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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

A shadowy scene from F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922).

Someone Stole the Skull of ‘Nosferatu’ Director F.W. Murnau

Thieves left behind traces of wax, suggesting occult practices might be at play here

On July 13, Barnum's American Museum was the site of a disastrous fire.

Cool Finds

150 Years Ago, a Fire in P.T. Barnum’s Museum Boiled Two Whales Alive

Attracting tourists and locals alike, the museum mixed freakshow performers with educational collections

Silly humans, Pluto is a dog, not a planet.

Of Course Some People Think NASA’s Pluto Pictures Are Fake

Or at least doctored to exclude evidence of alien life.

Visitors to a hot springs resort in Japan enjoy a wine bath.

Cool Finds

What’s the Deal With Wine Baths?

Chemists investigate the science behind the hype

Workmen constructing the Statue of Liberty in Bartholdi's Parisian warehouse workshop in the winter of 1882.

Cool Finds

The Statue of Liberty Arrived in New York in 350 Pieces

Luckily, she also came with an instruction manual

Trending Today

Australians Are Building a Skyscraper Inspired by Beyoncé

Architects envision a rippling structure that takes a page from the singer’s famous look

Trending Today

What to Expect From Harper Lee’s Long-Lost Second Novel

Controversy still surrounds the release of Go Set a Watchman

Trending Today

San Diego’s First Comic-Con Was Held in a Basement

The original fan gathering only attracted 145 people

Trending Today

Here’s What the First Lady Has to Do if She Wants to Redecorate

A few throw pillows and a touch of new paint? No way.

Dorothy Arzner (left) poses with Clara Bow in a publicity shot for The Wild Party.

Cool Finds

Why Was One of Hollywood’s First Female Film Directors, Dorothy Arzner, Forgotten?

Arzner directed 20 feature films

Cool Finds

Conservationists Want You to Stop Building Rock Piles

Cairns have a long history and purpose, one that newer stacks sometimes subvert

Crystalized acetaminophen, the drug in Tylenol

Cool Finds

When This Photographer Got Sick, He Started Taking Beautiful Photos of Painkillers and Tears

The extreme closeups were one way for the photographer to understand what he was taking

New Research

Real-life Vampires Exist, but They Are Scared to Admit Their Practices to Doctors

Even vampires need non-judgmental help sometimes

Visitors at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., can take a trip to the seaside inside.

Urban Explorations

Washington D.C. Just Got a 10,000 Square Foot Ball Pit

A giant ball pit exhibit allows National Building Museum visitors to experience an indoor ocean

Trending Today

Why Is there Wine on the UNESCO World Heritage List?

Bordeaux, Champagne wine regions get world heritage designations

Cool Finds

Behold the World’s Tallest Sandcastle, 41 Feet Tall

The battle for tallest sand structure rages on

A drone shot of the Harvest Dome 2.0, sinking over a sunken ship in Gowanus Canal

Urban Explorations

A Sculpture Meant to Celebrate the Renewal of the Gowanus Canal Just Got Caught on Trash and Sank

R.I.P. Harvest Dome 2.0

Dante and Virgil encounter the counterfeiters and forgers, now changed to lepers and the insane for punishment

Cool Finds

One of the Earliest Feature Films Was This Italian Adaptation of Dante’s Inferno

It’s the earliest surviving complete feature-length film, made in 1911

New Research

Almost Half of Black and Latina Scientists Report They’ve Been Mistaken for Administrative Assistants or Janitors

Women of color in science are more likely to experience some forms of bias

A new campaign encourages fireworks enthusiasts to be courteous with their explosions this 4th of July.

For Veterans’ Sake, Make A Little Less Noise With Your 4th of July Fireworks

Fireworks can trigger PTSD in some veterans, and one organization is trying to raise awareness

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