Earthly Wonders

Prepare to be amazed.

Ask Smithsonian: What’s a Stone Baby? (1:07)

The hagfish is a slime-emitting ocean-dweller that's remained unchanged for 300 million years--and it shows. It has a skull (but no spine), velvet smooth skin, and a terrifying pit of a mouth that's lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The Hagfish Is the Slimy Sea Creature of Your Nightmares (3:00)

One highly influential ancient Middle Eastern civilization established some of the essential systems we still use today. Think you know which it is?

Who Decided to Put 60 Seconds in a Minute? (2:33)

With the development of better flight technology, commercial air travel received an unprecedented boom in the 1960s. But to fully sell the glamor of flying, the airlines needed these women on board.

Air Travel Was a Party, and They Were the Hosts (2:57)