California | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/california/RSS feed for CaliforniaenFri, 22 May 2026 20:20:19 +0000To Mark America's 250th Birthday, See the Country's 'Most Endangered Historic Places' You've Probably Never Heard Ofhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-mark-americas-250th-birthday-see-the-countrys-most-endangered-places-that-youve-probably-never-heard-of-180988789/From a Revolutionary War battlefield to a civil rights-era safe haven, these historic sites are at risk, according to the latest list from the National Trust for Historic PreservationFri, 22 May 2026 20:20:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-mark-americas-250th-birthday-see-the-countrys-most-endangered-places-that-youve-probably-never-heard-of-180988789/Millions of Bright Blue Blobs Called 'By-the-Wind Sailors' Are Littering Beaches Along the West Coasthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/millions-of-bright-blue-blobs-called-by-the-wind-sailors-are-littering-beaches-along-the-west-coast-180988759/The strange creatures are washing up on shores across California, Oregon and Washington this spring—and making the coast smell especially fishyTue, 19 May 2026 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/millions-of-bright-blue-blobs-called-by-the-wind-sailors-are-littering-beaches-along-the-west-coast-180988759/New, Rare Dove Hatchlings Are a 'Source of Hope' for the Extinct-in-the-Wild Birds and a Step Forward in the Ambitious Project to Save Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-rare-dove-hatchlings-are-a-source-of-hope-for-the-extinct-in-the-wild-birds-and-a-step-forward-in-the-ambitious-project-to-save-them-180988730/The Socorro dove has not been recorded in the wild since 1972, but that could change within only a few years, conservationists say, thanks to a long-term reintroduction effortFri, 15 May 2026 15:07:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-rare-dove-hatchlings-are-a-source-of-hope-for-the-extinct-in-the-wild-birds-and-a-step-forward-in-the-ambitious-project-to-save-them-180988730/These 15 Breathtaking Photos of Yosemite National Park Will Have You Planning Your Next Vacation to the Great Outdoorshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/these-15-breathtaking-photos-yosemite-national-park-have-you-planning-next-vacation-180988747/The park’s picturesque peaks, wonderful waterfalls and towering trees aren’t just photo opportunities; they’re visual poetry. And they’re just some of the reasons to love YosemiteFri, 15 May 2026 11:23:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/these-15-breathtaking-photos-yosemite-national-park-have-you-planning-next-vacation-180988747/A Snorkeling Biologist Snapped the First-Ever Photo of Newly Hatched California Giant Salamanders in the Wild. Here’s Why That's a Big Dealhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-snorkeling-biologist-snapped-the-first-ever-photos-of-newly-hatched-california-giant-salamanders-in-the-wild-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal-180988619/The discovery provides another key data point about a little-known species for which every observation mattersWed, 29 Apr 2026 17:16:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-snorkeling-biologist-snapped-the-first-ever-photos-of-newly-hatched-california-giant-salamanders-in-the-wild-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal-180988619/Walt Disney Visited a Ford Factory in 1948. What He Witnessed There Laid the Groundwork for What Would Become Disneylandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/walt-disney-visited-a-ford-factory-in-1948-what-he-witnessed-there-laid-the-groundwork-for-what-would-become-disneyland-180988551/A new book argues that the film producer's trip to the River Rouge plant in Michigan inspired him to embrace the power of automation when designing the first Disney theme parkMon, 27 Apr 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/walt-disney-visited-a-ford-factory-in-1948-what-he-witnessed-there-laid-the-groundwork-for-what-would-become-disneyland-180988551/Butterflies Are in Dramatic Decline Across North America. A Close Look at the Western Monarch Shows Whyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/butterflies-are-in-dramatic-decline-across-north-america-a-close-look-at-the-western-monarch-shows-why-180988582/Pesticides, habitat loss and climate change have taken their toll on the beloved insects. But the experts working with them still find hope for their futureFri, 24 Apr 2026 15:42:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/butterflies-are-in-dramatic-decline-across-north-america-a-close-look-at-the-western-monarch-shows-why-180988582/A Couple From Mexico Became Soft Taco Pioneers in Los Angeles 50 Years Ago. Now, Their Restaurant Is a Landmarkhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-couple-from-mexico-became-soft-taco-pioneers-in-los-angeles-50-years-ago-now-their-restaurant-is-a-landmark-180988602/Raúl and Lupe Martinez opened King Taco and served up soft corn tortillas like they remembered from home. The rest is—now officially—history, thanks to a vote from the Los Angeles City CouncilThu, 23 Apr 2026 13:26:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-couple-from-mexico-became-soft-taco-pioneers-in-los-angeles-50-years-ago-now-their-restaurant-is-a-landmark-180988602/The Remarkable, Amazing Stories of Route 66 Reflect the Twists and Turns of 100 Years of Americanahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-remarkable-amazing-stories-of-route-66-reflect-the-twists-and-turns-of-100-years-of-americana-180988601/Among the first interstates, the beloved roadway that connected Chicago to Los Angeles still looms large in popular culture and our collective imaginationThu, 23 Apr 2026 11:00:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-remarkable-amazing-stories-of-route-66-reflect-the-twists-and-turns-of-100-years-of-americana-180988601/This Rare-Coin Scavenger Hunt in San Francisco Offers Participants the Chance to Relive the California Gold Rushhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rare-coin-scavenger-hunt-in-san-francisco-offers-participants-the-chance-to-relive-the-california-gold-rush-180988598/A local coin dealer will hide historic currency worth a total of $50,000 in its third annual citywide challenge on April 25Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:42:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rare-coin-scavenger-hunt-in-san-francisco-offers-participants-the-chance-to-relive-the-california-gold-rush-180988598/Large Invasive Rodents Are Wreaking Havoc in California. New Research Suggests Someone Deliberately Introduced Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/large-invasive-rodents-are-wreaking-havoc-in-california-new-research-suggests-someone-deliberately-introduced-them-180988554/Genetic testing revealed that nutria living in California since 2017 are most closely related to a population in central Oregon—too far for the creatures to have traveled on their ownThu, 16 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/large-invasive-rodents-are-wreaking-havoc-in-california-new-research-suggests-someone-deliberately-introduced-them-180988554/The La Brea Tar Pits Have Been Sucking in Visitors for Millennia. Paleontologists Are Still Finding Out What Lies Within the Oozehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/la-brea-tar-pits-sucking-visitors-millennia-paleontologits-still-finding-out-what-lies-within-ooze-180988404/In Los Angeles, scientists are delighted to decode one of the richest fossil records on EarthTue, 07 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/la-brea-tar-pits-sucking-visitors-millennia-paleontologits-still-finding-out-what-lies-within-ooze-180988404/