April/May 2022
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
There's Plenty of Juice on Block Island
The historic community overcame controversy to lead the American revolution in offshore wind power
Welcome Back
A hunting ban has fostered the return of a nearly extinct walrus
Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road?
To reproduce, of course. And a band of volunteers gathers at night to help it—and countless other amphibians—get to the other side
Making the Connection
The Chinese immigrants who helped build the transcontinental railroad were soon forgotten. Now their achievement is finally coming to light
Italian Renaissance
Ancient villas on sale for about a dollar? Italy goes the extra mile to revive rural towns
The Legend of The Music Tree
Exotic lumber salvaged from a remote forest in Belize is the world’s most coveted tonewood
Viking Village
A massive 1,100-year-old graveyard leads to a surprising new view of the Nordic legacy in Britain
Departments
Discussion
Readers respond to the March 2022 issue
America's Home Run
An exhibition at the National Postal Museum puts a new stamp on the history of the nation’s favorite pasttime
More Than a Muse
She famously inspired Picasso, but a new book shows that her own paintings deserve renown
Hot Type Makes News
The last of its kind, a small-town newspaper in Colorado is still slugging it out
The Unequal Distribution of Health
A new Smithsonian Channel documentary shines a light on medicine’s biases
Paris on the Potomac
The American visionaries rebuilding part of Notre-Dame using 12th-century tools
Ask Smithsonian
You've got questions. We've got experts