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February 2014

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Features

Eddies the Eagle

The Eagle Never Landed

After he became the world’s most lovable Winter Olympian, “Eddie the Eagle” soared

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Valentine’s Revenge

First comes love, then comes divorce. A brief and heartbreaking history of the end of marriage

Backbeard

The Last Days of Blackbeard

An exclusive account of the final raid and political maneuvers of history’s most notorious pirate

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Voles in Love

Burrowing balls of fluff, recently plucked from the American prairie, hold the secrets to our deepest bonds and affections. Meet the vole, the animal whose very name contains the word

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The Cave Dwellers

Once the “shame of Italy,” the ancient warren of natural caves in Matera may be Europe’s most dramatic story of rebirth

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The Mouth that Roared

Fifty years ago, the “Louisville Lip” fulfilled his own prophecy

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Blood in the Jungle

The sensational murder of a married couple trying to protect an Amazon rainforest points to an ominous trend: a worldwide spike in violence against environmental advocates

Lincoln

Lincoln’s Boys

The slain president’s two personal secretaries battled mudslingers for a quarter-century to shape his image

Departments

From the Editor

From the Editor

Introducing our February 2014 issue

From the Castle

From the Castle

The Secretary of the Smithsonian looks at the many advantages offered by the new technology

Letters to the Editor

Discussion

From our readers

Phenomena

Gold

The desire for gold has defined human history

Phenomena

All that Glitters

Flirting fireflies illuminate a dark forest with golden light during mating season

Phenomena

Gold-Blooded Murder

Shirley Eaton celebrates the 50th anniversary of her glittering screen

Phenomena

A Golden Cure?

Doctors are harnessing metallic spheres to fight cancer

Phenomena

Royal Raptor

Rare photos of a golden eagle attack illustrate the predator’s legendary hunting techniques

Around the Mall

Sky High

A new fusion of camera and captor gives us a bird’s-eye view of America

Around the Mall

LISTEN: Five-Time Grammy Winner Flaco Jiménez Returns to his Tex-Mex Roots

Virtuoso 12-string bajo sexto player Max Baca talks about his long-time partner Flaco Jiménez

Around the Mall

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