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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Today, apples are one of the most valuable fruit crops in the United States, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center.

Apple Pie Is Not All That American

Neither apples nor the pie originally came from America, but Americans have made this dish their own

The Klencke Atlas

Cool Finds

Massive Royal Atlas Gets Digitized

The magnificent Klencke Atlas is now available online courtesy of the British Library

Sidney Bechet, one of the early jazz greats, made his name on the clarinet, not the cornet or trumpet.

Listen to This First 1920s Recording By One of the Kings of Jazz

Sidney Bechet was one of the first big jazz soloists, and brought the soprano saxophone into the jazz fold

Learn why fudge like this is sold at every tourist attraction in the country

Why Does Every Tourist Attraction Sell Fudge?

One thing that places as different as Niagara Falls, Disneyland and Ellis Island have in common? Fudge

During World War II, the Associated Press brokered a photo exchange deal with the Third Reich.

Trending Today

American Journalists Used Nazi-Provided Photos During World War II

A new report reveals more details about the Associated Press’ secret deal with the Third Reich

Ornate Tiara, Once Worn by a Grand Duchess, Stolen From German Museum

The headpiece is adorned with 367 diamonds and has been valued at $1.31 million

Irving Berlin and Ellin Mackay Berlin.

Songwriter Irving Berlin’s Interfaith Marriage Caused 1920s Gossip

The songwriter made headlines when he and writer Ellin Mackay got married against her millionaire father’s wishes

Savannah, Georgia during the Civil War. The southern landscape is often a key element of southern gothic fiction.

Why People Love Southern Gothic

From the 19th century to S-Town, it’s a compelling genre that’s as flawed as its most grotesque characters

Botanists might see fruit, but to a tariff collector, there's nothing but vegetables here.

Tomatoes Have Legally Been Vegetables Since 1893

Okay, so it’s technically a fruit. But we don’t eat it like one

Is this violin the best in all the land? A new study says no.

New Research

Study Challenges the Supremacy of Stradivarius Violins

A French researcher set out to solve a long-standing fiddle riddle: do these infamous violins project sound better than new ones?

Ukraine's Jamala (right) at the press conference after she won Eurovision 2016 with "1944."

The Eurovision Song Contest Rocks Europe This Week. Here’s How It All Got Started

It was the idea of the European Broadcasting Union, who wanted to put the relatively new technology of television through its paces

Found: Pages From One of the First Books Printed in England

A librarian at the University of Reading discovered the 15th-century text buried in a box

This monument will soon join a cross and other veterans' memorials in a public park.

Trending Today

Minnesota Town Gets Veterans Memorial Covered With Satanic Imagery

It’s America’s first satanic monument on public grounds

Photograph of YInMn Blue as synthesized in the laboratory.

Crayola to Debut Crayon Inspired by New Shade of Blue

The YInMn pigment was accidentally discovered by a chemist in 2009

Soon, Lucy Sparrow will open a full NYC bodega filled with only felt food.

Cool Finds

These Groceries Are Made of Felt

And artist Lucy Sparrow is opening an entire bodega full of them

From the outside, the James Beard House is easy to miss. But as they say, it's what's inside that counts.

This Unassuming NYC Home is the Legacy of America’s First Foodie

James Beard’s culinary philosophy helped shape American cuisine

For sale: a bit of romance.

Cool Finds

Paris’ Infamous Love Locks Will Now Help Migrants

The pesky padlocks are now removed from the bridge—and up for auction

Norwegian TV Series on Migrating Reindeer Impeded After Animals Stop Migrating

The animals are not moving fast enough for Norway’s “slow TV” craze

Trending Today

Asian-American Superhero The Green Turtle Returns!

The character, created in the 1940s and revived in a 2014 graphic novel, stars in a new comic book to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Woman, 1966 Oil on canvas 46 x 31 inches (116.8 x 78.7 cm) Private Collection, Miami.

Who Is the Mysterious Subject of This Alice Neel Portrait?

A journalist has cracked the case

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