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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

A "Walking Library" in London, circa 1930s

Cool Finds

A Brief History of Taking Books Along for the Ride

Have books, will travel

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Why You Might Start Seeing Disney And Other Brands in National Parks

Relaxed rules on donor recognition could allow corporate sponsors to fund items within National Parks

New Research

Astronomers Recreate Ancient Skies to Date a Nearly 2,600-Year-Old Greek Poem

Researchers narrow down the dates for when the lonely poet Sappho wrote “Midnight Poem”

Cartoonist and concept artist Jean Giraud.

Cool Finds

Meet the Man Who Helped Define How Science Fiction Looks

The renowned cartoonist Jean Giraud had a hand in some of science fiction’s most iconic films

Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, between 1748 and 1755, currently at the Louvre Museum.

Cool Finds

Madame de Pompadour’s Legacy as a Patron of Arts Is Often Overlooked

A new exhibit explores the creative works of one of history’s most famous mistresses

Cool Finds

Help London’s Science Museum Bring Britain’s First Robot Back to Life

Eric impressed crowds in the 1920’s by standing up, bowing, and shooting sparks from his teeth

Cool Finds

Central Park Opens Up Its “Secret Sanctuary”

Closed for 80 Years, the Park recently announced it will open the restored Hallett Nature Sanctuary to vistors

Trending Today

A Dalit Man Dug His Own Well When He Was Denied Water During a Drought

India’s “untouchables” still face daily discrimination

Cool Finds

Five Things to Know About the Diamond Sutra, the World’s Oldest Dated Printed Book

Printed over 1,100 years ago, a Chinese copy of the Diamond Sutra at the British Library is one of the most intriguing documents in the world

"The Unconscious Patient (Allegory of the Sense of Smell)," about 1624 - 1625 by Rembrandt van Rijn

Cool Finds

Early Rembrandt Found in Basement Goes On Display

The painting is one of five in a series about the senses that the Dutch master created as a teenager

New Research

Scientific A-Team Plans to Reconstruct Leonardo da Vinci’s Genome

Art historians, geneticists and other researchers are working together to compile the great artist’s DNA

The iconic brochure format was designed by the man responsible for New York subway signage.

Cool Finds

Want to Browse Some National Park Maps? There’s a Site For That

Can you guess the most popular map?

A Little Free Library in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Cool Finds

Build Your Own Library at the First-Ever Little Library Festival

The book-sharing stations have popped up all across the United States

A ceiling sculpted by Isamu Noguchi has been restored and is open to public viewing.

Cool Finds

A Modernist Sculpted Ceiling Was Uncovered in a U-Haul Showroom

The Isamu Noguchi work is being shown once again

Cool Finds

‘The Shining’ Looks to Raise Hairs and Octaves in Its Opera Debut

The Minnesota Opera will debut its take on the horror novel in a new production by Pulitzer-prize winning composer Paul Moravec

Authentic "Derby-Pie"

Trending Today

Why Making ‘Derby-Pie’ Might Land You a Lawsuit

The Kentucky Derby’s traditional dessert has a tangled legal history

The diarist's hiding place will soon come to life in Anne, a virtual reality film.

Cool Finds

Virtual Reality Film Will Simulate Anne Frank’s Hiding Place

‘Anne’ will give audiences a sense of what it was like to be in the “Secret Annex”

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