December 2014
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
Look Both Ways
With driverless cars zooming toward us, it’s time to remember the first American automotive revolution
Bully for Baristas
A half-century before Starbucks, Teddy Roosevelt’s family imported coffee culture to the United States
The Controversial Afterlife of King Tut
A frenzy of conflicting scientific analyses have made the famous pharaoh more mysterious than ever
The Lions of the Trees
The fate of the lion-tailed macaque, found in just one small pocket in India, is tied to its disappearing habitat
Massacre at Sand Creek
Hundreds of women and children were coming towards us, and getting on their knees for mercy
Raw Material
Thomas Hart Benton and America’s modern era
Ninja Warrior
Built for stealth, the shadowy SR-71 was the height of cold war spycraft
The Mystery of Mount Baldy
When a boy suddenly disappeared into a sand dune, a scientist embarked on a quest to find out where he went
Departments
The Mark of Zero
Deep in the jungle, an intrepid scholar locates a symbol of power and mystery
Twin Stars
Scott and Mark Kelly, the only twins to have traveled in space, are embarking on a mission to help NASA prepare for Mars