CURRENT ISSUE
March 2012
Features
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Titanic-sinking-illustration-631.jpg)
Shadow of the Titanic
One hundred years after the ocean liner struck an iceberg and sank, the tragedy still looms large in the popular psyche
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Titanic-Optical-Illustion-631.jpg)
Optical Illusion
New research may have found the reason why the ship struck an iceberg: light refraction
:focal(370x342:371x343)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/c1/89/c1891604-368c-4441-85a8-d5d1f080ae3c/titanic-almost-victims.jpg)
They Missed the Boat
The notables who planned to sail on the fateful voyage included a world-famous novelist, a radio pioneer and America’s biggest tycoons
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Polaroid-SX-70-camera-631.jpg)
One-Step Wonder
Edwin Land's camera, the SX-70, perfected the art of instant gratification
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Billy-Collins-The-Unfortunate-Traveler-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Delphine-Diaw-Diallo-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Sirio-Magnabosco-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Tomeu-Coll-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Robin-Maddock-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Jose-Antonio-Martinez-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Jonathan-Smith-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Pilar-Belmonte-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Jeremy-Everett-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Lisa-Blatt-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Farzana-Wahidy-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Keith-Coleman-631.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/Photography-Stars-Chris-Linder-631.jpg)
Departments
Contributors
Dream Building
A Wilderness Of Errol
The documentary filmmaker has become America's most surprising and provocative public intellectual
Hive Mind
The world's leading expert on bee behavior discovers the secrets of decision-making in a swarm
Moveable Feasts
Our new food columnist traces the food truck revolution back to its Los Angeles roots
Perception
The renowned author of A Natural History of the Senses visits Florida's Morikami Japanese Gardens to examine the astonishing wealth of human perception
Visualize This
Browse through the winning images that turn scientific exploration into art
Say It Loud
This vivid new book charts the dazzling contradictions in the life of the Godfather of Soul
Inside The Box
For decades, video games have enthralled and inspired, and now they are the subject of a new exhibit that views them as serious works of art
All Together Now
The motivation behind Quetzal’s music is stirring dreams – and helping build communities
Seeing Past Twilight
The wildly popular novels and movies depict werewolves as members of the Quileute Indians of Washington State – a new exhibit tells their real story
Ask Smithsonian
In the latest edition of Ask Smithsonian, we sent your burning questions to the Institution's curators
Here & Now
Fast Forward
The 1,080-foot-high Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, opening in April, has also been labeled the "Hotel of Doom"