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History

The Wiffle Ball comes with slots on one side to make it easier to throw curves and other pitches.

How the Wiffle Ball Came to Be

Patented in 1957, the lightweight ball saved players’ arms and more than a few windows

Julia Child and her husband Paul Child at their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Food, Glorious Food

Remembering Julia Child

Smithsonian curator Paula Johnson addresses many of the questions visitors ask about America’s beloved cooking teacher and her kitchen

Actress Pauline Cushman (1833-1893) was a Union spy and became a major celebrity.

Women Who Shaped History

The Actress Who Left the Stage to Become a Civil War Spy

Pauline Cushman, now featured in a Smithsonian photography exhibition, unexpectedly found herself spying for the Union after accepting a dare

One witness to an 1859 Northern Lights display was the artist Frederic Edwin Church, who later painted Aurora Borealis (above, detail).

Re:Frame

The Crazy Superstitions and Real-Life Science of the Northern Lights

In the latest episode of ‘Re:Frame,’ Smithsonian curators take a deep dive into the dramatic painting ‘Aurora Borealis’ by Frederic Church

Bureau of Home Economics employees blindfold their taste testers so the sight of the turkey doesn't bias any responses, 1930s.

The Government Taste Testers Who Reshaped America’s Diet

In the 1930s, a forgotten federal bureau experimented with ways to make soy and other products more popular in the U.S.

The 1876 Glaciarium included murals of the Alps on its walls and a raised seating section for curious onlookers, as shown in a May 1876 edition of Illustrated London News.

The 19th-Century Mania for Ice Skating in the Summer

Europeans sought to recreate the luxury of wintering in the Alps with an indoor rink attraction

The "Mark Twain" launched in early 1882 as an 18-size, key-wound movement with a subsidiary seconds function.

Mark Twain’s Quest to Bring Affordable Watches to the Masses

At one time, he even invested in a watch company that launched a signature ‘Mark Twain’ pocket watch

The artwork Harvest Time, (detail) by Doris Lee, is featured in the next episode of a new video web series, titled “Re:Frame.”

Re:Frame

How American Brewers Employed Fine Art to Sell Beer

The Smithsonian’s ‘Re:Frame’ investigates how artist Doris Lee gave beer a new post-prohibition image of domesticity and conviviality

Researchers hypothesize that magnetic figures may have been crafted to memorialize the dead, with the attractive forces of the sculptures representing a lingering life force.

Mesoamerican Sculptures Reveal Early Knowledge of Magnetism

Stone figures with magnetized cheeks and navels suggest the pre-Maya civilization of Monte Alto understood the attractive force

In 1912, sculptor Alexander Phimister Proctor created Buffalo (model for Q Street Bridge).

Re:Frame

What Do Bovids, Bridges and the West Have to Do With American Art?

In the debut episode of “Re:Frame,” Smithsonian curators explore the iconic symbol of the West, the American Bison

Reframing American Art

A new web series, ‘Re:Frame,’ explores American art by making unexpected connections across the Smithsonian

Mosquitos and their related diseases played a role in many historical events.

How Mosquitoes Helped Shape the Course of Human History

Historian and author Timothy Winegard discusses the way mosquitoes have played a major role in battles, genetics and the gin and tonic

Map of Nevada, 1866

What’s in a Name? Meet the Government Employees Who Make the Call

A little-known patchwork of bureaucratic boards are tasked with deciding when to change the names of geographic places

George Remus in jail.

The Bootleg King and the Ambitious Prosecutor Who Took Him Down

The clash between George Remus and Mabel Walker Willebrandt present a snapshot of life during the Roaring Twenties

Janaki Ammal was a pioneering botanist who helped identify and conserve the biodiversity of India.

Women Who Shaped History

The Pioneering Female Botanist Who Sweetened a Nation and Saved a Valley

One of India’s finest plant scientists, Janaki Ammal spurred her country to protect its rich tropical diversity

Map of Cedar Key, Florida, 1884

Florida Man Terrorizes Town, Forcing Federal Government to Step In

As mayor of Cedar Key, Billy Cottrell reigned as a tyrant until U.S. forces chased him away

The company's publications (including Black World, EbonyJet) reached a wide audience with photo-driven narratives and interviews.

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch Weighs In on Legendary Photo Archive of African-American Life

In historic moment, foundations and museums came together to rescue black history. “This is an optimistic tale,” says Bunch

A government demonstration of the polygraph from the 1970s

Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted

Federal agencies embraced the polygraph in the 1950s to reassure the public that they could unmask spies

Cameramen film the scene as Charles Manson is brought into the Los Angeles city jail under suspicion of having masterminded the Tate-LaBianca murders of August 1969.

What You Need to Know About the Manson Family Murders

Behind the scenes of the brutal crimes lurking throughout Quentin Tarantino’s new film, ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’

On September 7, 1965, Larry Itliong convinced 2,000 Filipino farmworkers to walk away from the California vineyards and began the famous Delano Grape Strike.

Why It Is Important to Know the Story of Filipino-American Larry Itliong

Author Gayle Romasanta is on a crusade to recover the farm worker’s story, empowering young leaders to follow in his footsteps

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