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Trachymolgus purpureus

Enjoy Face Time with Seven of Earth’s 3 to 5 Million Mite Species

A Smithsonian collection of some one million species of mites is receiving its up close and personal

Pangolin

Art Meets Science

These Eerie Portraits Capture Endangered and Extinct Animals in a Film That Is Also Vanishing

Denis Defibaugh uses Polaroid 55 film to give animal specimens an afterlife

ABC's "Scandal" stars Jeff Perry as Cyrus Beene, Joshua Malina as David Rosen, Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan, Portia de Rossi as Elizabeth North, Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Grant, Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, Bellamy Young as Mellie Grant, Scott Foley as Jake Ballard, Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins, Cornelius Smith Jr. as Marcus Walker and Guillermo Diaz as Huck.

Shonda Rhimes and the Cast of ‘Scandal’ Dish on the Show’s Behind-the-Scenes Secrets

The stars of the Washington, D.C.-inspired show reveal the method behind the magic

Important information about a cheetah can be found in its feces.

A Fecal Pellet’s Worth A Thousand Words

Scientists can learn a surprising amount about an animal just by analyzing its poop

March on Washington, August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial

How the Redesign of U.S. Money Shows the Power of Protest

A Smithsonian curator notes how a heavy dose of social activism prompted the U.S. Treasury to honor historic social and political movements

Bottles of the two triumphant vintages 1973 Chateau Montelena chardonnay and 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars cabernet sauvignon are now held in the Smithsonian collections.

That Revolutionary May Day in 1976 When California Wines Bested France’s Finest

Forty years ago, a Copernican moment took place in viniculture when the world realized the sun didn’t always revolve around French wines

Sponsor: National Portrait Gallery

Which of These Summertime Athletes Should Be Displayed on the Walls of the National Portrait Gallery?

Vote now for your pick!

The first drone to make an FAA-approved delivery is joining the collection at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum

Cool Finds

The First Delivery Drone in the United States Lands a Spot at the Smithsonian

The Flirtey F3.0 hexacopter touches ground at the National Air and Space Museum

The sensuous curves and subtle walnut grain of Maloof's rocker just seem to beckon and say “Come on in a sit a while.”

Famous for His Rocking Chair, Sam Maloof Made Furniture That Had Soul

A centennial appreciation for this master of mid-century modernism is underway with a California exhibition and an upcoming seminar

Joe (left) and Anthony (right) Russo at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International.

Meet the “Mad Scientists” Behind ‘Captain America: Civil War’

In their latest film, directors Joe and Anthony Russo explore the morality of the Star-Spangled Avenger

Print of Harriet Tubman

Breaking Ground

The Priceless Impact Harriet Tubman Will Have as the Face of the $20 Bill

Curator Nancy Bercaw from the African American History Museum discusses the freedom fighter’s ongoing legacy

The slogan “unbought and unbossed” appeared on Chisholm’s campaign posters, one of which resides in the collections of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Breaking Ground

‘Unbought and Unbossed’: When a Black Woman Ran for the White House

The congresswoman tried to win the White House by consolidating the Black vote and the women’s vote, but she ran into trouble

Several of Minnijean Brown-Trickey’s school items, including a notice of suspension and the dress she designed for her high school graduation, are now held in the collections of the National Museum of American History.

Women Who Shaped History

A Member of the Little Rock Nine Discusses Her Struggle to Attend Central High

At 15, Minnijean Brown faced down the Arkansas National Guard, Now Her Story and Personal Items are Archived at the Smithsonian

Prince designed and used this 1989 custom-made Yellow-cloud electric guitar, built by the Minneapolis firm Knut-Koupee. It features his personal symbol at the top and on the side of the fingerboard.

Trending Today

Beyond Raspberry Berets: What Prince Left Behind

From portraits to guitars, The Artist’s legacy lives on at the Smithsonian

After a century in which black holes went from theoretical nuisances to undisputed facts, a new initiative at the Harvard -Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics will study them.

Think Big

Stephen Hawking on Why Black Holes Are Worthy of Your Consideration

A new Harvard-Smithsonian initiative will delve into the places in the universe where spacetime sags around massive objects

Trending Today

It’s Official: Harriet Tubman Will Grace the $20 Bill

The famed Underground Railroad Conductor will appear on the front of the $20 bill, among other changes to U.S. currency

The model arrived at the Smithsonian in 1974 lacking most of its lights, and replacements burned hot and gave off damaging ultraviolet light. Specialists Will Lee (left) and David Wilson work on ways to deploy new LEDs, which give off little heat and no UV light.

The Starship Enterprise Is Coming in for a New Landing at the Smithsonian

This artifact in the Air and Space Museum collections boldly returns to public view

The NASA Robot That Failed to Do Its Job

A cautionary tale about the android who just wasn’t suited for the task at hand

Tara Locklear makes jewelry using recycled skateboards.

Calling All Those in the Market for Skateboard Jewelry, Czech Marionettes or Other Quirky Crafts

The annual Smithsonian Craft Show features 120 of the best craft artisans from around the country

Levi Woodbury is on the $1 stamp; George M. Bibb, on the $5 stamp. Robert Walker is on the $10 stamp and James Guthrie is on the $50 stamp. George Washington is on the extremely rare $100 stamp.

Before Reefer Madness, High Times and 4/20, There Was the Marijuana Revenue Stamp

Originally designed in the 1930s to restrict access to the drug, these stamps draw a curious crowd to the Postal Museum

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