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History

The mushroom cloud produced by the “Fat Man” bomb from the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan.

Here’s What Nagasaki Would Have Looked Like If the Tsar Bomba Had Replaced ‘Fat Man’

A Google Earth add-on helps you understand the strength of the world’s nuclear arsenal

Thomas, taking notes on Gerald Ford.

Helen Thomas, Trailblazing Female Journalist, Dies at 92

Many credit Thomas with breaking the glass ceiling for women in journalism

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Hangovers: The Driving Force Behind Our Favorite Foods

Overimbibing makes some people’s brains shut down, for others, it gets the innovative juices flowing

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When Lettuce Was a Sacred Sex Symbol

For nearly 3,000 years lettuce was associated with the Egyptian god of fertility, Min, for its resemblance to the phallus

July Marks the 25th Anniversary of the First Use of DNA Evidence to Convict a Killer

Twenty-five years ago this month, the first person ever was convicted of a murder through DNA evidence

Looking west from the Apollo 11 landing site.

Legislators Want to Put a National Park on the Moon

A bill in the House of Representatives wants to protect the Apollo landing sites. But can it?

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Worldwide, One Out of Four People Paid a Bribe Last Year

While 9 out of 10 people in the survey say they want to act against corruption, many also reported that they had to pay bribes to get simple services

Harvey Girls, circa 1926, in evening uniforms at the El Tovar Hotel.

How the West Was Won… By Waitresses

Harvey Girls helped settle the west and advance the stature of women in the workforce

A Brief History of the Baseball

The development of the baseball, from shoe rubber and lemon peels to today’s minimalist, modernist object

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To Understand How the Supreme Court Changed Voting Rights Today, Just Look at This Map

Today the Supreme Court of the United States decided 5 to 4 that one major section of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional

“Rainbow Ice” is a top selling flavor for Dippin’ Dots.

Is Dippin’ Dots Still the “Ice Cream of the Future”?

How founder and CEO Curt Jones is trying to keep the tiny ice cream beads from becoming a thing of the past

The logo for the NSA’s PRISM project

400 Words to Get Up to Speed on Edward Snowden, the NSA And Government Surveillance

NSA’s PRISM, monitoring the internet, and the recent history of domestic surveillance

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Is Spaghetti and Meatballs Italian?

The classic dish can be found in red-and-white tablecloth spots across the United States, but there’s a fascinating history behind where it got its start

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The Story Behind the Lacoste Crocodile Shirt

A 1920s French tennis star put the little reptilian logo onto a white polo shirt

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Police Can Now Take Your DNA After Any Arrest

The Supreme Court has ruled that police can take DNA samples from anybody under arrest for any crimes, regardless of whether DNA is relevant to their arrest

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We Have Texas to Thank for the Biggest Big Gulp

The story behind the super sized soda cup in 7-Eleven stores and how it changed soft drinks forever.

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The History of the Frozen Banana Stand

The chocolate-covered dessert was the rock of the Bluth family empire. But where did the idea come from?

A bridge over another part of the Skagitt River

America’s Bridges Really Are Getting Old: One Just Collapsed Into the Skagit River

While there may not be money laying around to fix bridges, there are certainly bridges laying around that need fixing

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Navy Dolphins Turn Up a Rare 19th-Century Torpedo

Called a Howell torpedo, the old military relic was a marvel in its day, and only 50 were ever made

The reconstructed face of Richard III

A Bust of Richard III, 3D-Printed From a Scan of His Recently Exhumed Skull

A forensic art team reconstructed Richard III’s face

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