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Magazine

Did This Map Guide Columbus?

Researchers decipher a mystifying 15th-century document

Native Dress Calgary Stampede(2010)

Scenes From the Calgary Stampede

Noted photographer Richard Phibbs has a new book that sends him back home on the range

The last of the data from the New Horizons flyby won’t arrive until late 2016.

One Man’s Lifelong Pursuit of Pluto is About to Get Real

When the New Horizons spacecraft races by the quasi-planetary body, Alan Stern will have finally met his match

The World’s Largest Picture Frame?

The government of Dubai is taking this abstract structure to the next level

More than 3,000 lights adorned Ferris' wheel.

The Brief History of the Ferris Wheel

Originally the American answer to the Eiffel Tower, the summertime amusement became a hallmark of summer fun

Why Do Humans Have Chins?

The most distinctive human feature might be that bony protrusion that made Jay Leno famous

Why We’d Be Better Off if Napoleon Never Lost at Waterloo

On the bicentennial of the most famous battle in world history, a distinguished historian looks at what could have been

Inside the Daily Lives of Iraq’s Kurds

America’s most important ally in the battle against ISIS is closer than ever to fulfilling their hope of founding a new nation

Six years after the quake first struck, the city of L’Aquila is still rebuilding. The recovery is estimated to cost at least $16 billion.

The Shaky Science Behind Predicting Earthquakes

A powerful earthquake in Italy killed hundreds of people—and set in motion a legal battle and scientific debate that has kept seismologists on edge

From the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

The Ill-Fated History of the Jet Pack

The space-age invention still takes our imaginations on our wild ride

Just a mile down one of the park’s most popular and accessible trails, hikers reap views of Dream Lake.

When Colorado Was (And in Many Ways Still Is) the Switzerland of America

A hundred years ago, city slickers looking for wild times in Rocky Mountain National Park invented a new kind of American vacation

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Discussion

Reader responses to our May issue

Ask Smithsonian 2017

When Did Americans Lose Their British Accents And More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

What Makes the “Lion Whisperer” Roar?

He’s famous for getting dangerously close to his fearsome charges, but what can Kevin Richardson teach us about ethical conservation—and ourselves?

An early draft of the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Personal Writings of Arthur C. Clarke Reveal the Evolution of “2001: A Space Odyssey”

Works donated from the author’s archives in Sri Lanka include letters to Kubrick and an early draft of his most famous novel

At least 300 buildings at Tajalei village in Sudan's Abyei region were intentionally destroyed by fire, according to Satellite Sentinel Project analysis of this DigitalGlobe satellite image, taken March 6, 2011 and analyzed by UNITAR/UNOSAT and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

The U.N. Uses Satellites to Track Humanitarian Crises Around the World

With help from George Clooney, the United nations embarks on a new frontier in monitoring the world from above

This is a close mimic of the coral snake, but the real version has a singular venom.

Decoding the Deadly Secret of Snake Venom

The world’s animals have developed an incredible variety of venoms. But how?

Extreme Makeover: ISS Edition

How to give the International Space Station a little bit more room

Finding a Voice for Iranian Women

Artist Shirin Neshat uses Persian poetry to reveal the conflict between tradition and modernity

Crowe’s character has a mystical ability to locate hidden water.

Russell Crowe Takes a New Look at an Old Battle

The Australian actor/director’s controversial film views the legendary Gallipoli from the Turkish side

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