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Arts & Culture

Detail of a 19th-century mural in the Library of Congress that depicts America as a successor to ancient Egypt

How White Southerners Distorted the History of Ancient Egypt to Justify Slavery in the U.S.

American writers misleadingly interpreted Egypt’s past to argue that slavery was a divinely sanctioned institution

A written description (left) of New Zealand flax (illustrated on the right) references an Indigenous name for the plant: “haragag.”

Newly Digitized Records Reveal How Indigenous People Shared Their Knowledge of New Zealand’s Plants With Captain Cook’s Crew

Long-overlooked documents housed at London’s Natural History Museum testify to the exchange of information between 18th-century European botanists and their Indigenous counterparts

Curtis Kauffman with a 1950s Vendo 39 Coke machine—which he has not yet refurbished—at the Route 11 Antique Mall in Hagerstown, Maryland.

When This Restoration Expert Gets His Hands on a Relic, the Result Can Send You Back in Time

At a Maryland antiques mall, Curtis Kauffman takes trinkets from the past and makes them better than ever. For his customers, that’s worth a lot

In the valleys and hills of Nepal’s Khumbu mountain range, high peaks tower over teahouses, where a hot cup of tea is more than just a warm gesture.

Nepal’s Mountainside Teahouses Elevate the Experience for Trekkers Heading to the Top of the World

Comforting rest stops dot the trail for adventurers ascending Mera Peak, offering food, rest and a warm cup of the local brew

Aerial view of Vardo, Norway, the fishing town at the center of the 17th-century Finnmark witch trials

How a Sudden Winter Storm in 1617 Sparked the Deadliest Witchcraft Trials in Norwegian History

During the 17th-century Finnmark witch trials, 91 people were executed in Norway’s northernmost region, mainly by burning at the stake

Curator Richard Hill notes Carr’s unusual choice to orient her nature paintings vertically, as in Cedar (left, 1942) and Red Cedar (1931). “It really is a portrait of a tree.”

This Canadian Painter Found Her Muse in the Verdant Trees of British Columbia

Emily Carr took her brushes out of the gardens and into the rainforest to capture her local landscape in ways “beloved and also fraught”

Crabs not yet at the molting stage are thrown back into the Venice lagoon.

Coastal Cities of Europe

Can Venice’s Iconic Crab Dish Survive Climate Change?

For more than 300 years, Italians have fried soft-shell green crabs, called moeche. But the culinary tradition is under threat

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Happy Public Domain Day to All Who Celebrate! You Can Now Use Betty Boop, Nancy Drew and ‘The Maltese Falcon’ for Free

On January 1, 2026, copyrights will expire for comics, books, movies, musical compositions and other creative works from 1930, as well as sound recordings from 1925

The Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver in 1978. Lisa Pantages, second from the left, will complete her 64th annual plunge this New Year’s.

‘Excitement With a Little Dash of Fear’: Polar Plunges Ring in the New Year With a Splash. But What Actually Happens to Your Body?

Three experts share the science behind taking a dip in cold water—and offer safety tips that any potential plungers should bear in mind

Fascinating finds unveiled in 2025 ranged from an Auguste Rodin sculpture to a ring bearing the likeness of the goddess Venus Victrix.

Cool Finds

Seventy-Two Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2025, From a Luxury Spa in Pompeii to a Pair of World War I Messages in a Bottle

The year’s most exciting discoveries included the site where a young George Washington stopped a friendly fire incident, the missing torso of a Buddha statue and a hidden Picasso painting

Our most-read stories of the year spotlighted a Eugène Delacroix painting, horseshoe crabs, the Dionne quintuplets and more.

Ten Top Smithsonian Stories of 2025, From Eerie Clay Puppets With Detachable Heads to a New Look at the American Revolution

The magazine’s most-read articles of the year included a deep dive on the Scopes “monkey trial,” an interview with award-winning documentarians and a profile of quintuplets who found fame during the Great Depression

The protagonist of Louisa May Alcott's “A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True,” embarks on a journey much like Ebenzer Scrooge's in A Christmas Carol.

A Forgotten Louisa May Alcott Story Showcases the Author’s Twist on Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

Written in 1882, “A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True,” covered many of the same themes as Dickens’ classic, albeit with a different audience in mind

Irving Berlin sings at the dedication of Los Angeles City Hall in 1928

Tragedy Struck Composer Irving Berlin on Christmas Day. Years Later, He Would Write One of the All-Time Holiday Classics

“White Christmas” is one of the world’s best-selling tunes and continues to be in rotation more than eight decades later

The Radio City Rockettes seen backstage before Saks Fifth Avenue's holiday light show and window unveiling, November 24, 2025

After a Century, the Rockettes Are Still Kicking Their Way Into American Hearts

In 1925, the dance company got its start in St. Louis, and it has since grown to be a Christmas season staple

The four-story building, originally a private home, dates to at least 1590.

The Oldest Restaurant in the World Just Turned 300 Years Old

Madrid’s Sobrino de Botín is filled with legends, ghosts and priceless art. The food is pretty good, too

A 2007 photo of Marty Reisman, who loosely inspired Timothée Chalamet's character in Marty Supreme

Based on a True Story

How Marty Reisman, the Real-Life Inspiration Behind ‘Marty Supreme,’ Revolutionized the Sport of Table Tennis

A new film starring Timothée Chalamet as a fictionalized version of Reisman dramatizes the career of a larger-than-life champion

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Dig In to the Traditions Behind Two Holiday Dishes That Make the Season Even More Delicious

Two culinary traditions from two island nations reveal what glues communities and families together across time

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best children's books of 2025 include The Three-Year Tumble, Let's Be Bees and Every Monday Mabel.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Children’s Books of 2025 Feature a Story of Untrustworthy Fish and a Tribute to a Beloved Bus Driver

This year’s top titles run the gamut and include an adaption of a Korean folk tale, a highly entertaining question-and-answer book and much more

Graffiti scribbled on a wall in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii

Pompeii’s Graffiti Captures Every Joke, Boast and Argument of an Ancient Roman City Frozen in Time

The roughly 11,000 inscriptions preserved by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 C.E. offer a glimpse into everyday life in the Roman Empire

A letter from Jane Austen to her sister, Cassandra, discussing the publication of Pride and Prejudice in 1813

Jane Austen’s Letters Are the Closest We Can Get to Her. What Do They Reveal About the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Author?

This year marks the English novelist’s 250th birthday. Her hundreds of surviving letters—both real and fictional—offer valuable insights into her imaginative wit and enduring appeal

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