Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Arts & Culture / Trends & Traditions

U.S. Marine Band on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Inauguration History

After an Inauguration, the Stars Come out to Play

Ever since George Washington danced after his inauguration, the ceremony has brought big names in the arts to the capital city

"Some halls of fame are admittedly just a nice way for industries to give loyal timeservers a pat on the back."

Your Name Here

If you’re not yet a Hall of Famer, maybe you’re just not trying

"Very seldom do a bunch of Santas get together," says Jerry Clarke, the right-most Santa, who manages apartments by day.

The More the Merrier

Photographer Neal Slavin captures the night some Santas bent the rules

Pulitzer Prize-winning author N. Scott Momaday operates the Buffalo Trust, a nonprofit organization working to preserve Native cultures.

N. Scott Momaday and the Buffalo Trust

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Kiowa Indian N. Scott Momaday runs a nonprofit organization working to preserve Native cultures

A 1910s Happy New Year postcard depicts a child running over a snowman.

Outrageous Postcards and Ads of Snowmen Gone Wild

Before the age of Frosty, the snowman was abused by children and exploited by advertisers

Pier M. Forni's book, The Civility Solution: What do Do When People Are Rude.

Choosing Civility in a Rude Culture

Professor Pier M. Forni has devoted his career to convincing people to conduct their lives with kindness and civility

A Sufi pilgrim dances at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, in Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan, in 2006.

Pakistan’s Sufis Preach Faith and Ecstasy

The believers in Islamic mysticism embrace a personal approach to their faith and a different outlook on how to run their government

Thanks to the Internet, everyone's a book critic.

Amazon Warriors

Thanks to the Internet, everyone’s a book critic

For decades, Native American groups requested the return of artifacts and human remains. Though there were occasional repatriations, the protests either fell on deaf ears or tribes lacked the financial and legal support necessary to complete the process.

The Road to Repatriation

The National Museum of the American Indian works with Native Tribes to bring sacred artifacts home again

Boxes: A Lesson in Maintenance

History’s “Global Languages”

None

The Million Word March

What defines a word? Lexicographers and other experts don’t always agree

Irmgard, Jake and Jane at Plitt reunion

Clan-Do Spirit

A genealogical surprise led the author to ask: What does it take to be one of the family?

There are about 250 authentic chemical photobooths left in the United States

Four for a Quarter

Photographer Nakki Goranin shows how the once ubiquitous photobooth captured the many faces of 20th-century America

None

Growing Up Gambino

Confessions of an alleged Mafia princess

Smith (center) and Carlos (right) raised their arms and Norman wore a badge on his chest in support.

Olympic Athletes Who Took a Stand

For 40 years, Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos have lived with the consequences of their fateful protest

Leopold (top) and Loeb (bottom)

Challenges

To save a wall and understand killers’ motives

The Nightmare (Henry Fuseli, 1781)

Dream On

Why your nightmares hold the key to workplace success

The arduous task of silkworm cultivation involved keeping the tiny silkworm eggs (about 35,000 of them weigh only an ounce) at the correct temperature. Hatched worms then had to be fed mulberry leaves around the clock.

Spin Cycle

Silkworm farming, or sericulture, was a backbreaking job that often required the participation of entire families

None

Interview: Eric G. Wilson

Why the pursuit of happiness naturally includes melancholy

Page 18 of 25