Smart News Arts & Culture

Baum produced a stage version of his children's book two years after it came out. This work was aimed primarily for adults, and was the first time the Tin Woodman was referred to as the Tin Man.

The Tin Man Is a Reminder of L. Frank Baum’s Onetime Oil Career

Baum had a number of careers before he hit it big with 'The Wizard of Oz'

Sheila Michaels explained the power of the honorific "Ms." on the radio in 1969. Word of the broadcast got to Gloria Steinem was looking for a name for her new magazine. The first regular issue of Ms. magazine hit the newsstands in July 1972.

Sheila Michaels, the Feminist Who Made ‘Ms.’ Mainstream, Has Died at 78

The activist championed “Ms.” as a title that would allow women to be seen independently of their marital status

This familiar landscape is always in flux.

Cool Finds

Surf Through Newly Digitized Images to See Rome’s Ever-Changing History

The Eternal City is always evolving. Now, a new web resource shows how

Even though the idea of sliced bread took off like a shot, it took the inventor of the bread-slicing machine years to convince bakers to try his invention.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Take a Look at the Patents Behind Sliced Bread

It took a surprising amount of technological know-how to make the bread that birthed the expression

This dwelling housed resistance to Mexico City's new Spanish conquerors.

Cool Finds

Mexico City Dig Uncovers Traces of Aztec Resistance to Spain

For residents of Tenochtitlan, rebellion didn’t just happen on the battlefield

One of the cuneiform tablets handed over by Hobby Lobby

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Hobby Lobby Hands Over 5,500 Illegally Imported Artifacts

In 2010, the arts-and-crafts retailer purchased thousands of cultural artifacts smuggled from Iraq

A relatively significant number of people lace up their shoes to run across the country every year.

A Brief History of People Running Across America

Fictional character Forrest Gump wasn’t the only one to do it, not by a long shot

3-D forensic facial reconstruction of a shíshálh Chief who lived nearly 4,000 years ago.

High-Status Indigenous Family Brought Back to Life With Digital Reconstruction

Some 3,700 years ago, the relatives were given elaborate burials along the coast of British Columbia

Utahns will once again be allowed to see this view when they order a drink.

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Utah Just Did Away With Liquor-Hiding “Curtains”

As liquor laws loosen, the “Zion Curtain” may become a thing of the past

France's Simone Veil Will Become the Fifth Woman Buried in the Panthéon

It is an exceptional honor reserved for esteemed French citizens

This 1540 painting by Titian has had 11 owners.

Cool Finds

New Website Tracks Paintings Provenance from Brush to Gallery Wall

<i>Mapping Paintings</i> makes it easier to figure out an artwork’s chain of ownership

Chicago Library Seeks Help Transcribing Magical Manuscripts

Three texts dealing with charms, spirits, and all other manners of magical practice are now accessible online

All of these images were created by the neural networks

New Research

AI Project Produces New Styles of Art

Researchers let two neural networks critique each other to create the images

Art Meets Science

Is Jupiter the "Star" in Lord Byron's Famous Poem?

According to astronomer Donald Olson, the brilliant star described in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage is actually a planet

Sony Will Start Pressing Vinyl Records After a 28-Year Hiatus

The company stopped producing vinyl records in 1989

Cheers To This Spanish Town's Annual Wine Battle

The boozy event has its roots in a 13th century land dispute

Once Upon a Place brings phone booths back to Times Square to tell immigrant stories.

Cool Finds

Phone Booths Are Back in Times Square—And This Time, They’re Telling Immigrant Stories

<i>Once Upon a Place</i> features the oral histories of 70 immigrants

The Bourse de Commerce building will soon transition to a modern art museum.

Former Paris Stock Exchange To Be Transformed into Art Museum

The renovation will be so remarkable, according to the lead architect, it will cure Brexit-induced malaise

Thank the boy wizard for an uptick in owl demand.

New Research

Harry Potter Sparks Illegal Owl Trade in Indonesia

Hedwig made quite the impression—but her popularity is hurting real-life birds

In traditional British cuisine, chicken would be far more likely to be boiled than fried.

The First Printed Fried Chicken Recipe in America

A white Virginian woman named Mary Randolph was the first to publish it, but fried chicken's Southern history is deeper than 'The Virginia Housewife'

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