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California

The photos were taken between 1966 and 1970.

Can You Identify the Mystery Photographer Who Captured Thousands of Captivating Images of 1960s San Francisco?

Discovered in an abandoned storage locker, the 2,042 processed color slides and 102 rolls of black-and-white film depict key moments in the city’s history

Shadow (left) and Jackie (right) are incubating three eggs for the second year in a row. Their nest is perched 145 feet off the ground in a Jeffrey pine near Big Bear Lake in Southern California.

Watch California’s Internet-Famous Bald Eagles Tend to Three New Eggs, Expected to Hatch Soon

Last year, the mated pair Jackie and Shadow also incubated three eggs—but none of them hatched. This year’s “pipping period,” when chicks may break out of their shells, begins in early March

The Hollywood sign, an American landmark and cultural icon, overlooks the area and has inspired many to make their showbiz dreams a reality.  

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

15 Dazzling Photos That Celebrate the Sights (and Sites) of Los Angeles

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show what makes the City of Angels and its next-door neighborhoods so heavenly

Although the Donner-Reed party’s time on the Oregon Trail was filled with suffering, their story did little to slow westward migration.

On This Day in History

Donner Party Survivors Were Rescued on This Day in 1847 After Weeks of Frigid Conditions, Starvation and—Eventually—Cannibalism

Bad luck and poor decisions turned the already dangerous trek from Missouri to California into a fatal affair for roughly half of the Donner-Reed party

The tire tracks, which cover more than two miles, were discovered in late December.

Driver Vandalizes Threatened Plants in Death Valley National Park

National Park Service officials haven’t identified the person or people who illegally drove more than two miles across Eureka Dunes, home to the federally protected Eureka dunegrass

Weighing up to 1,100 pounds, Risso's dolphins live throughout the world's temperate and tropical oceans.

See a Rare ‘Super Pod’ of More Than 1,500 Risso’s Dolphins Spotted off the Coast of California

Whale-watching tour operators encountered the mass gathering of cetaceans while looking for migrating gray whales

Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague infections, all stemming from the Yersinia pestis bacterium.

On This Day in History

On This Day in 1900, the Bubonic Plague Hit the Continental United States, Spiraling Into an Epidemic That Killed 119 People

California officials denied—and tried to hide—the first plague epidemic that reached U.S. shores

One of the first-ever images of the Mount Lyell shrew in California

See the First-Ever Photographs of the Elusive Mount Lyell Shrew, Finally Caught on Camera in California

A group of young researchers captured and photographed the animal on a three-day expedition to the Eastern Sierra Nevada

Embers from the Eaton Fire fly down a residential street in Altadena, California, on January 8.

How A.I. Can Help Humans Battle Wildfires, From Advanced Camera Systems to Forecasting Models

A variety of new technologies aim to improve wildfire detection and help map the spread of blazes

A firefighter works as the Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22.

Welcome to the Pyrocene

Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning

Sutter's Mill, California, where John Augustus Sutter struck gold, accidentally starting the gold rush.

On This Day in History

The Discovery of Gold on This Date in 1848 at Sutter’s Creek Kicked Off the California Gold Rush and Transformed America

The unquenchable demand for gold spurred a mass migration and fueled the genocide of Native communities

The frame of the house stands where former Australian child star Rory Sykes died in a neighboring cottage during the Palisades Fire on Rambla Pacifico Street. Sykes was 32 years old and had cerebral palsy. 

A Los Angeles Photographer Captures the Devastating Fires Threatening His Beloved Community

Ivan Kashinsky has traveled the world for Smithsonian magazine, but when disaster struck earlier this month, he rushed home to point his lens at his own neighborhood

A view of the Palisades fire on January 9. The strong Santa Ana winds that fueled much of the L.A. wildfires’ destruction are expected to relax for a few days.

L.A. Fire-Fueling Winds Slow Down, Offering a Short Reprieve. What Are the Santa Ana Winds, and Why Do They Fan the Flames?

The seasonal gusts have exacerbated the deadly fires, and they’re expected to pick back up next week

The dye, chemically known as erythrosine, has been used since 1907 to give candies, drinks and other foods their vibrant red color.

FDA Bans Red Dye No. 3 From Food, Beverages and Ingested Drugs, Citing Link to Cancer in Lab Rats

The synthetic additive found in thousands of food products will now be phased out by 2027, but advocates say the agency’s move is long overdue

The Eaton Fire has devastated the community of Altadena.

Music History and Contemporary Art Destroyed in the Deadly Los Angeles Wildfires

An archive of scores by composer Arnold Schoenberg and the collections of countless contemporary artists have been lost in the blaze

Around the world, a wealth of new museums are also bringing art and culture, science and technology, and education and storytelling to the forefront.

Ten Must-See Museums Opening Around the World in 2025

New institutions dedicated to artificial intelligence, West African art, barbeque and more are expected to welcome visitors this year

Later in 1967, flower children of all ages gathered in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

On This Day in History

The Human Be-In, Which Happened on This Day in 1967, Set the Stage for the ‘Summer of Love’

This loved-up ‘happening’ on a winter day in San Francisco helped the counterculture grab national attention

Will Rogers' Western Ranch House was on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Historic Landmarks Razed By Los Angeles’ Deadly Fires

Among the destroyed structures are the ranch established by comedian Will Rogers and a motel owned by notorious publisher William Randolph Hearst

The 226 people trapped on board the City of San Francisco endured freezing temperatures, carbon monoxide poisoning and food shortages.

When a Deadly Winter Storm Trapped a Luxury Passenger Train Near the Donner Pass for Three Days

Snowdrifts stranded the vehicle in the Sierra Nevada in January 1952, imprisoning 226 people traveling from Chicago to California

The new Chuckwalla National Monument protects more than 624,000 acres in southern California.

Biden Establishes Two New National Monuments in California

The Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument will protect more than 848,000 acres of public lands

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