Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

History

None

Torch Song

Ode to an ancient summer rite, excesses and all

Jim Thorpe's epic performance in the 15 events that made up the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Summer Games remains the most solid reflection we have of him.

Why Are Jim Thorpe’s Olympic Records Still Not Recognized?

In 1912, Jim Thorpe became the greatest American Olympian of all time, but not if you ask the IOC

None

Quite Likely the Worst Job Ever

A British journalist provides us with a window into the lives of the men who made their living from combing for treasures in London’s sewers

How Well Do You Know Your Vice Presidents?

Test yourself on our quiz of the famous, infamous and not-so-famous least powerful men in the country

The Top 10 Biggest Sports #Fails of All Time

For athletes on the world stage, nothing is worse than choking under pressure. Here are the 10 most memorable transgressors

Bill Gates

1987 Predictions From Bill Gates: “Siri, Show Me Da Vinci Stuff”

The co-founder of Microsoft worried that, in the information age, people would prefer synthesized reality

None

The High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance

Frank Deford of Real Sports for HBO.

Frank Deford on Bloggers, the Olympics and 51 years of Sportswriting

The legendary writer for Sports Illustrated dishes on, among other things, the changing relationship between athletes and the journalists who cover them

None

Surgery, Security and Sales: The Future of Closed-Circuit Television

Just as people were experimenting with the uses of broadcast TV in the 1930s, so too were they envisioning ways to utilize closed-circuit TV in the 1950s

The B.A.A. team in the stadium in Athens.

The Men Behind the First Olympic Team

Mocked by their peers and kicked out of Harvard, the pioneering athletes were ahead of their time… and their competition in Athens

None

The Loneliest Shop in the World

Sol G. Atlas' vision to transform Ellis Island into an entertainment center

The 1958 Plan to Turn Ellis Island Into a Vacation Resort

Give me your huddled masses yearning to go shopping and swimming

Canadian reenactors recreate a battle from the War of 1812 in London, Ontario.

Canada

How Canada Celebrates the War of 1812

The Rodney Dangerfield of wars in the United States, the 19th-century conflict is given great respect by our Northern neighbors

The Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport, built in 1961

Googie: Architecture of the Space Age

The futurist design movement that divided critics and and swept the nation with space age coffee shops

Some historians and curators suspect that the empire-style gown, which Dolley Madison owned until her death in 1849, may have been made from the curtains she salvaged from the White House in 1814.

The Legend of Dolley Madison’s Red Velvet Dress

Before the burning of the White House, the First Lady saved some red draperies. Could she have made a dress from them?

None

How Trees Defined America

Historian Erik Rutkow argues in a new book that forests are key to understanding how our nation developed and who we are today

Publicity photo for The Son of the Sheik

The “Latin Lover” and His Enemies

Rudolph Valentino fought a long battle against innuendo about his masculinity right up until he died. But now he seems to have won

The Star Spangled Banner. 1814. Manuscript by Francis Scott Key.

Anthem For America Music Guide

Document Deep Dive: The Musical History of “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Was the national anthem really set to the melody of a drinking tune? Take a closer look at the original manuscript of Francis Scott Key’s song

Mitsugu Watarai with Ken-chan

The Rise and Fall of Ken-chan, the $43,000 Robot Waiter

The spaghetti-slinging robot drew crowds at Grazie’s Italian Restaurant in Tokyo

None

The Ax Murderer Who Got Away

In 1912, a family of six was murdered by ax in the little town of Villisca, Iowa. Might these killings be linked to nine other similar crimes?

Page 237 of 302