attack, Angel died of skin cancer in 2013.

Where Albinism Means Being Targeted for Murder or Dismemberment

Elsewhere in the world, people with albinism are at high risk for blindness and skin cancer. In Tanzania, the threats are much more severe

Lebanese-British singer-songwriter Mika performs atop a piano at Fabrique in Milan this June.

Is There a ‘Gay Aesthetic’ to Pop Music?

From Elton John to Mika, the “glam piano” genre may be as integral to the Gay American experience as hip-hop and the blues are to the African American one

A woman waits to participate in the annual silleteros' parade.

A Parade of Bright Flowers in a City With a Dark Past

Farmers carried 500 dazzling flower designs through the streets of Medellín, Colombia

A curious visitor walking toward the Bobur artwork at the tenth Archstoyanie festival.

At “Russia’s Burning Man,” Strange Structures Transform Villages

The beautiful, bizarre structures of the Archstoyanie festival are made of natural materials and help bring economic prosperity to small villages

Robert Frost by Clara Sipprell, gelatin silver print, 1955.

Poetry Matters

What Gives Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” Its Power?

A Smithsonian poet examines its message and how it encapsulates what its author was all about

Meryl Streep's a better actress than singer, but that works to her advantage in the film.

What “Ricki and the Flash” Gets Wrong About the Life of a Musician

The new Meryl Streep vehicle is the latest in a long history of movies about bar singers

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