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At the Smithsonian

Former Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart on the drum kit

The Mickey Hart Collection in Rhythm with the World

Former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart’s curates a 25-album series of world music for Smithsonian Folkways that drops next week

The eight cotton hoods worn by Confederate conspirators after Lincoln's assassination

The Civil War 150 Years: The Washington Eight

After plotting to kill Lincoln and other Union leaders, a group of Confederate conspirators was put on trial

Visit the Butterfly Pavilion at the Natural History Museum

Events Oct. 3-6: Butterfly Pavilion, Quiltmaking Demonstration, America in Black and White and African Drumming

This week, see exotic insects, learn a new craft, be part of a thought-provoking discussion on race and join a drum circle

Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden discusses his new book and the scandal that surrounded him after he returned to earth in 1971.

Apollo 15’s Al Worden on Space and Scandal

The astronaut talks about his lunar mission, the scandal that followed and the future of space missions

Some animals at the National Zoo detected the east coast earthquake before it hit.

Did Zoo Animals Anticipate the August East Coast Earthquake?

Did Zoo Animals Anticipate the August East Coast Earthquake?

Dr. Pierre Comizzoli, one of the two Smithsonian scientists to receive the Presidential Award, at work in the lab.

Two Smithsonian Scientists Receive Presidential Award

An astrophysicist and a conservation biologist each receive one of the highest honors in science

Meet Pili and Damini, pictured here with their mother Shama.

Zoo’s Red Panda Cubs Get Their Names

The newest additions to the Zoo’s red panda family are named for the stormy night they were born

This year's People's Design Award nominees

Vote Now for the People’s Design Award

Polls are open. The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum wants you to weigh in

Andy Warhol, "Shadows," 1978-79. Dia Art Foundation. Copyright 2011 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

A Fresh Look at Andy Warhol

Hirshhorn curator Evelyn Hankins discusses the new Warhol show, on view through January 15, 2012

See the documentary "Columbus Day Legacy" this Saturday at the American Indian Museum.

Weekend Events Sept. 30 – Oct. 2: Treasures at the Museum, Columbus Day Legacy, and Portrait Discovery

This weekend, get a book autographed, see a thought-provoking documentary, and see the Portrait Gallery in a whole new way

An Isleta woman and her children sell goods alongside a train track, circa late 1880s to early 1900s

A Community’s Common Heritage at the Heye Center in New York City

At the American Indian Museum in New York City, a new exhibition illustrates the changes at Isleta Pueblo brought by the arrival of the railroad in 1881

The original penicillin mold discovered by Fleming is in the collections held at the American History Museum

The List: Medical Innovations at the Smithsonian

On the anniversary of the legendary discovery of polio, take a tour of the most significant medical inventions in history

Performer Diosa Costello, honored at a donation ceremony last week

Legendary Performer Diosa Costello Donates Wardrobe to Smithsonian

A pioneer of theater, nightclubs and Broadway gives her costumes to the American History Museum

Empress Dowager Cixi strikes a pose

The Extreme Makeover of Empress Dowager Cixi

China’s Empress Dowager commissioned portraits—now on display at the Sackler Gallery—in an attempt to polish her public image

An early pair of Levi Strauss & Co.'s "Duck Trousers"

The Origin of Blue Jeans

On the anniversary of Levi Strauss’ death, learn the creation story of one of the most popular articles of clothing

Visit the Peacock Room, restored to its 1908 condition

Events Sept 26-29: Great Apes, The Peacock Room, Immigrants and Revolutionists, and Talking About Andy

This week, learn from gorillas, see a masterpiece of Asian art, play a pop quiz, and hear from an expert about Andy Warhol

NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, currently descending towards earth.

Your Guide to the Falling Satellite

Hear from an Air and Space Museum expert on what to expect from tonight’s satellite impact

Historian Amy Henderson at work, wearing her boa

Historian Amy Henderson: Movies Make Museums Move

Guest blogger Henderson ponders the idea that the big screen deserves its own gallery

Kepler-16b, the first confirmed circumbinary planet

Inside the Double-Sun Planet Discovery

How Smithsonian and Harvard scientists discovered the planet that orbits two stars

See Sidney Mobell's 18-karat gold Monopoly Board at the Museum of American Finance in New York as part of Smithsonian's Museum Day.

The Jeweled Art of Sidney Mobell

Mobell is one of the world’s most unusual artists: a craftsman who turns everyday items into extremely valuable works of jeweled art

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