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At the Smithsonian

Dear FoxTrot: A Curator Responds to Jason Fox’s Dinosaur Designs

After receiving suggestions for the new dinosaur hall in a Sunday comic, Matthew Carrano of the Natural History Museum responds

These silicone-tipped gloves protected Armstrong from cuts while working on the surface of the moon. Space Hangar at the Smithsonian NASM Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Neil Armstrong’s Gloves and Visor from Moon Mission Go on View at Udvar-Hazy Center

Brought out from storage, two objects from the first mission to the moon reflect Armstrong’s enduring legacy

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September Offerings on the Smithsonian Channel

The Institution’s award-winning channel offers up a month of premium programs, featuring the Hope Diamond, Titanoboa, and a rainforest exploration

With help from a community of volunteers, Rick Bartow completed his monumental sculptures in a rented Oregon space.

A Pair of Monumental Sculptures Makes Its Way to American Indian Museum

Artist Rick Bartow’s pair of sculptures, “We Were Always Here,” will sit at the museum’s entrance

Composer John Cage would have been 100 this year and his legacy lives on during a centennial celebration.

Events September 4-6: Quilting Guilds, John Cage at 100 and Stitch Sessions

This week, learn from a quilting guild, celebrate composer John Cage’s avant-garde legacy and stitch a little

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How Many Stradivariuses Exist and More Questions From Our Readers

Why octopuses use tools, preserving flight plans, famous portraits and more

From The Smithsonian Collections: Plastic Flamingos, c. 1980

The Tacky History of the Pink Flamingo

From its start in Massachusetts, of all places, to its inspiration of a John Waters film, the lawn ornament has some staying power

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Discussion

Discussion

A replica of the skull of Robert Kennicott, a naturalist who once lived in the Castle.

The Skull in the Castle

Secretary Clough has the skull of naturalist Robert Kennicott in his office to remind him of the remarkable scientists who work for the Smithsonian

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PHOTOS: American Trail Opens Tomorrow at The Zoo, Complete with LEED Certification and a Navy Seal

Take a stroll through North America’s majestic biodiversity

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Thomas Edison a.k.a. The Movie Mogul Who Started LOLcats

Lightbulbs are nice, but it was Edison’s kinetoscope 115 years ago today that brought us Hollywood and boxing cats

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What Do American History Museum Curators Collect at the Republican National Convention?

Follow the Smithsonian experts as they gather memorabilia in Tampa

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VIDEOS: An Astrophysicist Turns Stars Into Music

Alex Parker at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics takes his work home with him — and makes stunning visualizations

Many of the animals along the American Trail, including the bald eagle, are part of a conservation comeback.

Events August 31-September 1: Prehistoric Prints, American Animals and a Peek Inside the Castle

This weekend, learn how man really came to walk the Earth, visit the newly opened American Trail and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Castle

Known as the transmitter of Chan, or Zen Buddhism, the Chinese monk, Bodhidharma, was said to have a volatile temperament. Portrait of Bodhidharma. Fourteenth century, ink on silk.

Buddhism in China: An Enduring Legacy on View at the Freer

A new exhibit at the Freer examines the adoption of Buddhism in China through richly detailed paintings

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PHOTOS: Paraphernalia from the Political Campaigns of Yore

The great American pastime of politics and posturing has deep roots, but have we become more or less civil?

Walter Cronkite, Robert Vickrey, 1966, watercolor, gouache and graphite pencil on paper, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time Magazine

That’s The Way It Was: Remembering Walter Cronkite

A look back at the most-trusted man in news

Neil Armstrong united America when he walked on the moon in 1969.

Godspeed, Neil Armstrong — A Reflection on the Astronaut’s Life

Senior curator of the Air and Space museum remembers the man who united a country and walked on the moon

Barbara Kruger offers words of wisdom at the new installation at the Hirshhorn, just in time for the political conventions.

Events August 28-30: Belief + Doubt, Gallery Talks and Baby Animals

This week, see the latest from Barbara Kruger, crafting contemporaries and the Zoo’s baby boom

From Jananne Al-Ani’s new work, a mesmerizing view of south Jordan. Production still from Shadow Sites II, 2011

At the Sackler, Shadows of History Hidden in Middle Eastern Landscapes

New work from Jananne Al-Ani exposes a complicated history within the Middle Eastern landscape

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