May 2009
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
In Search of the Mysterious Narwhal
Ballerina turned biologist Kristin Laidre gives her all to study the elusive, deep-diving, ice-loving whale known as the "unicorn of the sea"
Iowa-Born, Soviet-Trained
George Koval was a baseball fan and a chum to the guys in his U.S. Army unit. So why did he steal one of America's most valuable atomic secrets for the USSR?
In Vogue
A new book reminds us that Edward Steichen raised fashion photography to an art
California Dreamin'
Untrammeled wilderness and new age enclave, Big Sur retains its rugged beauty and quirky charm
Harboring History
In Florida's panhandle, vibrant Pensacola stakes its claim as the oldest European settlement in the United States
Chicago Eats
Smothered pork chops on the south side. Baba Ghanouj in Albany Park. White Borscht on polish broadway. Our ravenous reporter tastes his way through the city's extraordinary ethnic neighborhoods
Highlights & Hotspots
Highlights & Hotspots
Departments
Dancing for Mao
A photograph of a 5-year-old girl made her famous in China—and haunted the man who took it
Finding Feisty Fungi
On treeless Antarctica, wood fungus is feasting on polar exploration relics
Cowboys and Immigrants
Two dueling archetypes dominated 20th-century American politics. Is it time for them to be reconciled?
Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Dinosaur gangs, psychedelic fish and long-distance elephant calls
Big Snakes
Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute publish their amazing find of Titanoboa, the world's largest snake
For Pete's Sake
Pete Seeger is still singing the ballads that popularized folk music and transformed the genre into a call for action
Suits, Boots and Gloves
The spacesuits that kept U.S. astronauts alive now owe their survival to one woman