Germany | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/germany/RSS feed for GermanyenTue, 01 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000Some of the Earliest Automobile Enthusiasts Signed Up to Help the Allies in WWI. They Also Ushered in the Mechanization of Warhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/some-earliest-automobile-enthusiasts-signed-up-help-allies-world-war-i-also-ushered-in-mechanization-war-180989285/When the gentlemen drivers of Britain’s Royal Automobile Club Volunteer Force shipped their roadsters and racers to face the Germans, they became chauffeurs, couriers and inadvertent combatantsTue, 01 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/some-earliest-automobile-enthusiasts-signed-up-help-allies-world-war-i-also-ushered-in-mechanization-war-180989285/Snails Can Make Their Slime Sticky, Slippery, Foamy or Hard Depending on Their Needs. Here's How They Tweak Their Multipurpose Mucushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/snails-can-make-their-slime-sticky-slippery-foamy-or-hard-depending-on-their-needs-heres-how-they-tweak-their-multipurpose-mucus-180989361/The critters can alter the proportions of calcium and collagen in the versatile substance, which changes the protein structure. The different textures can help snails glide, climb or protect themselvesThu, 27 Aug 2026 20:04:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/snails-can-make-their-slime-sticky-slippery-foamy-or-hard-depending-on-their-needs-heres-how-they-tweak-their-multipurpose-mucus-180989361/'Hunger Stones' Resurface in Europe, Bringing Centuries-Old Warnings Back Into View as Rivers Hit Historic Lowshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hunger-stones-resurface-europe-bringing-centuries-old-warnings-back-into-view-rivers-hit-historic-lows-180989387/As drought exposes stretches of riverbed in central Europe, markers carved by past generations to record low water levels are emerging once againWed, 26 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hunger-stones-resurface-europe-bringing-centuries-old-warnings-back-into-view-rivers-hit-historic-lows-180989387/This 18th-Century British Queen Turned King Arthur Into a P.R. Strategy, Drawing on Myth to Promote Her Dynasty's Claim to the Thronehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-18th-century-british-queen-turned-king-arthur-into-a-pr-strategy-drawing-on-myth-to-promote-her-dynastys-claim-to-the-throne-180989367/In 1735, Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach commissioned a cottage called Merlin's Cave, which linked the German House of Hanover to both Britain’s ancient heritage and its future successMon, 24 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-18th-century-british-queen-turned-king-arthur-into-a-pr-strategy-drawing-on-myth-to-promote-her-dynastys-claim-to-the-throne-180989367/Construction in Austria Revealed a Roman-Era Mass Grave Beneath a Soccer Field. New Research Suggests That the Men's Enemies Targeted Their 'Sensitive Areas'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-in-austria-revealed-roman-era-mass-grave-beneath-soccer-field-new-research-suggests-that-the-mens-enemies-targeted-their-sensitive-areas-180989372/No written records mention a fight in this specific part of Vienna at the time of the men's deaths. But the brutal nature of their injuries, particularly to the pelvis area, indicates that these individuals died on the battlefieldThu, 20 Aug 2026 15:06:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-in-austria-revealed-roman-era-mass-grave-beneath-soccer-field-new-research-suggests-that-the-mens-enemies-targeted-their-sensitive-areas-180989372/The Hessians Were Supposed to Quickly End the American Revolution. Instead, They Endured Years of Battles and Suffered Thousands of Casualtieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-hessians-were-supposed-to-quickly-end-the-american-revolution-instead-they-endured-years-of-battles-and-suffered-thousands-of-casualties-180989252/Some 30,000 German soldiers fought for the British during the war. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't mercenaries, and not all were actually HessiansThu, 13 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-hessians-were-supposed-to-quickly-end-the-american-revolution-instead-they-endured-years-of-battles-and-suffered-thousands-of-casualties-180989252/See Magnificent Photos of the Total Solar Eclipse Over Europe That Showcase the Sun's Beauty and the Wonder of Skywatchinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-magnificent-photos-of-the-total-solar-eclipse-over-europe-that-showcase-the-suns-beauty-and-the-wonder-of-skywatching-180989325/The moon’s shadow swept over Earth on Wednesday, captivating millions across the planet. It was the first total solar eclipse since the North American eclipse of April 2024Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-magnificent-photos-of-the-total-solar-eclipse-over-europe-that-showcase-the-suns-beauty-and-the-wonder-of-skywatching-180989325/A.I. Went to the Opera, Creating Images for an Anniversary Production of Wagner's 'Ring Cycle' at the Theater Where He First Staged the Masterpiecehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-went-to-the-opera-projecting-images-for-an-anniversary-production-of-wagners-ring-cycle-at-the-theater-where-he-first-staged-the-masterpiece-180989270/It took Richard Wagner a quarter-century to complete the four-part opera. The new production, called "10010110," uses generative artificial intelligence to explore the artwork’s evolutionWed, 05 Aug 2026 21:03:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-went-to-the-opera-projecting-images-for-an-anniversary-production-of-wagners-ring-cycle-at-the-theater-where-he-first-staged-the-masterpiece-180989270/To Recover Artworks Looted by the Nazis, Researchers Are Getting Creative, With New Strategies Including an A.I. Chatbot and a Campaign of 'Wanted' Postershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-recover-artworks-looted-by-the-nazis-researchers-are-getting-creative-with-new-strategies-including-an-ai-chatbot-and-a-campaign-of-wanted-posters-180989247/University researchers hope their new artificial intelligence chatbot makes provenance research easier and more accessibleMon, 03 Aug 2026 21:33:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-recover-artworks-looted-by-the-nazis-researchers-are-getting-creative-with-new-strategies-including-an-ai-chatbot-and-a-campaign-of-wanted-posters-180989247/Archaeologists Discover Two Thumbnail-Size Bird Sculptures Carved From Mammoth Ivory 40,000 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-two-thumbnail-sized-bird-sculptures-carved-from-mammoth-ivory-40000-years-ago-180989239/Measuring less than an inch long, the figurines were buried beneath Germany's Hohle Fels Cave, where some of the world's oldest known figurative artworks have been foundFri, 31 Jul 2026 18:01:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-two-thumbnail-sized-bird-sculptures-carved-from-mammoth-ivory-40000-years-ago-180989239/A Man Picking Berries in the Forest in Poland Might Have Stumbled Upon the Wreckage of an Allied Airplane From World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-picking-berries-in-the-forest-in-poland-might-have-stumbled-upon-the-wreckage-of-an-allied-airplane-from-world-war-ii-180989219/Experts are still investigating but note that an earlier discovery nearby identified part of the wing of a British Lancaster bomberWed, 29 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-picking-berries-in-the-forest-in-poland-might-have-stumbled-upon-the-wreckage-of-an-allied-airplane-from-world-war-ii-180989219/This Ship Sank in the Baltic Sea With Presents Bound for a Romanov Czar. Its Cargo Included Champagne, Luxury Mineral Water and Rare Meteoriteshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-ship-sank-in-the-baltic-sea-with-presents-bound-for-a-romanov-czar-its-cargo-included-champagne-luxury-mineral-water-and-rare-meteorites-180989198/New research suggests that a shipwreck discovered off the coast of Sweden in 2024 may have been transporting gifts from the German Duchy of Nassau to Alexander II of Russia in the immediate aftermath of the Crimean WarMon, 27 Jul 2026 13:19:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-ship-sank-in-the-baltic-sea-with-presents-bound-for-a-romanov-czar-its-cargo-included-champagne-luxury-mineral-water-and-rare-meteorites-180989198/British Intelligence Turned This Mansion Into a Bugged Spy Trap for Nazi Prisoners of War During World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/british-intelligence-turned-this-mansion-into-a-bugged-spy-trap-for-nazi-prisoners-of-war-during-world-war-ii-180989166/Visitors can now tour the house, where German generals relaxed and gabbed upstairs while Jewish refugees working as spies and translators for the British government listened in from the basementWed, 22 Jul 2026 00:59:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/british-intelligence-turned-this-mansion-into-a-bugged-spy-trap-for-nazi-prisoners-of-war-during-world-war-ii-180989166/When Germany Built a Flying Train 125 Years Ago, a City Coalesced Beneath It. It Has Moved Royalty, Commuters and Tourists—and One Elephant—Ever Sincehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/when-germany-built-a-flying-train-125-years-ago-a-city-coalesced-beneath-it-it-has-moved-royalty-commuters-and-touristsand-one-elephantever-since-180989072/When there was no room on the ground, towns in the Wupper Valley looked to the skies and built a suspension railway that became a source of pride and connectionWed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/when-germany-built-a-flying-train-125-years-ago-a-city-coalesced-beneath-it-it-has-moved-royalty-commuters-and-touristsand-one-elephantever-since-180989072/