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Two unidentified Australian officers examining a tree trunk which was used as an observation post at German House. The opening to the post is located at the base of the trunk. The color patches indicate the officers are members of the 3rd Division Army Services Corps. Note behind the post a dugout (center, right) and trenches.

These Fake Trees Were Used as Spy Posts on the Front Lines of World War I

On the Western Front, meticulously crafted iron trees were used by both sides to conceal enemy forces

Order an old fashioned at the Frolic Room on Hollywood Boulevard, an old haunt of show business greats like Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.

Lights, Camera…Cocktails! Five Historic Bars From Hollywood’s Golden Age

Toast the Oscars at one of these Old Holywood watering holes

Fresh erizos del mar (sea urchins) served in the shell.

Seven Foods You Have to Try in Chile

Watch the moon from this moonscape in Craters of the Moon State Park, Idaho.

Fifteen Perfect Spots to Watch the Total Solar Eclipse as it Crosses the U.S. This Summer

One of the most exciting astronomical event in U.S. history is happening in August

After orbiting the moon, Columbia made a nationwide tour that ended in 1971 when the command module came to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Apollo 11 Command Module Makes Another Journey

The command module “Columbia” will visit four U.S. museums, leaving DC for the first time in 46 years.

Seward paid $200,000 extra to get the territory “free and clear.”

The Everlasting, Awe-Inspiring Power of Alaska

For 150 years, Alaska has been a part of the United States, and it’s never ceased to amaze

David Monteleone’s self-portrait as Lenin in Trelleborg, Sweden, where the Russian revolutionary arrived by ferry from Germany.

Russian Revolution

Vladimir Lenin’s Return Journey to Russia Changed the World Forever

On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, our writer set out from Zurich to relive this epic travel

Left: Matisse's Notre Dame, a Late Afternoon, 1902. Right: Diebenkorn's Ingleside, 1963.

The Lasting Influence Matisse Had on Richard Diebenkorn’s Artwork

The great American painter owed a luminous debt to the French Modernist

The award-winning, responsive-design website fits your phone, tablet and computer and can be used to make an itinerary for easy printout and planning.

You Don’t Need to Wait for Spring to Enjoy the Smithsonian Gardens

This new tour guide will help you relax in these urban oases

A Silk Road Wine Trail Karas Monument at the entrance of Rind Village in Vayots Dzor, Armenia.

Armenia

Can Ancient Techniques Make Modern Wine Better?

A new generation of wineries are going to painstaking lengths to acquire hundreds of historic clay karases

The Great Wall of China is a remarkable work of architecture—but there are plenty of myths surrounding it.

Sticky Rice Mortar, the View From Space, and More Fun Facts About China’s Great Wall

The not-so-effective wall was a lengthy, pricey project that stretched across thousands of years

Interior of Historic RCA Studio B today.

Play Paul Simon’s Piano or Croon Into Elvis’ Mic at These Seven Historic Recording Studios

Take a tour through Americana music history

Eight Secrets of the Taj Mahal

One of the world’s greatest memorials to love remains a place of mystery

Asli Saghatelyan stands next to her father-in-law’s 240-gallon karas, a clay vessel traditionally used in Armenia, until recently, for storing and fermenting homemade wine.

Armenia: Smithsonian Guide

Unearthing Armenia’s Giant, Ancient Earthenware

These 240-gallon clay karases, crucial to the early development of winemaking, once held enormous value

Spring in the gardens.

American South

The Southern Romance of the Nation’s Oldest Public Garden

Three centuries of beauty and history are on display at the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

How Moonshine Bootlegging Gave Rise to NASCAR

Rotgut and firewater are the founding fathers of our nation’s racing pastime

Chile: Top Destinations

Top destinations in Chile.

Atlas of Eating

Reuben Riffel on Becoming a Top Chef in Post-Apartheid South Africa

South African food culture fosters connection, he says

La Tour d'Argent restaurant offers dramatic views of the Paris skyline.

Atlas of Eating

Does the Classic Paris Meal Still Exist?

Two food lovers set out to learn whether the Paris dining experience of their youth can still be found

“The Hirshhorn’s unique modernist architecture offers a striking backdrop for the orchids’ brilliant color,” says the museum's director Melissa Chiu.

Why Orchids Belong in an Art Museum

Washington’s much-anticipated annual flower show moves to the Hirshhorn for the flora that loves to perform

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