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Music

Traffic fatalities increased by about 15 percent on major album release days, according to a new study.

On Major Music Release Days, Stay Extra Vigilant While Driving. Car Crash Deaths Seem to Spike When Top Artists Drop New Albums

A new study found a correlation between big album release days and traffic fatalities. While the research can’t prove the new music caused the accidents, the work hints at a major distractor while driving

Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith at the Chelsea Hotel

These Long-Lost Photos of the Chelsea Hotel Reveal Intimate Portraits of Its Bohemian Residents—From Patti Smith to Bob Dylan

Photographer Albert Scopin documented the countercultural hub at its peak in the mid-20th century. Now, the recovered photos are the subject of a new book and exhibition celebrating the New York City landmark

David Gilmour's famed guitar was also auctioned in 2019, when it sold for just under $4 million.

This Iconic Pink Floyd Instrument Just Became the Most Expensive Guitar Ever Sold at Auction

David Gilmour’s 1969 Fender Stratocaster, used on “The Dark Side of the Moon” and other famous albums, sold for a record $14.55 million

The Musée de la Vie Romantique has reopened in Paris after a lengthy renovation.

Museum Devoted to the Romantic Movement Reopens in Paris After Extensive Renovations

The Musée de la Vie Romantique, where the Dutch-French painter Ary Scheffer once lived, opened its doors on Valentine’s Day

"David Bowie: You're Not Alone," an immersive exhibition about the world-famous artist, will premiere in London in April.

Watch Never-Before-Seen Footage of David Bowie Performing ‘Heroes’ at This New Immersive Exhibition

When it opens in London, “David Bowie: You’re Not Alone” will tell the story of the man behind the many personas with newly discovered footage and other archival recordings

A 19th-century painting of the siege of Yorktown, with the Marquis de Lafayette depicted to the right of George Washington (center, right). A popular story suggests that Lafayette ordered the Continental fife and drum corps to play “Yankee Doodle” as the defeated British soldiers marched out to surrender after the battle.

America's 250th Anniversary

‘Yankee Doodle’ Was One of America’s Earliest Protest Songs. But Its Origins Are Shrouded in Mystery

Historians have debunked many of the popular theories surrounding the tune’s creation. Still, its legacy as a patriotic anthem endures

Audrey Nuna, Ejae and Rei Ami at the Grammys on February 1, 2026

‘Golden’ From ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Just Won K-Pop’s Very First Grammy

The hit song, a demon-slaying self-empowerment anthem, was recognized as the Best Song Written for Visual Media

The new miniature Sphere at National Harbor would have 6,000 seats.

A Smaller Version of the Las Vegas Sphere May Be Coming to the Washington, D.C. Area

Officials have proposed building a mini-Sphere in Maryland’s National Harbor. One-third the size of the original, the structure would cost about $1 billion

Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch launched its new vinyl-lined listening room, Hidden Grooves.

Why Gen Z Is Trading Night Clubs for Japanese-Style Listening Bars

Dark rooms filled with soft leather sofas and curated vinyl are popping up across the United States and the world

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is finally set to open in L.A.’s Exposition Park on September 22.

These Are the Top Ten Most Anticipated Museums Opening Around the World in 2026

New institutions dedicated to digital art, exploration, hip-hop, conservation and more are expected to welcome visitors this year

Bowie lived in the two-story house between 1955 and 1967.

You Can Soon Step Inside David Bowie’s Childhood Bedroom, Restored to the Way It Looked When He Was 16

The musician’s former home in south London is scheduled to open to the public in late 2027 following an extensive restoration, which will transport visitors back in time to 1963

 Miles Davis’ ceaseless reinventions of his art led Duke Ellington to call him the “Picasso of jazz.”

Miles Davis Emerged From Middle America to Become the ‘Picasso of Jazz’ and Taught Us All How to Be Cool

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the birth of a jazz legend, look back on the staggering impact of his work and its continued relevance

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Happy Public Domain Day to All Who Celebrate! You Can Now Use Betty Boop, Nancy Drew and ‘The Maltese Falcon’ for Free

On January 1, 2026, copyrights will expire for comics, books, movies, musical compositions and other creative works from 1930, as well as sound recordings from 1925

Irving Berlin sings at the dedication of Los Angeles City Hall in 1928

Tragedy Struck Composer Irving Berlin on Christmas Day. Years Later, He Would Write One of the All-Time Holiday Classics

“White Christmas” is one of the world’s best-selling tunes and continues to be in rotation more than eight decades later

Astronauts Tom Stafford (left) and Wally Schirra (right) demonstrating with two model space crafts during an interview in the 1960s

Sixty Years Ago, When Instruments Were Played in Space for the First Time, It Was ‘Jingle Bells’ All the Way

Astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra delighted mission control with their rendition of the Christmas classic

Smithsonian magazine's picks for best photography books of 2025 include Birds of a Feather, Blue Sun and Trembling Earth.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2025

Our favorite titles this year invite readers to take in the beauty of nature and our cultural rituals

A shell trumpet found in Catalonia

New Research

Archaeologists Say These Conch Shells May Have Been Used as Early Musical Instruments 6,000 Years Ago

New research suggests that a collection of conch shells unearthed in Spain may have once produced melodies, in addition to enabling communication across long distances

For the study, the researchers worked with two adult male macaques that had previously been trained to tap in time with a metronome.

These Monkeys Learned to Tap to the Beat of the Backstreet Boys. Can They Teach Researchers About the Origins of Human Musicality?

Two macaques learned to keep time with various songs, which might point to how humans got their sense of rhythm. But some scientists doubt that the primates’ feat, which required extensive instruction, can give evolutionary clues

Sting discusses the musical arrangement with cast members of The Last Ship in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, in 2018.

Sting’s Musical ‘The Last Ship’ Docks at the Metropolitan Opera House More Than a Decade After Its Broadway Debut

The reimagined production follows the decline of the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, England, where Sting grew up

Wolfram Weimer, the German culture minister; Peter Wollny, director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig; and Burkhard Jung, Leipzig's mayor pictured with the two compositions

Cool Finds

These Bach Compositions Were Lost to History. They Were Just Performed for the First Time in 300 Years—and You Can Listen to Them

After discovering the two pieces in the 1990s, researchers have finally concluded that they were created by the famous German composer. An organist performed them for audiences on November 17

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