Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Blogs

None

The Christmas Tree Worm, Decorating Coral Reefs Year-Round

The oceans show holiday spirit with a worm on coral reefs that resembles a fluffy fir tree adorned with colored ornaments.

The Smithsonian homepage in 1995

Fun Places on the Internet (in 1995)

What were you doing on the web back in the age of Netscape and Gopher?

None

Why Japan Is Obsessed With Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas

Thanks to the successful “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!) marketing campaign in 1974, Japan can’t get enough KFC on Christmas Day

None

White Gold: How Salt Made and Unmade the Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos had one of the world’s first, and largest, salt industries

A graphic data readout of the a collision of two protons, briefly producing a Higgs Boson, from the Large Hadron Collider.

Mythical Particles, Goldilocks Planets and More: Top 5 Surprising Scientific Milestones of 2012

From the Higgs Boson to the Curiosity rover, 2012 was a major year for science

None

The Most Exciting (and Frustrating) Stories From This Year in Dinosaurs

From feathers to black market fossil controversies, 2012 was a big year for dinosaurs

The March on Washington was organized in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation to call on the country to fulfill its promise.

How Change Happens: The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 March on Washington

At the 150th and 50th anniversary of two historic moments, the African American History and Culture Museum and American History Museum team up

None

The Legend of the Christmas Stocking

What’s behind the holiday tradition of hanging hosiery on the fireplace?

Meet Spaun, a computer model that mimics brain behavior.

A More Human Artificial Brain

Canadian researchers have created a computer model that performs tasks like a human brain. It also sometimes forgets things

None

Sit Back and Plug In: Entertainment in the Year 2000

Was our future to be delightful or depraved? Sort of depends on your perspective

None

The Persistence of Memory in Mice

A new study shows that female mice who smell pheromones in potential mates’ urine will constantly return to the site of exposure even weeks later

Holiday card design, 195-?. Frederick Hammersley papers, circa 1860s, 1890-2009

Handmade Christmas Cards Sent By Famous Artists to Their Friends

Original designs from artists over the years to celebrate the holidays

The first Andean bear cub was born at 12:01 am, the second at 2:02 am, on December 13 to proud mother Billie Jean.

Double the Fun: Andean Bear Gives Birth to Twins

Born two hours apart starting at midnight, Dec. 13, the cubs and mother, Billie Jean are all doing fine

Steel rule dies that are used to cut leather for mass production Location: Baikal Inc. Handbag Manufacturer

How to Bring Manufacturing Back to the USA in Small-Batch Format

Aspiring makers are now finding ways to manufacture their designs in American factories

None

From Golf Courses to Petting Zoos, Dinosaurs Get in the Way

Recently unveiled dinosaur sculptures are frustrating eyesores to some and tourist attractions to others

Ai Weiwei’s use of historic materials is the topic of discussion at Friday’s gallery talk at the Hirshhorn.

Events December 14-16: Ai Weiwei’s Ceramics, Mayan Calendar and Stradivari’s Instruments

Learn about the contemporary artist’s use of historic objects, why the world didn’t end and just what’s so special about Stradivari in concert

New evidence indicates cheese was invented as far back as 5000 BCE, although ancient cheeses wouldn’t have been as varied or refined as the cheeses we have today.

New Discovery of 7000-Year-Old Cheese Puts Your Trader Joe’s Aged Gouda to Shame

Previously traced to ancient Egypt, prehistoric pottery indicates that cheese was invented thousands of years earlier

None

The Best Gifts to Give (or Receive) About Paleofuturism

Books and DVDs make up our expert’s gift guide of more ideas for this holiday season

12/12/12 and the Myriad of Number Patterns in Dates

Seen from a mathematical perspective, today’s date—12/12/12—is more than a coveted wedding anniversary

None

Top 7 Human Evolution Discoveries From South Africa

The search for humans’ most ancient ancestors began in South Africa, where some of paleoanthropology’s most iconic fossils have been found

Page 52 of 337