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Darius Brubeck with students from Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, 2007

Dave Brubeck’s Son, Darius, Reflects on His Father’s Legacy

As a global citizen and cultural bridge-builder, Dave Brubeck captivated the world with his music, big heart and a vision of unity

Gerhard Richter (above) is one of the world’s most accomplished living painters. Watch a documentary about him and his creative process at the Hirshhorn Museum this Thursday.

Events April 2-4: Native Sousa Music, Free Art Lessons and Gerhard Richter

This week, learn about a little-known Native American musical tradition, make something creative and see a world-class painter in action

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VIDEO: “MLK: The Assassination Tapes” now a Peabody Award Winner

The award-winning program brings to light recently rediscovered footage and offers a fresh perspective on one of America’s greatest tragedies

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Sounds of 1950s New York City and More from Folkways Magazine

Under a new editor, the latest issue features a day in a dog’s life, audio postcards from around the world and more

The tiny parasitic wasps flourish by laying eggs inside other insects (above: a wasp punctures a fruit fly).

Events March 29-31: Parasitic Wasps, Joseph Henry and Victorian Portraits

This weekend, learn about wasps that live inside their prey, meet Smithsonian’s first secretary from 1846 and see living rooms from 150 years ago

These flowers are always in bloom at the American Art Museum.

Butterflies, Baseball and Blossoms: Tours for Your Spring Vacation

Two custom tours come fully loaded with insider information, digital postcards and step-by-step directions

The Aloha Boys bring island sound to the East Coast.

Can’t Afford a Trip to Hawaii? Here’s Some Aloha Right Here in D.C.

Families preserving the old ways in the young keep Hawaiian culture blooming in DC area

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PHOTOS: Portrait Gallery Announces Winners of its Outwin Boochever Competition

Winners of the triennial National Portrait Gallery competition used everything from rice to glitter to thread to capture themselves and the people around them

A team of scientists has recovered pieces of a rocket engine that launched Apollo astronauts to outer space.

Apollo Rocket Engines Pulled From Sea — But Where Will They Land?

Scientists retrieved pieces of rocket engines that may have launched the first man to the moon. Will any of them end up at the Air and Space Museum?

The Garrison Dam, whose construction displaced the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in the 1950s. See a documentary on the dam’s effects on American Indians on Saturday.

Events March 22-24: Flying Lessons, the Garrison Dam and Dream Folk-Rock

This weekend, have your kids learn the science of flight, hear the history of a displaced North Dakota tribe and listen to local folk-rockers Kindlewood

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What Is It Really Like to Work at the NCIS?

A division chief and special agent talk about the challenges and rewards of fighting crime across the world

A scrapbook documenting the history of the Auxiliary includes several pages of past Auxiliary presidents. All images courtesy of the Women’s Auxiliary, National Association of Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors (collection 1304).

How Did A Group of Plumbers’ Wives Change American History?

Initially a social club, the Women’s Auxiliary grew to become one of the nation’s most influential organizations in the country

Shanti the Asian elephant plays with a tire in the National Zoo’s new Elephant Community Center, which opens on Saturday, March 23.

Look Out! Look Out! Elephants Get New Digs

The Elephant Community Center, the newest addition to the National Zoo’s “Elephant Trails” habitat, opens on Saturday, March 23

Celidh Band from town of Keady, County Armagh

Beyond Riverdance: Enjoy Classic Celtic Music for St. Patrick’s Day

A new release from Smithsonian Folkways showcases the best of Celtic classics

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Surfer Kelly Slater Searches for the Perfect Wave in New 3-D Film

Mixing science and surfing, “The Ultimate Wave Tahiti” joins the world champion in the hunt

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Why We Should All Celebrate Save a Spider Day

Insect keeper Dan Babbitt of the Natural History Museum explains what makes spiders so cool

Chahārshanbe-Sūri, Iran’s Festival of Fire, falls on the Wednesday before the Persian New Year. Join in celebrating Iran’s unique New Year traditions this Saturday at the Freer and Sackler Galleries.

Events March 15-17: Three Movies, the Persian New Year and Native Story Time

This week, see free films, celebrate the Persian New Year by jumping over fire and hear children’s stories from different Native communities

To boldly go where only a few men (and women) have gone before: “Moving Beyond Earth,” a permanent exhibit at the Air and Space Museum, has a replica of the waste collection system used aboard NASA’s space shuttles. This may be the fanciest toilet you will ever see.

How Do Astronauts Go to the Bathroom in Space?

A look at the space shuttle toilet and “the deepest, darkest secret about space flight”

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Why the Department Store Brought Freedom for the Turn of the Century Woman

Harry Selfridge, a London department store owner, may have opened the doors to more than just his retail store when he gave women a chance to power shop

Marianne Moore

Poetry Matters: Women’s Work: Toward a New Poetic Language

For Women’s History month, curator David C. Ward considers the steady ascendency of poets from Emily Dickinson to today’s Eavan Boland

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