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Museums

Is the Smithsonian Castle haunted? The Institution's founder, James Smithson, is said to be among the otherworldly visitors.

Busting 13 of the Smithsonian’s Most Persistent Myths

From castle hauntings to hiding evidence of giant humans, the Smithsonian has long been the subject of wild rumors and tall tales

One of the four newly translated cuneiform tablets

Newly Deciphered, 4,000-Year-Old Cuneiform Tablets Used Lunar Eclipses to Predict Major Events

Ancient Babylonians linked astronomical phenomena to pestilence, the death of kings and the destruction of empires

The anonymous sender secured the artifacts in foam cut-outs inside a cardboard flapjack box.

Cool Finds

The Mystery of the Bronze Age Ax Heads Mailed Anonymously to an Irish Museum Has Been Solved

A farmer stumbled upon the 4,000-year-old artifacts while working in his field in central Ireland

Part of the 17th-century foundation will be visible through a glass floor section in the new archaeology center.

Cool Finds

17th-Century Home Unearthed in Colonial Williamsburg

Crews were constructing a new archaeology center when they stumbled upon the historic structure’s foundations and accompanying artifacts

Benjamin Franklin lived in London for much of the time between 1757 and 1775.

Why Were There So Many Skeletons Hidden in Benjamin Franklin’s Basement?

During restorations in the 1990s, more than 1,200 pieces of bone surfaced beneath the founding father’s London home

More than 200 artifacts are returning to Mexico this month.

Nashville Museum Returns Hundreds of Pre-Columbian Artifacts to Mexico

The items also went on display in an exhibition that detailed the repatriation process

Artist Lily Hevesh's 50-by-50-foot domino display at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Watch 100,000 Dominoes Topple to the Ground in a Dazzling Eight-Minute Display

Artist Lily Hevesh spent ten days creating the elaborate installation at the National Building Museum

The artifact had been on view at a table inside the British Museum in London.

This Art Student Stole a Coin From the British Museum—and Dropped It in the Donation Box

Ilê Sartuzi briefly pocketed a 17th-century coin to make a statement about looted artifacts held by the museum

The Roman-era ring depicts the goddess Minerva, who is adorned with a shield, helmet and spear.

Cool Finds

This 13-Year-Old Stumbled Upon a Roman-Era Ring While Hiking in Israel

The small artifact, discovered near an ancient farmstead, features an engraving of the goddess Minerva

The newly discovered self-portrait by Norman Cornish

Cool Finds

Hidden Self-Portrait by Norman Cornish Discovered Behind Another Painting

A conservator in northern England stumbled upon the work on the reverse side of a piece called “Bar Scene”

The reconstructed Magan boat floating off the coast of Abu Dhabi

This Bronze Age Ship Replica, Made From Reeds and Goat Hair, Just Sailed 50 Nautical Miles

Researchers constructed the vessel using a list of materials found on a 4,000-year-old clay tablet

Women archers compete at the 1908 London Olympics.

The Paris Olympics

From Corsets to Singlets, the Olympics Have Driven the Evolution of Women’s Sportswear

The bold choices of female athletes like Serena Williams have pushed brands, including Nike and Speedo, to produce better gear

Prior to the auction, "Apex" was on exhibition at Sotheby’s galleries in New York.

Enormous Stegosaurus Skeleton Called ‘Apex’ Smashes Auction Records and Sells for $44.6 Million

The 150-million-year-old dinosaur became the most expensive fossil ever sold at auction, raising old questions about whether such specimens should be put up for sale

The sender carefully secured the ax heads inside a cardboard flapjack box.

Cool Finds

Someone Anonymously Mailed Two Bronze Age Axes to a Museum in Ireland

Officials are asking the donor to come forward with more information about where the artifacts were discovered

Museum officials hope to pass along cheesemaking traditions to younger generations.

You Can Now Visit France’s First-Ever Cheese Museum

The Musée du Fromage in Paris hosts tastings and teaches visitors about traditional cheesemaking practices

A self-portrait taken in New York by Vivian Maier in 1954

Women Who Shaped History

Meet Vivian Maier, the Reclusive Nanny Who Secretly Became One of the Best Street Photographers of the 20th Century

The self-taught artist is getting her first museum exhibition in New York City, where she nurtured her nascent interest in photography

Barbies from the "Inspiring Women" collection, including dolls representing British model Adwoa Aboah and U.S. tennis player Billie Jean King

Travel Through Barbieland at London’s Design Museum

A new exhibition traces the evolution of one of the world’s most famous dolls over six decades

A still from Taylor Swift's "Willow" music video

Taylor Swift Is in Her Museum Era

The singer’s costumes and memorabilia are the subject of an upcoming exhibition at London’s V&A Museum

The Museum of Perfume, presented by Paris’ Fragonard Perfumery, is dedicated to exploring the methodology and history behind perfume making.

Museums in Paris That Surprise and Delight, From Medical History to Magic to Marie Curie

These eight institutions, from the Museum of Perfume to the Museum of Fairground Arts, fly under the radar in the French capital

A popular display in the Whatcom Museum’s Hall of Birds features several owls.

Meet the Taxidermists Who Care for the Animals at Your Favorite Museums

Only a few U.S. museums still employ the specialists. The rest rely on a small group of highly skilled contractors

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