American History

This lobate ctenophore is another bioluminescent creature that lives off the coast of the Americas.

Bioluminescent Worms Welcomed Columbus to the New World

Before Columbus made landfall in the New World 520 years ago today, glowing green worms engaged in a mating dance may have welcomed him first

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The U.S. Air Force’s Plan To Build a Flying Saucer

Newly-released schematics show the plans for a failed flying saucer

The Shanghai Quartet will return to the Freer to kick off its 19th season.

Events October 9-11: Short Films, Chef Demonstrations and a Shanghai Quartet

This week at the Smithsonian, daily screenings, the best of American cuisine and new arrangements of Chinese folk songs

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Why Pencils Are Way Better Than Pens

Count Wolfgang, head of a huge pencil company, explains why pencils are wonderful

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Skydiver Plans to Break the Sound Barrier by Jumping From 120,000 Feet

Carried aloft by a giant helium balloon, Felix Baumgartner will free-fall from the stratosphere

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The First Anchorman Ever Was Not Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite is widely referred to as the world's first anchorman. But a man named John Cameron Swayze might have beat him to the punch

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The Ruby Slippers Head to London

Get a peek at the iconic shoes from the Wizard of Oz before they head to the Victoria and Albert Museum for a temporary exhibit

Mrs. Judo tells the story of the living legend, Keiko Fukuda.

Events October 5-7: Mrs. Judo, Staring at the Sun and Chamber Society Music

This weekend, a 99-year old judo legend, a scientist who studies the sun and a season-opener with the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society.

California Governor Jerry Brown

California Bans ‘Cure The Gays’ Therapy

In California, it's no longer legal to try to cure homosexual youth

“I’d come back from an op and couldn’t wait for what happens next,” says Douglas Groat (shown in a reenactment with tools of the trade).

The CIA Burglar Who Went Rogue

Douglas Groat thought he understood the risks of his job—until he took on his own employer

At the gravesite of Mercy Lena Brown, right, sightseers leave offerings such as plastic vampire teeth and jewelry.

The Great New England Vampire Panic

Two hundred years after the Salem witch trials, farmers became convinced that their relatives were returning from the grave to feed on the living

Dr. Lewis Fielding’s File Cabinet.

The World’s Most Famous Filing Cabinet

After Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, the notorious Plumbers broke into his psychiatrist's office, looking for a way to discredit him

"It's possible my natural level is in the Senate," John F. Kennedy said—but then he won the 1960 election. As president, he and his wife hosted Ben and Tony Bradlee (left and third from left) at the White House.

Kennedy After Dark: A Dinner Party About Politics and Power

In this exclusive transcript from the JFK library, hear what he had to say just days after announcing his candidacy for the presidency

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The Regular Referees Are Back So We Can Start Hating Them Again

The regular N.F.L. referees have reached a deal and will return to officiating American's favorite contact sport

Clotilde Arias in 1942 with the Argentine composer Terrig Tucci

At American History, Meet the Composer of the Spanish Language National Anthem

From the Amazon River Basin to Madison Avenue, the woman behind the Spanish translation of the Star-Spangled Banner united the Americas

A toothbrush floats in the International Space Station.

It’s Now Legal for Early American Astronauts to Sell Their Space Toothbrushes

A new law lays out the details of who owns souvenirs from the early space era

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Your State Border Might Not Be Where You Think

The boundaries of your state might not be as solid as you imagined

High School Students Hit a Forty Year Low on the SAT Reading Section

Over 50 percent of test takers scored below the level that would indicate college success, and scores from every racial group but one (Asian) declined

Are Science Museums Going Extinct?

Will science museums survive when the topics they cover are invisible or impossibly far away?

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Here’s What Space Shuttle Endeavour Looked at While You Looked at Space Shuttle Endeavour

Here's what Endeavour saw during its #Spottheshuttle tour

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