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Cool Finds

John Lewis has been arrested at least 45 times—and three previously buried records have now been unearthed

Cool Finds

John Lewis’ Arrest Records Are Finally Uncovered

“Good trouble” led to real consequences for the civil rights agitator

An FBI photo of the airplane D.B. Cooper hijacked.

Cool Finds

You Can Help Try to Track Down D.B. Cooper’s True Identity by Digging Through FBI Files

A crowdsourced project is trying to identify the infamous skyjacker once and for all

Cool Finds

Newly Uncovered Ruins Reveal 7,000-Year-Old City in Egypt

Ancient huts and tombs could be the final resting places of local elites

A detail of a 17th century map found stuffed in a Scottish chimney.

Cool Finds

Rare 17th-Century Map Found Shoved Up a Chimney Is Restored

Nothing like an antique document to block a draft

The meteorite sample recovered near Perth in western Australia.

Cool Finds

Stargazers Help Track Down a Freshly Fallen Meteorite in Western Australia

A network of cameras and smartphone apps are helping Australian researchers hunt for space rocks

The Bishop's lump

Cool Finds

Researchers Trace 300-Year-Old Lump of Poop to Danish Bishop

The upper class contents of the little nugget suggests it likely belonged to Bishop Jens Bircherod or his wife

Mercury's Great Valley is the dark blue stripe across the center of the image.

Life in the Cosmos

Mercury’s Newly-Discovered “Great Valley” Puts Earth’s Grand Canyon to Shame

The vast scar across the tiny planet is remarkable in itself—but it also reveals that Mercury may still be tectonically active

This whale is on is own sightseeing tour.

Cool Finds

New York’s Upper West Side Has Its Own Whale

The mammal is on what seems to be an epic tour of Manhattan

A detailed image of the baby crocodiles inside the mummy.

Cool Finds

Crocodile Mummy Found Packed With Dozens of Smaller Crocodile Mummies

The little critters escaped notice until high-powered modern scanners tackled the mummified remains

Cool Finds

One Hundred Years Ago, the Titanic’s Sister Ship Exploded While Transporting Injured WWI Soldiers

Bad luck seemed to follow the White Star Line’s infamous steam liners

Cool Finds

What Pilgrims Heard When They Arrived in America

They came to America seeking religious freedom, but what did their prayers, and those of the local Native Americans, sound like?

Cool Finds

New Dictionary Explains 45,000 English and Irish Surnames

Using sources dating back to the 11th century, researchers have put together the massive Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland

Stern of an Ottoman Wreck

Cool Finds

Over 40 Ancient Ships Discovered on the Bottom of the Black Sea

Researchers on a geology survey in Bulgarian waters ended up discovering vessels from the Ottoman, Byzantine and Venetian empires

Cool Finds

World’s Largest Herd of Origami Elephants Takes Over the Bronx Zoo

People around the world folded the paper pachyderms to raise awareness of the elephants’ plight

James Welch is featured on today's Google home page in honor of his birthday.

Google Makes Ledger Art to Celebrate Legendary Native American Author James Welch

In an exclusive interview with Smithsonian.com, artist Sophie Diao talks about what inspired today’s Google Doodle

Cool Finds

This 6,000-Year-Old Amulet Is an Ancient Metal Marvel

Lost-wax casting is still used in modern manufacturing

Cool Finds

Collection of Fossilized Poo Certified as World’s Largest

George Frandsen’s 1,200-piece coprolite collection earns the Florida man a spot in Guinness World Records

Deadwood's Racketeer Nickel

Cool Finds

A Brief History of the Racketeer Nickel

A fraudulent 5-cent piece dug up in Deadwood may not be very valuable, but its story is worth its weight in gold

Spotted: one adventurous female panther.

Cool Finds

Why Scientists Are Psyched About a River-Crossing Panther

This big cat is the first female thought to enter the area in over 40 years

An original Western Union stock ticker from the Oakland Museum of California.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Physical Stock Ticker Is a Relic, But Its Influence Reverberates Loudly Today

On this day 149 years ago, the first digital transmitter debuted

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