Articles tagged as Archives | Smithsonian Magazine

Heritage scientist Cecilia Bembibre captures the smell of a 18th-century bible at Knole House.

New Research

The Quest to Better Describe the Scent of Old Books

Describing a unique smell just got easier thanks to a pair of olfactory detectives

April 7, 2017

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault. A new vault will protect the world's books, archives and documents on long-lasting film

Cool Finds

A Second Doomsday Vault—This One to to Preserve Data—Is Opening in Svalbard

Known as the Arctic World Archive, it will store copies of books, archives and documents on special film

April 5, 2017

President Herbert Hoover (center right) plays a rousing game of Hooverball on the South Lawn of the White House.

Cool Finds

Newly Discovered Color Movies Show Herbert Hoover’s Softer Side

From Hooverball to White House frolics, you’ve never seen the staid president quite like this

March 23, 2017

King Tut captivated the U.S. in 1976, thanks in part to an NEH grant.

Since 1965, the agency has bestowed more than 63,000 humanities-related grants

March 15, 2017

This once-secret memo lays out methods for secret writing once used by intelligence agencies.

The National Archives wants you…to make documents more accessible to future generations

March 13, 2017

The late justice's papers will be housed at Harvard Law.

The Supreme Court justice left behind a substantial legal and archival legacy

March 7, 2017

Lou Reed graffiti in France is a reminder of the rock star's international infuence.

Trending Today

Lou Reed’s Papers Have Found a Home

The vicious Velvet Underground frontman will live on at the New York Public Library

March 2, 2017

A woodcut from 1482 is yours for the coloring in a book by the Bodleian Library.

Cool Finds

#ColorOurCollections Is Back, Turning Your Favorite Cultural Institutions Into Coloring Books

In its second year, it’s more vibrant than ever

February 8, 2017

Anger is no match for Patience—no matter how large her sword.

Cool Finds

Here’s What Happens in a “Comic Book” Drawn by Medieval Monks

Psychomachia pits vice against virtue in a battle for human souls

January 26, 2017

Samuel Clemens often told stories to his children, but only one has survived.

Cool Finds

New Mark Twain Fairy Tale Unearthed

The previously unknown—and unfinished—story was hiding in plain sight

January 25, 2017

Cool Finds

This Necklace Contains All of the World’s Languages

Because cultural preservation never goes out of fashion

January 23, 2017

What Happens to President Obama’s Papers and Artifacts Once He Leaves Office?

From Cuban cigars to a 7,000-page torture report

January 19, 2017

A 1952 report on a flying saucer sighting in East Germany housed in the CIA's recently released archive suggests that the truth is, perhaps, out there.

Cool Finds

Over 12 Million Pages of CIA Documents Are Now Accessible Online

Coups, clairvoyants, invisible ink

January 18, 2017

Bruce Springsteen performs with drummer Max Weinberg in 2008.

A new center will celebrate the glory days of Boss and other American musical icons

January 13, 2017

Thatcher visits with President Bush in Aspen, Colorado in 1990 during a diplomatic reception. News of her resignation lit up diplomatic channels around the world.

The Iron Lady glistens in newly released papers about her last years as Prime Minister

December 30, 2016

Score was a tiny communications satellite attached to a really big rocket.

Cool Finds

Celebrate Christmas With the First Voice Ever Broadcast in Space

Eisenhower kicked off the space race with a goodwill wish

December 22, 2016

Tens of thousands of sticky notes were used to create the communal artwork/therapy session.

Cool Finds

New Yorkers’ Post-Election Post-its Will Be Preserved

Subway Therapy captured a city’s outpouring of emotion. Now, the notes New Yorkers left behind will be archived

December 21, 2016

Glad tidings! There's a new Christmas song in town.

Researchers Found a Long-Lost Christmas Song

“Crown Winter With Green” has some serious archival cred—and a sad story to tell

December 15, 2016

Men smoke pipes and drink on the London streets. Booth's police notebooks reveal the everyday habits of Londoners.

Cool Finds

Explore the Seedy Reality of a London Long Gone

Charles Booth explored the poorest parts of England’s capital—and changed the way social scientists think about the world

December 12, 2016

A panoramic map of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, MO.

Cool Finds

The Library of Congress Is Putting Its Map Collection on the Map

A new partnership with the Digital Public Library of America will put three major LOC map collections online

December 12, 2016