Library of Congress | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/library-congress/RSS feed for Library of CongressenTue, 14 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000Thomas Jefferson’s Original Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence Can Now Be Seen at the Library of Congresshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thomas-jeffersons-original-rough-draft-of-the-declaration-of-independence-can-be-seen-at-library-of-congress-180989113/The new exhibition, which shows how the document was edited, also features an early copy of the Gettysburg AddressTue, 14 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thomas-jeffersons-original-rough-draft-of-the-declaration-of-independence-can-be-seen-at-library-of-congress-180989113/Alan Lomax Spent Years Traveling the Country to Record the Sounds of America. The Legacy of His Obsession Will Live Foreverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/alan-lomax-spent-years-traveling-country-record-sounds-america-legacy-obsession-live-forever-180988858/By letting Muddy Waters hear himself for the first time, he unlocked a new confidence that set the sharecropper on the path to superstardom. And that’s just the start of what he found in churches, prisons and even lumberjack campsWed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/alan-lomax-spent-years-traveling-country-record-sounds-america-legacy-obsession-live-forever-180988858/Music From Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, Plus Dozens of Other 'Audio Treasures,' Added to National Recording Registryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/music-from-taylor-swift-and-beyonce-plus-dozens-of-other-audio-treasures-added-to-national-recording-registry-180988754/The 25 newest additions to the national playlist at the Library of Congress have been deemed "worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage"Fri, 15 May 2026 21:32:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/music-from-taylor-swift-and-beyonce-plus-dozens-of-other-audio-treasures-added-to-national-recording-registry-180988754/A Rare 1897 Film Discovered in an Old Trunk in Michigan Features the First On-Screen Appearance of a Robothttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-1897-film-discovered-in-an-old-trunk-in-michigan-features-the-first-on-screen-appearance-of-robot-180988547/Filmmaker Georges Méliès employed some of his signature special effects techniques to create comedy in "Gugusse and the Automaton"Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:16:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-1897-film-discovered-in-an-old-trunk-in-michigan-features-the-first-on-screen-appearance-of-robot-180988547/See the Stunning 171-Year-Old Sketch That Helped Put Yosemite on the Maphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-stunning-171-year-old-sketch-that-helped-put-yosemite-on-the-map-180988385/The Library of Congress has acquired a drawing and accompanying lithograph of Yosemite Falls created by Gold Rush-era artist Thomas Almond Ayres in 1855Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:51:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-stunning-171-year-old-sketch-that-helped-put-yosemite-on-the-map-180988385/From 'The Karate Kid' to 'Clueless,' These Are the 25 New Additions to the National Film Registry. See the Full List Herehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/from-karate-kid-to-clueless-these-are-the-25-new-additions-to-the-national-film-registry-see-the-full-list-here-180988110/"The Incredibles," "Inception" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" join more than 900 titles preserved by the Library of CongressFri, 30 Jan 2026 19:51:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/from-karate-kid-to-clueless-these-are-the-25-new-additions-to-the-national-film-registry-see-the-full-list-here-180988110/These 15 Photographs Capture What It's Like to Walk Through Wonderful, Historic Washington, D.C.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/take-a-virtual-walk-through-wonderful-historic-washington-dc-180987768/Enjoy this selection of images of the nation’s capital from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo ContestFri, 05 Dec 2025 16:30:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/take-a-virtual-walk-through-wonderful-historic-washington-dc-180987768/Nathan Hale, the Doomed Patriot Spy, Probably Never Said 'I Only Regret That I Have but One Life to Lose for My Country' Before His Executionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/nathan-hale-doomed-patriot-spy-probably-never-said-i-only-regret-that-i-have-but-one-life-to-lose-for-my-country-before-his-execution-180987353/The young Connecticut schoolmaster's intelligence-gathering mission was ill-fated from the start. But after he was hanged by the British in September 1776, his story became the stuff of legendMon, 22 Sep 2025 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/nathan-hale-doomed-patriot-spy-probably-never-said-i-only-regret-that-i-have-but-one-life-to-lose-for-my-country-before-his-execution-180987353/Want to See the Original Lyrics for 'Over the Rainbow'? All You Need Is a Library Cardhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/want-to-see-the-original-lyrics-for-over-the-rainbow-all-you-need-is-a-library-card-180987238/The Library of Congress has acquired a collection of musical manuscripts and other rare artifacts connected to "The Wizard of Oz"Wed, 27 Aug 2025 17:07:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/want-to-see-the-original-lyrics-for-over-the-rainbow-all-you-need-is-a-library-card-180987238/Windows 95 Jingle, 1960 World Series Broadcast and Other 'Audio Treasures' Added to the National Recording Registryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/windows-95-jingle-1960-world-series-broadcast-and-other-audio-treasures-added-to-the-national-recording-registry-180986411/From a list of 2,600 nominations submitted by the public, the Library of Congress has selected 25 songs, albums and sounds that are at least ten years old to preserve for posterityFri, 11 Apr 2025 16:47:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/windows-95-jingle-1960-world-series-broadcast-and-other-audio-treasures-added-to-the-national-recording-registry-180986411/