How the Santa Fe Railroad Changed America Forever
The golden spike made the newspapers. But another railroad made an even bigger difference to the nation
The Enduring Myths of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’
Forty years later, archaeologists look back at what the first Indiana Jones movie got wrong about their profession
How ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians’ Saved Disney
Sixty years ago, the company modernized animation when it used Xerox technology on the classic film
Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ Is as Relevant Today as It Was in 1971
Fifty years ago, the artist released Motown’s best-selling album ever and changed the course of his musical career
Can Climate Fiction Writers Reach People in Ways That Scientists Can’t?
A new subgenre of science fiction leans on the expertise of biologists and ecologists to imagine a scientifically plausible future Earth
Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter Lands at the National Air and Space Museum
Udvar-Hazy visitors can watch conservators give the film prop a careful exam before it goes on view in 2022
The Lasting Riddles of Orson Welles’ Revolutionary Film ‘Citizen Kane’
This year’s award-winning “Mank” attracts new attention to the 80-year-old American classic; two Smithsonian curators share insights
Blackface Is Older Than You Might Think
From medieval European theater troupes to American minstrelsy, the harmful tradition has a surprisingly long history
How Do We Remember Selena?
On the anniversary of her 50th birthday, honoring the legacy of the first Tejana singer to top the U.S. Billboard charts with her Spanish-language album
How Film Helps Preserve the World’s Diversity
The Smithsonian’s Human Studies Film Archive houses eight million feet of film which can help future generations reflect on the past
A Brief History of the Harmonica
How the world’s handiest instrument took over American music
Pandemic Can’t Stop the Mother Tongue Film Festival
The much-loved event kicks off this weekend online with the first indigenous film from Hawaii and extends through May with 45 offerings
Hear the Musical Sounds of an 18,000-Year-Old Giant Conch
The shell was played for the first time in millennia after being rediscovered in the collections of a French museum
Celebrate Black History Month With These Free Virtual Events
From online exhibitions to panel discussions, here are more than a dozen events hosted by museums and other cultural institutions
How Black Composers Shaped the Sound of American Classical Music
A new project seeks to elevate artists like Harry T. Burleigh and Florence Price, whose work has been ignored by white audiences
The 1950s TV Show That Set the Stage for Today’s Distance Learning
“Sunrise Semester” gave a generation of women a second chance at higher education
How ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Was Filmed at the Smithsonian
The blockbuster saw the superhero working as a museum anthropologist. But how accurate was its depiction of the Institution at the time?
A New Film Details the FBI’s Relentless Pursuit of Martin Luther King Jr.
Smithsonian scholar says the time is ripe to examine the man’s complexities for a more accurate and more inspirational history
Kid Ory Finally Gets the Encore He Deserves
The childhood home of the musician who put New Orleans jazz on the map will soon open to the public
How Black Panther Changed Comic Books (and Wakanda) Forever
The Marvel superhero pounced on the scene in the ‘60s and never looked back
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