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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Marcel Marceau in 1955

The Mime Who Saved Kids From the Holocaust

Marcel Marceau is history’s most famous mime, but before that, he was a member of the French Resistance

Adolphe Sax made this alto saxophone in 1857, long after he had switched to brass. The sax is still a woodwind instrument, though.

The First Saxophone Was Made of Wood

The instrument was invented by–you guessed it–Adolphe Sax

Norway: The happiest place on earth

Trending Today

Norwegians Are Named 2017’s Happiest People

Scandanavian countries take the top spots in the annual World Happiness Report

ISIS destroyed the Temple of Baalshamin in Syria in 2015.

Trending Today

New Fund Pledges to Protect Cultural Heritage from War and Terror

Nations and philanthropists join together to safeguard one another’s priceless treasures

The back of this postcard calls the Fisher Building a "cathedral of business."

This Art Deco Office Tower Was the Master Work of ‘The Architect of Detroit’

Although Kahn designed numerous buildings and factories, this is the one that’s come to define his work

A new VR game puts you inside a James Joyce novel.

Cool Finds

This Game Turns James Joyce’s Most Notorious Novel Into Virtual Reality

But will it make you want to finish Ulysses?

'The Morning Walk" by Thomas Gainsborough

Man Charged After Slashing Gainsborough Painting at the National Gallery

Fortunately, preliminary reports suggest that “The Morning Walk” can be repaired

These early Jim Henson puppets (you might recognize the frog on the right) appeared in a local Washington, D.C. television show “Sam and Friends” that ran from 1955 to 1961. Headed by Kermit, Henson’s muppets went on to wider fame.

Why Puppets (and Puppeteers) Are Still Important

Puppets aren’t just children’s toys, as this look into the Smithsonian’s collection shows

This 17th-century French noblewoman will become the first woman ever included in the curriculum for the nation's high school exams.

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France’s Famous High School Exam Will Soon Feature Its First Woman Author

Madame da La Fayette will infuse a much-needed POV into France’s literary curriculum

Julia and her doll, Fluffster.

Sesame Street to Introduce Julia, a Muppet with Autism

Some characters are confused by Julia’s behavior, but they come to embrace her differences

This illustration, depicting Uncle Tom's Cabin antagonist Simon Legree looming over, and perhaps preparing to beat, Tom, appeared in the 1853 edition of the book. Pro-slavery Southerners argued that the book misrepresented slavery by cherry-picking the worst examples.

White Southerners Said “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” Was Fake News

So its author published a “key” to what’s true in the novel

New Research

So Is ‘Mona Lisa’ Smiling? A New Study Says Yes

Compared to other similar images, the masterpiece’s mouth registered as happy to almost 100 percent of the participants

The future Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre.

L.M. Montgomery’s Ontario Home Will Open As a Museum

While living in the village of Norval, the beloved author enjoyed stunning literary success. But this chapter of her life was tinged with darkness

Did Catherine Parr Write a Propaganda Song for Henry VIII?

‘Gaude gloriosa Dei mater,’ purportedly penned by the king’s sixth wife, will be performed in London for the first time in more than 470 years

Spiral Jetty is on its way to becoming Utah's official work of land art.

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Utah Chooses New State Works of Art

Ancient rock art and Robert Smithson’s “Spiral Jetty” are poised to become state symbols

(Grammatical) order in the court!

Cool Finds

A Missing Oxford Comma Just Changed the Course of a Court Case

Call it pedantic, but comma wars are a thing

John Huston, Orson Welles and Peter Bogdanovich on the set of The Other Side of the Wind.

Cool Finds

Netflix Will Finish Orson Welles’ Last Film

Will The Other Side of the Wind live up to its iconic reputation?

This image shows how an iris clip, also known as an intraocular lens, is fitted onto the eye. The clip is a small, thin lens made from silicone or acrylic with plastic side supports to hold it in place. It is fixed to the iris through a tiny surgical incision and can treat cataracts and near-sightedness.

Art Meets Science

Contest Winners Capture the Eerie Beauty of Medical Imagery

From stained mice placenta to an implant in the eye, this year’s Wellcome Image Award recipients highlight the beauty of science

King Tut captivated the U.S. in 1976, thanks in part to an NEH grant.

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Five Things You Didn’t Realize Were Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities

Since 1965, the agency has bestowed more than 63,000 humanities-related grants

Happy Pi Day! And happy wedding day to all the couples getting hitched

Getting Married on Pi Day is a Thing

Unfortunately, there are indications that couples who get married on special dates might not have the same chance of succeeding

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