Blogs

Falernum: The Elusive Cocktail Syrup to Name Drop At Your Next Party

This tiki-era mixer, best served with rum, has a hazy past and an island-y bite

January 29, 2013

PHOTOS: A Tale of Two (Super Bowl) Cities

Take a tour of San Francisco and Baltimore with historical photographs from the collections

January 29, 2013

Coming Out of the Closet May Be Good For Your Health

For lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, a new study suggests that coming out provides a tangible health benefit, both mentally and biologically

January 29, 2013

Time Capsule: A Peek Back to the Day When Elvis Made It Big

On this day in 1956, Elvis appeared on the CBS program, The Stage Show, to skeptical critics and enthused audiences

January 28, 2013

The Berger Cookie is Baltimore’s Gift to the Chocolate World

For nearly 200 years, the true black-and-white cookie has been delighting residents of Charm City

January 28, 2013

Events January 29-31: Ancient Chinese Artifacts, Opera Masters and Rock-and-Roll Trivia

This week, see chinese artifacts once collected in a New Jersey apartment, learn about two of opera’s greatest composers and show off your rock knowledge

January 28, 2013

Future Calling: Videophones in the World of The Jetsons

If there’s one thing the Jetsons came closest to nailing, its the prevalence of being able to talk with your boss or family via video

January 28, 2013

Museums Delay Opening Due to Weather

Smithsonian museums in the Washington, D.C. area as well as the National Zoo will open at noon Monday, due to inclement weather

January 28, 2013

Urban Heat Islands Can Alter Temperatures Thousands of Miles Away From a City

Ambient heat produced by a city’s buildings and cars often gets lifted into the jet stream and affects temperatures in places thousands of miles away

January 26, 2013

American Myths: Benjamin Franklin’s Turkey and the Presidential Seal

How the New Yorker and the West Wing botched the history of the icon

January 25, 2013

Mona Lisa Travels by Laser, to Space And Back Again

To test the reaches of laser communication, NASA beamed a digital image of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous portrait to a satellite orbiting the moon

January 25, 2013

PHOTOS: Orchids of Latin America

Known for being particularly eye-catching, the orchids of Latin America are part of religious, cultural and even culinary life in the region

January 25, 2013

Lightning May Trigger Migraine Headaches

A new study suggests that lightning alone—even without the other elements of a thunderstorm—might trigger migraines

January 25, 2013

Very Seinfeld: A Museum Exhibit about Visiting Museum Exhibits

“A Day at the Museum” examines documents that tell the stories of artists’ trips to museums over the past two centuries

January 25, 2013

Ordering Pizza Online in the Retrofuture

In the 1980s and 90s, there we some really cheesy depictions of ordering food online

January 24, 2013

Things to Do in Quito While Nursing Achilles Tendonitis

With its clean public parks, brewpubs, museums and tapas bars, Quito is a fine place to spend a week recovering from an injury

January 24, 2013

African Dung Beetles Navigate At Night Using the Milky Way

A new study shows the tiny feces ball-rolling insects orient themselves by the stars

January 24, 2013

Q+A: How To Save the Arts in Times of War

From Iraq to Libya, Corine Wegener works to preserve priceless objects of human history

January 24, 2013

Events January 25-27: Persian Drama, Inuit Face Tattoos and Schubert’s Fantasy

January 24, 2013

Who Designed the Seal of the President of the United States?

We see it on the President’s lectern and in the Oval Office, but who came up with the look and feel of it in the first place?

January 23, 2013