Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Blue, Australian Kelpie, Age 19

This Photographer Captures the Beauty And Dignity of Elderly Animals

Photographer Isa Leshko says the project originally began as a form of self-therapy, but it evolved into a traveling photography exhibition

This Movie Has Been Rated S for Sexist

Even with the bar set incredibly low, most movies fail this simple test for sexism

None

Americans Who Have Stereotypical Ideas About Race And Violence Are More Likely to Own Guns

These results held true even after controlling for conservative politics, being from the South and harboring anti-government sentiments and other factors

Thanksgiving Day Shopping Could Overtake Black Friday in Five Years

Whether non-virtual stores will succeed in drawing shoppers away from their turkey dinners and post-stuffing stupor, however, remains to be seen

“The Simpsons” Has Been Secretly Teaching Its Fans Complicated Math

Several writers for The Simpsons completed degrees in math and physics before they turned to screen writing for the beloved cartoon

First edition copies of “the world’s weirdest book”

A 360-Page Book That No One’s Ever Been Able to Read Is Coming Back Into Print

Original editions of the Codex sell for up to $2,000, but a new reprint is available for $125

None

Watch “Vintage” Signs Get Made in This Portland Shop

From painting to stenciling to distressing, watch a sign come to life in this little video from the shop

Is It Immoral To Kill a Zombie?

Perhaps it’s time to add ethics to your zombie preparedness training

Pumpkins

Who Steals Pumpkins From Kindergarteners?

Across the country, pumpkins have been stolen from their owners

The Emoji Show Is Gathering Emoji Based Art

Like the selfie, the emoji has faced its fair share of derision. But as more and more people use the little icons they’re finding more acceptance

Celebrate National Candy Corn Day By Making Deep-Fried Candy Corn

Whether you love or hate candy corn, it’s probably worth knowing how it’s made and where it came from

Screenshot from Un Chien Andalou, the Surrealist film that Dalí collaborated on with Luis Buñuel

Salvador Dali Suffered From the Irrational Fear That Insects Were Crawling All Over His Skin

The condition is almost always accompanied by tactile hallucinations of crawling sensations and visual hallucinations of the non-existent insects

None

This Eagle Statue Is One of the Greatest Romano-British Artworks Ever Discovered

Archeologists in London just turned up a pristine 1,800-year old Roman statue of an eagle devouring a serpent

None

Watch People Drawing Their Own Brains

Beware, your brain can force you to spend a lot more time than you might think watching these

The Sriracha Factory Could Get Shut Down. Panic?

Stock up now, the Sriracha factory is facing shutdown

None

Here’s How to Make a Canoe Out of a Tree Trunk

The boats are fashioned entirely by hand using simple tools, and traditionally are carved from magongo tree wood

Read Seamus Heaney’s Last Known, Previously Unpublished Poem

Two months before he died, Heaney wrote “In a Field” at the request of poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy

Men Shop for Groceries, And Food Companies Are Noticing

Those companies have designed dark, bold packaging and bigger “man-sized” portions

In the Wake of the Boston Marathon Bombing, Twitter Was Full of Lies

Of the 8 million tweets sent in the days following the Boston bombing, just 20% were accurate pieces of factual information

Should EpiPens Be Stocked Everywhere People Eat?

Laws are in the works to get EpiPens into schools and restaurants

Page 273 of 293