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Pop Culture

Stalactites reflect in the water at Crystal Caves in Bermuda.

Bermuda

These Caves in Bermuda Inspired the ‘80s TV Show ‘Fraggle Rock’

When imagining a setting and plot for the children’s show, Michael K. Frith looked to Crystal Caves on the island where he grew up

Pop History

Why Is the Genie in ‘Aladdin’ Blue?

There’s a simple answer and a colonialist legacy for why the genie looks the way it does

Pop History

There Was the Magazine Quiz. Then Came the Internet. What Now?

From the “Cosmo Quiz” to Quizilla to Buzzfeed… what’s next?

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum was co-founded by two friends who have been collecting the figures for the past 16 years

Milwaukee Museum Features More Than 6,500 Collectible Bobbleheads (and Counting)

The duo behind project find the art in the unblinking figurine, displaying bobbleheads from all walks of life, including sports, pop culture and politics

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Trending Today

Who Will Be Spared in Game of Thrones, According to Science

‘Highborn’ women who have switched sides seem to do best on the fantasy series, while ‘lowborn’ men tend to die violently

Good luck getting this out of your head.

Pop History

Before the ‘Baby Shark’ Song Made the Hot 100, ‘Silly Symphonies’ Were All the Rage

The “musical novelty” series of shorts achieved critical and popular success, too

Cool Finds

Basquiat Painting Has Hidden Black-Light Images

An art conservator found the arrows on an untitled 1981 work and believes there may be more “secret” imagery hidden away on other works

From L to R: Gymnetis drogoni, Gymnetis rhaegali and Gymnetis viserioni

These New Beetle Species Are Named After the ‘Game of Thrones’ Dragons

Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons—Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion—provided the inspiration for these three beetles’ new names

Dear Evan Hansen comes to the Smithsonian

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Recognized as Part of America’s Cultural Heritage

Artifacts from the Broadway musical come to the collections of Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Janelle Monáe at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on her summer Dirty Computer tour

2018 Smithsonian Ingenuity Awards

What Makes Janelle Monáe America’s Most Revolutionary Artist

The musical virtuoso leaves her old persona behind with her third album, Dirty Computer

Stan Lee Helped Shape the Story of What It Is to Be American

Smithsonian curator Eric Jentsch weighs into the legacy of the comic-book mastermind

The Cleaver family of "Leave It to Beaver"

The Dawn of Television Promised Diversity. Here’s Why We Got “Leave It to Beaver” Instead

Using original archival research and FBI blacklist documents, a new book pieces together the intersectional narratives that never made it on air

Millennial mainstays like “twerk,” “emoji” and “listicle" have been included in the official Scrabble dictionary.

“OK,” “Sheeple” Says Scrabble, Which Added 300 New Words to Official Dictionary

“For a living language, the only constant is change,” says Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster

Real Planet Discovered Where Vulcan Home World in “Star Trek” Is Set

“Fascinating, Captain”

Objects Conservator Dawn Wallace examines the recovered pair of Ruby Slippers. Chief Conservator Richard Barden and Curator Ryan Lintelman also spent hours looking at the shoes in detail.

How the Smithsonian Helped Sleuth Out the True Identity of a Pair of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers

When the FBI asked museum conservators at the American History Museum for assistance, they discovered the two pairs are twins

Alan Smith-Allison poses with his collection

A New Exhibition Is Here to Spice Up Your Life

Do you really, really, really wanna see it?

Mamma mia!

What’s Behind ABBA’s Staying Power?

Don’t call it a comeback. With a new movie and new music on the way, ABBA remains as relevant as ever

The History and Psychology of Roller Coasters

Researchers take you on a wild ride through endorphins, brain chemistry and stress science to explain the allure of theme park thrill

Only 17 percent of the more than 130,000 frames have been previously printed

Thousands of Unseen Photos Featuring Andy Warhol and Celebrity Pals to Be Digitized

The trove of the pop artist’s personal snapshots includes 130,000 frames, which will also be featured in an upcoming show and monograph

Reebok marketed their slim, pliable Freestyle shoes to aerobics lovers in the 1980s.

A Brief History of America’s Obsession With Sneakers

Invented for athletics, sneakers eventually became status symbols and an integral part of street style

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