Pop Culture

America Just Won the Olympics of Cooking You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

It’s the first time the USA has been awarded gold

January 27, 2017

Remembering Mary Tyler Moore and Her Groundbreaking Sitcom That Almost Wasn’t

The iconic entertainer died today. She was 80 years old

January 25, 2017

Trending Today

How a Red Party Cup Became an American Icon

There’s just something about Solo cups

December 29, 2016

This Great Pumpkin Heralds the D.C. Arrival of Yayoi Kusama

The Hirshhorn’s 65-year retrospective boasts six mirror rooms by this hugely popular artist

December 21, 2016

The Beloved, Baffling ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Was Rejected By 26 Publishers

Author Madeleine L’Engle, whose birthday is today, almost quit writing before it was published

November 29, 2016

New Research

Why Certain Songs Get Stuck in Our Heads

A survey of 3,000 people reveals that the most common earworms share a fast tempo, unusual intervals and simple rhythm

November 7, 2016

Breaking Ground

How Did Smithsonian Curators Pack 200 Years of African-American Culture in One Exhibition?

The curators of the Cultural Expressions exhibition collected stories and artifacts and brilliantly packed 200 years into one round room

September 30, 2016

Trending Today

How Arnold Palmer and President Eisenhower Made Golf the Post-War Pastime

The charismatic, working-class golfer and beloved president made golf the sport of elites and middle-class duffers for a generation

September 26, 2016

Cool Finds

Finland’s Hot New Karaoke Bar Is a Public Library

Don’t stop believin’ in the power of music

August 16, 2016

Director Guillermo del Toro Shares the Monsters in His Closet With the Public

The filmmaker talks about artifacts from his collection that are featured in the LACMA’s new exhibition, At Home with Monsters

August 1, 2016

Dive into a Pool of Sprinkles at the Museum of Ice Cream in New York

Grab your spoons—this delicious popup will melt in a month

July 28, 2016

History of Now

The History of Women Presidents in Film

Why the science-fiction genre was the first to imagine a female commander-in-chief

July 25, 2016

Gotta Catch ‘Em All on the National Mall

Sergeant Nadia Tyler, a security guard at Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, is collecting Pokémon creatures daily

July 13, 2016

What Gives “Seinfeld” Its Staying Power?

In a new book, pop culture writer Jennifer Keishin Armstrong analyzes how the show about nothing changed everything

July 12, 2016

Why Betty and Veronica Are the Real Stars of Riverdale

In a reboot of the classic Archie comics, the two female leads take charge

July 2016

Cool Finds

The Library of Congress Needs Your Help to Identify These Silent Movies

For the fifth year, the “Mostly Lost” film festival calls on its audience to help identify obscure details in movie-making history

June 10, 2016

Meet the “Mad Scientists” Behind ‘Captain America: Civil War’

In their latest film, directors Joe and Anthony Russo explore the morality of the Star-Spangled Avenger

May 2, 2016

An Oral History of “Star Trek”

The trail-blazing sci-fi series debuted 50 years ago and has taken countless fans where none had gone before

May 2016

Cool Finds

Researchers Seek Silly Sherlocks to Dig up Victorian-Era Jokes

Joke detectives are using the British Library to uncover what made Victorians chuckle

March 18, 2016

Europe

How Brussels Became a Real-Life Comic Strip

The city’s colorful murals put it in the running for comic book capital of the world

February 29, 2016