Tutored in several European languages for hours on end and strapped to a steel rod for posture, Consuelo Vanderbilt's childhood was anything but easy.

Could You Have Endured Consuelo Vanderbilt's Upbringing? (4:30)

Why saying cheese just didnt happen in the early days of photography.

Ask Smithsonian: Why Don’t People Smile in Old Photographs? (1:12)

For six weeks, luna moth caterpillars gorge themselves on the leaves of the marula tree. Then, when they're ready, they instinctively weave giant cocoons around themselves in preparation for their stunning metamorphosis.

Timelapse Footage of a Giant Caterpillar Weaving Its Cocoon (2:34)

Da Vinci's The Last Supper plays a key role in the 2006 blockbuster hit The Da Vinci Code. Although the film's claims are more fiction than fact, could the painting actually contain a message from Leonardo?

Does 'The Last Supper' Really Have a Hidden Meaning? (4:03)