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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Samuel Clemens often told stories to his children, but only one has survived.

Cool Finds

New Mark Twain Fairy Tale Unearthed

The previously unknown—and unfinished—story was hiding in plain sight

Coins recovered during Operation Pandora

Trending Today

Police Recover More Than 3,500 Stolen Artifacts in Europe

Operation Pandora involved 18 nations and pan-European police agencies to recover paintings, coins and artifiacts

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michael Basquiat won the 2017 Randolph Caldecott Medal.

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American Librarians Just Chose 2017’s Best Books for Children and Young Adults

Meet the 2017 Newbery, Caldecott and Printz award winners

Microscope not included.

Cool Finds

This Necklace Contains All of the World’s Languages

Because cultural preservation never goes out of fashion

Paul Robeson, photographed by Alfredo Valente in 1940.

Remembering Paul Robeson, Actor, Sportsman and Leader

Among other things, Robeson transformed one of history’s most famous showtunes into a protest song

Central High School, where school integration battles of the Civil Rights Movement played out, is among 39 sites and historical projects to get National Park Service grants.

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New Grants Give Out Millions to Preserve African-American History

A $7.5 million grant program will fund 39 projects in over 20 states

Edgar Allan Poe as imagined in an 1895 image by Swiss/French printmaker Félix Valloton.

Who Was the Poe Toaster? We Still Have No Idea

In Baltimore, they’re keeping the tradition of visiting Edgar Allan Poe’s grave for his birthday—but without the mystery

Cool Finds

This Altar Cloth Might Have Been Elizabeth I’s Skirt

It belonged to a parish church for centuries

The White Spy and Black Spy have inspired video games, action figures, and an animated TV series.

This Cuban Cartoonist Drew the Cold War for MAD Magazine

The Black Spy and the White Spy have been chasing each other around in MAD Magazine for 56 years

Some states still celebrate the birthdays of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the same day.

Some States Celebrate MLK Day and Robert E. Lee’s Birthday on the Same Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. has been celebrated on the third Monday in January since the federal holiday was first observed in 1986

Cool Finds

Austin Is Looking for Its First Artist-in-Residence

Winning artists will be embeded in city agencies to help bring in new eyes to reconsider old problems

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden with Guest Librarian Daliyah Marie Arana

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A Four-Year-Old Bibliophile Is the Library of Congress’ Latest Guest Librarian

Daliyah Maria Arana has read more than 1,000 books

Album cover for the Live At Folsom Prison album.

This 1951 Prison B-Movie Inspired “Folsom Prison Blues”

Johnny Cash’s live prison concert made him the voice for rehabilitation over punishment

Now, writers can find inspiration in the historic library of one of America's most famous authors.

Cool Finds

You Can Write Inside Mark Twain’s Library

Commune with Clemens in his historic home

Bruce Springsteen performs with drummer Max Weinberg in 2008.

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Bruce Springsteen Is Getting His Own Archive

A new center will celebrate the glory days of Boss and other American musical icons

Capt. (Dr.) Tejdeep Singh Rattan (right) checks in a patient during the triage portion of an exercise during the Basic Officer Leadership Course at Camp Bullis, Texas in 2010. Rattan was the first Sikh allowed to keep his articles of faith while in uniform in 23 years.

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Muslim and Sikh Troops Can Now Wear Beards, Turbans and Headscarves

The U.S. Army just changed its grooming regulations to accommodate observant soldiers

Trending Today

Norway Killed the Radio Star

The Scandinavian country began a controversial phase out of FM radio broadcasts this week in favor of Digital Audio Broadcasting

Members of an anti-flirt club

Cool Finds

New York State Once Introduced an Anti-Flirting Bill

The law aimed to crack down on public displays of affection of all kinds

Whiskey? Check. Man bun? Check. Presidential presence? Check.

Cool Finds

In This New Portrait, George Washington Trades His Curls for a Man Bun

The first president turns hipster at a new D.C. restaurant

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