Smithsonian

Women’s History Month at the Smithsonian

From a Confederate spy to a deepwater researcher, women are everywhere and the Smithsonian is telling their stories

March 5, 2013

The Greatest R&B Singer Who Never Existed

How the make-believe alter ego of an imaginative teen in the 1970s won him the fame he always dreamed of 40 years later

March 5, 2013

Events March 5-7: Understanding Contemporary Art, Québec Microbrews and Lute Player Naseer Shamma

This week, learn how to interpret contemporary art, taste some Canadian microbrews and listen to one of the world’s best flute players

March 4, 2013

Video: Panda Gets Randy, Keeper Reports on the Panda-monium

Breeding season for the giant pandas gets underway this month at the National Zoo

March 1, 2013

E.T. Phone Home: New Research Could Detect Signs of Life in this Decade

Thanks to a proposal by astronomers Avi Loeb and Dan Maoz, we could find evidence of extraterrestrial life very soon

March 1, 2013

Suffragette City: That March that Made and Changed History in D.C. Turns 100

The civil rights procession that revitalized calls for the 19th amendment was the first to use D.C. as a backdrop

February 28, 2013

From Pyenson Lab: When Is a Museum Specimen the Real Deal?

Can you tell the difference between a replica and the real thing? Does it matter? A curator at Natural History talks about copies, 3-D printing and museums

February 27, 2013

Take 5! Where Old Jazz Heads Meet Jazz Novices Over Sweet Notes

At Take 5! jazz and fine art converge to make beautiful music and memories for area residents

February 26, 2013

A River Bend Community Set To Music: Gees Bend Jazz Symphony

Artists are making sweet music using history and museum collections as inspiration

February 25, 2013

Events February 26-28: A Garden Scavenger Hunt, Japanese Flute and Drums and Author Taylor Branch

This week, get active in Smithsonian’s gardens, jam out to jazz on traditional Japanese instruments and meet the author of The King Years

February 25, 2013

VIDEO: The Show, Lincoln’s Washington at War, Depicts the Transformation of Washington

A new documentary from Smithsonian Channel looks at how the Civil War helped transform the city of Washington, D.C.

February 22, 2013

PHOTOS: Andean Cubs Get a Clean Bill of Health (Caution: Cuteness)

The playful pair of two-month-old cubs got a thorough exam from veterinarians and big thumbs up from everybody

February 21, 2013

The Renwick, the Grand Dame of Washington, Is Slated for Rehab

The historic 1859 art gallery, which has served many other purposes in its lifetime will undergo a two-year renovation

February 20, 2013

Birds and Bards: Beautiful Japanese Images from the Edo Period

Everything from parrots to gossipy novels influenced art in Japan between 1603 to 1868

February 20, 2013

Sneak Peek: Medical Marvels and Historical Oddities from the Collections

From Florida’s infamous hanging chads and the magnifying glass used to inspect them to vanity eyeballs, American History curators brought the goods for 2013’s Tweet Up

February 19, 2013

Know Your Presidents? Stabbings, Pet Raccoons, Cat Fights and Other Presidential Lore

Do you know which president liked to skinny dip in the Potomac or who had the first pet cat in the White House?

February 18, 2013

From Virginia to Missouri to the Smithsonian: Jefferson’s Tombstone Has a Long Story

At the institution for a year of repairs, the president’s gravemarker calls the University of Missouri campus home

February 15, 2013

“Freakish Absurdities:” A Century Ago, An Art Show Shocked the Country

The Armory Show provoked reactions of love and hate; today it is recognized as changing American art forever

February 15, 2013

Events February 15-17: Sketching Lessons, Arabian Jazz and Lincoln’s Dream

This week, indulge your creative side, hear Arab music, and meet a children’s book author

February 14, 2013

Poetry Matters: Phillis Wheatley, The Slave Girl Who Became a Literary Sensation

Enslaved at age 8, America’s first black woman poet won her freedom with verse

February 13, 2013