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Arts & Culture

Samba school Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel performs at the sambodromo during the carnival of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 03 March 2014.

World Cup 2014

Samba and Sway to These Brazilian Songs Compiled By Smithsonian Folkways

Take a virtual tour through the country’s diverse musical traditions

The Gurranes — Moonlight, Castletownshend, Ireland, 2005

11 Photographs of Mysterious Megaliths

Photographer Barbara Yoshida traveled across the globe to capture prehistoric stone monuments shrouded in moonlight

A vendor offers dates for sale on a roadside, as Muslims across the world prepare for the holy month of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Five Ways to Eat Dates

During the month of Ramadan, millions of Muslims break fast with the superfood

Satay at Lau Pa Sat in Singapore

Three International Twists on BBQ

This summer, ditch the tired menu of burgers and hot dogs, and instead, try grilling Turkish kofte or slathering fish in Singapore’s spicy sambal sauce

Itinerant African American musicians played to so many different audiences that they had to be as versatile as a jukebox.

Before There was the Blues Man, There Was the Songster

A new release from Smithsonian Folkways celebrates the diverse sounds of turn-of-the-century itinerant musicians

New fabrication techniques and digital technologies are expanding the possibilities of the analog medium.

Forget Vinyl. Forget the Cloud. In the Future We’ll Listen to Music on UV-Cured 3D-Printed Resin

Musicians, developers, and inventors prove that there’s more to records than vinyl

Mixing caipirinhas, the popular Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça, on Ipanema Beach.

World Cup 2014

You Know Rum—But What Is Cachaça?

Get to know Brazil’s most popular alcohol

Salvatore Scarpitta’s Sal Cragar, 1969.

When A Race Car Becomes a Work of Art

Salvatore Scarpitta’s automative wonder goes on view at the Hirshhorn

The von Trapp family overlooking Portland, Oregon.

The Von Trapps Are Back With a New Musical Sound

The hills are alive again with a new American generation of the singing family made famous by the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical

“Clearly our palates are capable of change,” says the “Parts Unknown” host.

Anthony Bourdain’s Theory on the Foodie Revolution

The bad boy chef and author weighs in on Americans’ late-arrival to the glorious delights of food culture

When Copy and Paste Reigned in the Age of Scrapbooking

Today’s obsession with posting material to Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter has a very American history

Challenge Yourself With Ken Jennings’ Latest “Playful” Puzzle

Can you figure out this exclusive new brain teaser from the “Jeopardy!” champion?

Behind the Unceasing Allure of the Rubik’s Cube

The 80’s fad should’ve fallen into obscurity—somehow it didn’t

An Early Script of The Wizard of Oz Offers a Rare Glimpse Into the Creation of the Iconic Film

Seventy-five years after its Technicolor premiere, trace the earliest steps on the yellow brick road

Founded in 1896, the Cooper Hewitt is located in the Andrew Carnegie mansion, a 64-room Georgian brick home that once served as home for the steel magnate and his family.

With a New Name and New Look, the Cooper Hewitt is Primed for a Grand Reopening

Journalists got a sneak preview of what’s coming up when the new museum opens its doors this coming December

The author enjoys a previously-stashed beer and a plate of chanterelles in in the Périgord region of France.

Find These Beers Hidden in Paris and the French Countryside

Our intrepid writer devises a scavenger hunt in a low-tech geocaching game that every beer lover can enjoy

How Red Is Dragon’s Blood?

Color can be subjective, but in the 19th-century, color dictionaries provided a common language for scientists to describe different hues found in nature

Spoonfuls of instant coffee still give some morning coffee drinkers their caffeine fix.

Is There a Future For Instant Coffee?

Ask China, they’re buying the most of it

Art Meets Science

These Psychedelic Images Find Order Amid Chaos

Artist Jonathan McCabe builds computer programs that create their own art—intricately patterned images that look part organic, part kaleidoscopic

Moqueca, a soup found in northeast Brazil.

World Cup 2014

Five Brazilian Dishes to Make for Your World Cup Watch Party

Native to five World Cup host cities, these foods will bring South America to your kitchen

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