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Arts & Culture

Vanilla beans begin as the seedpods of a tropical orchid (left); Chocolate is made from the seeds hidden inside the fruit of the cacao tree (right).

The Delicious, Ancient History of Chocolate and Vanilla

Archaeologists are discovering that two of the world’s most prized flavors have a much richer history than we thought

To deflect from concerns around sexual undertones, Milton Bradley packaged the game as inoffensively as possible.

When Twister Was Too Risqué for America

The hugely successful game, patented 50 years ago this week, had its critics at first

The character of Smokey Bear first appeared in 1944.

A Brief History of Smokey Bear, the Forest Service’s Legendary Mascot

How the beloved figure has become a lightning rod in a heated environmental debate

Racer Danny Thompson’s view from inside the cockpit of the Challenger 2 during a run at the Bonneville Salt Flats in August 2016. A HANS (Head and Neck Support) safety device immobilizes his head, so the side windows are only peripherally visible from his vantage point.

Danny Thompson’s Blazing Nitromethane-Fueled Pursuit of Racing Glory

An American tale of speed demons, murder and a son’s attempt to complete his father’s unfinished legacy

Left: Visitors roam the Portland show wearing vintage fashions from the Washington State boutique BelAir Betties. Right: The tail section of a 1958 Chevy Impala, customized with 1959 Cadillac taillights, on display at the 63rd annual Portland Roadster Show.

Take a Trip to America’s Hot Rod Heaven

Today’s show-car royalty reinvents the wheel

The entrance to Taiohae Bay, on the island of Nuku Hiva, where Herman Melville lived in 1842.

How a Voyage to French Polynesia Set Herman Melville on the Course to Write ‘Moby-Dick’

We retrace the journey that had a long-lasting influence on the enigmatic author’s improbable career

The family of Jaidyn MacCorison, 11 (at a New Hampshire gas station), goes back generations in the region.

The Mysterious Beauty of Robert Frost’s New England

These stark yet stunning landscapes inspired the lyricism of the American titan of poetry

At the apex of the Walkman craze, 1987 to ’97, the number of people who reported that they walked for exercise rose by 30 percent.

The Walkman’s Invention 40 Years Ago Launched a Cultural Revolution

In 1979, the new device forever changed the way we listened to music

Mary Ann Brown Patten, photographed by an unidentified artist, 1857

Women Who Shaped History

How the Camera Introduced Americans to Their Heroines

A new show at the National Portrait Gallery spotlights figures including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Lucretia Mott and Margaret Fuller

Several years after traveling through the South with fellow writer Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes wrote an essay about an encounter with a young man escaping chain gang labor.

A Lost Work by Langston Hughes Examines the Harsh Life on the Chain Gang

In 1933, the Harlem Renaissance star wrote a powerful essay about race. It has never been published in English—until now

Commuters ride up escalators at the Dupont Circle Metro Station in Washington, D.C.

How the Escalator Forever Changed Our Sense of Space

Sure, the 19th-century invention transformed shopping. But it also revolutionized how we think about the built environment

LGBTQ Women Who Made History

One of Mae Reeves' "showstopper" hats

Entrepreneur Mae Reeves’ Hat Shop Was a Philadelphia Institution. You Can Visit It at the Smithsonian.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture recreated one of the first businesses in the city to be owned by a black woman

A team from Howard University’s Department of Communication, Culture and Media Studies and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival recorded voices from the #DontMuteDC movement on June 6: (L to R) Donald Campbell, Ron Moten, Dr. Natalie Hopkinson, Dr. Brandi Summers, Tone P, Nico Hobson.

Hitting the High Notes: A Smithsonian Year of Music

The Social Power of Music Will Take Center Stage at the 53rd Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The D.C. tradition will hit the National Mall for two action-packed days this weekend. Here’s what to know about this year’s lineup

Drivers wait in the drive-thru line at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Alhambra, California, on August 30, 2018.

A Crispy, Salty, American History of Fast Food

Adam Chandler’s new book explores the intersection between fast food and U.S. history

The By the People festival in Washington, D.C. brings artists and art lovers together in the spirit of shared community.

These Engaging, Immersive Works Erase the Line Between Art and Audience

The By the People art festival at the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building is a feast for the eyes and the soul

The slogan on this button from the 1960s is attributed to astronomer-turned-activist Frank Kameny. After being barred from federal employment because of his sexuality, Kameny organized gay rights groups and protests starting years before the Stonewall riots galvanized the movement more broadly.

LGBTQ+ Pride

A Look at the Struggles and Celebrations of LGBTQ Americans

Artifacts from the National Museum of American History highlight the broader story of gay history and activism

Coconut mailing is part of the Hoolehua Post Office’s Post-a-Nut program, which began in 1991.

You Can Mail a Coconut to Anywhere in the World From This Post Office in Hawaii

Why send a postcard during your travels when you can ‘post-a-nut?’

Chelsea Children by James McNeill Whistler, ca. 1997

After More Than Eight Decades, These Exquisite Whistler Watercolors Make Their Public Debut

Freer Gallery also revamps its popular Peacock Room, returning it to the way it looked a century ago

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