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Two of Frank Kameny’s notebooks. In one, Kameny notes that the owners of the Tides Hotel are “non-members” but “sympathetic.”

Frank Kameny Helped Chart a Path to Liberation for Millions of Gay Americans

Personal notebooks reveal what life was like for the Washington activist who spent decades advocating for equal rights in the federal government and elsewhere

Piles of marigold garlands at the 170-year-old Mullick Ghat flower market in Kolkata. The flowers are ubiquitous at Hindu religious rituals and festivals.

From Flower Markets and Colonial Forts to Shrines and Battlefields, Take a Journey Into the Heart of India

Traveling down a river in West Bengal reveals the enduring imprint of empire—and the soul of a region shaped by centuries of change

The production of knives flourished in Sakai due to the rich history of traditional metal processing techniques.

The Japanese City Known for Making Knives That Are a Cut Above

Ninety percent of professional chefs in Japan buy their knives in Sakai. TikTok users are spreading the word, and demand is skyrocketing, as international tourists want in on the action

Visitors to the Grand Egyptian Museum can view the pyramids.

A Sweeping Transformation Is Underway as the Grand Egyptian Museum Prepares to Officially Open and the Giza Plateau Braces for a Record-Breaking Influx of Visitors

The Egyptian government is making changes to enhance the visitor experience around the pyramids, but are these modifications threatening the livelihoods of local communities rooted in generations-old tourism practices?

In some countries, it’s not uncommon to bring cows and other farm animals into the house with humans for the winter. It protects them from the chill and adds a source of heat to the home in frigid months.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Get a Glimpse of Farm Life All Around the World

These 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest will grow on you

Da Shuhua is a 500-year-old tradition that involves throwing molten iron (heated to more than 2,900 degrees) against a frozen wall to create a spectacle similar to fireworks.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These 15 Remarkable Photographs of China Will Transport You Halfway Across the World

It’s as beautiful as it is historical. See the old, new and much of what’s in between in China

Apps like the newly launched Runmates provide links to running clubs worldwide.

Third Places Are Being Reimagined—and Welcoming Travelers in the Process

Outside of home and work, spaces like parks, food halls and libraries are stepping up with social offerings

Colorful umbrellas protect beachgoers from the glaring sun on a day when most seemingly opted to stay somewhere cooler.

Get a Dose of Sun, Sand and Sea With These 20 Scenes From the Beach

These highlights from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest are sure to remind you of everything you love about the shore

Kulfi is the perfect cool-down in Delhi's sweltering heat.

Fancy a Kulfi? From Granita to Queso Helado, Cool Down With These Seven Frozen Desserts Found Around the World

Shaved ice, stretchy ice cream and other cold treats can transport you in time and place

The pok-ta-pok revival began in Mexico in the mid-1900s, but it only picked up steam over the past decade, with Belize playing a leading role on the global stage.

In Belize, Maya Descendants Are Reviving an Ancient, Sacred Ballgame

A movement is underway to make pok-ta-pok, the world’s oldest team ballgame, the national sport

The Kaweah Post Office (ZIP code 93271) building in Three Rivers is one of the oldest functioning post offices in the United States, dating back to 1910. 

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service With These 15 Photographs

These shots from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest are truly a dream delivery

Entrepreneurs are remaking these 16th to 18th century farmhouses into intimate retreats and luxury hotels.

The Centuries-Old Abandoned Farmhouses of Puglia Are Having a Renaissance Moment

Supporting sustainability and local economies, these out-of-the-way structures known as masserie are offering a new type of rustic luxury

Brightly colored homes line the caldera in Santorini, a contrast to much of the blue-and-white motif.

Coastal Cities of Europe

See Greece in All Its Gorgeous Glory

These 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest remind us of the grandeur of Greece

Florida's Everglades was recognized for being a dynamic ecosystem worth protecting as a national park beginning in 1947.

Seven Mysteries You Can Explore in America’s National Parks

From unexplained phenomena to baffling disappearances, follow the clues while discovering our country’s treasured protected areas

"Mysteries From the Deep: Exploring Underwater Archaeology" features interactive experiences, 3D models and excavated artifacts.

How Underwater Archaeology Brings Secrets to the Surface, From Lost Shipwrecks to Submerged Cities

An immersive new exhibition at the Intrepid Museum in New York City spotlights the science and technology behind the discipline

Through this model of community-based conservation, Peru’s vicuña population has grown to over 200,000.

How an Ancestral Peruvian Ceremony Is Saving the Once-Endangered Vicuña

Each year in the first weeks of June, Indigenous communities in the Andes form a human chain to corral the camelids and shear their valuable wool

Jewish communities in Poland originated foods like the bialy, the knish and the bagel.

Jewish Food Is Making a Comeback in Poland

Bagels, knishes, bialys and more are popping up in bakeries as the country reckons with historical trauma

More than 1,800 feet high, the CN Tower, a communications hub and tourist attraction, pierces the night sky just after dusk in downtown Toronto.

From the Coast to the Capital, Enjoy an Eyeful of Extraordinary Eastern Canada

See 15 images of our neighbor to the north from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

A young Ernest Hemingway on what would prove his most fruitful trip to Pamplona, in July 1925.

Go Behind the Scenes of the Running of the Bulls

An offbeat journey to the legendary Spanish festival 100 years after the life-changing trip that inspired Ernest Hemingway to write “The Sun Also Rises”

The title Jaws doesn’t quite give justice to the sharp teeth that are the real terrifying characteristic of these marine animals.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of ‘Jaws’ With 15 Shark Snapshots

The classic thriller might discourage you from getting in the water, so check out these sensational shark images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest instead

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