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Sports

The three-panel artwork depicts a javelin thrower, a skateboarder and a break dancer.

The Paris Olympics

See a Tapestry Commissioned to Celebrate the Paris Summer Olympics

Designed by artist Marjane Satrapi, the enormous triptych depicts athletes competing around the Eiffel Tower

The Bréal Cup, designed by French scholar Michel Bréal, was awarded to the winner of the first Olympic marathon.

The Paris Olympics

Paris Is Preparing for the Summer Olympics With a New Exhibition at the Louvre

“Olympism” explores the history of the ancient Olympics and France’s influence on the modern games

By the end of the 2000s, via ferratas had begun pushing westward, with a handful of routes. Here, a child crosses a ravine on a slackline near Lake Tahoe, California.

Via Ferratas Are Finally Catching On in the United States

With origins in Europe, the assisted climbing routes are springing up at luxury resorts and on private land this side of the Atlantic

Sports psychology research has increased dramatically in the last decade or so. 

What We’ve Learned Through Sports Psychology Research

Scientists are probing the head games that influence athletic performance, from coaching to coping with pressure

The newly unveiled medals will be awarded at this summer's Olympic games, which will take place between July 26 and August 11.

The Paris Olympics

New Olympic Medals Feature Fragments of the Eiffel Tower

This summer’s Paris Olympic and Paralympic medals will be decorated with pieces of iron from the landmark

A little rain doesn’t stop the show, and neither does a worldwide pandemic. Just months after Covid-19 gripped the globe, high school football players—and referees—were back on the field.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Are You Ready for Some Football? Prep for the Super Bowl With 15 Thrilling Photos of Americans Tossing the Pigskin

Celebrate the cherished American sport before the big game

The bronze statue of Jackie Robinson (left) was unveiled in Wichita in early 2021. In late January, perpetrators cut off the statue at the ankles, leaving only a pair of shoes (right).

Who Stole—and Burned—This Jackie Robinson Statue?

Donations poured in to help replace the bronze statue, which a youth baseball nonprofit unveiled in 2021

One side of the silver medal depicts Zeus holding Nike in the palm of his hand, while the other side features the Acropolis in Athens.

The Paris Olympics

Winners Got Silver Medals at the First Modern Olympic Games in 1896

A rare example of the nearly 130-year-old silver medal just sold at auction for $112,000

Surfers play an overlooked role in keeping other beachgoers safe, according to new research.

Surfers Play a Crucial Role in Ocean Rescue

During their lifetimes, surfers rescue an average of three people in trouble, according to a new study

For the year 2024, here are 24 things to look forward to at the Smithsonian.

Twenty-Four Smithsonian Shows to See in 2024

Election-year items, truth serum, Nigerian art and a pioneering self-driving car are on display this year

Backpackers hike near Crescent Lake in Alaska's Chugach National Forest.

Discover Alaska

Alps-Style Hut-to-Hut Travel Is On Its Way to Alaska

Several ambitious projects are poised to bring a long trail and 25 new huts to the Last Frontier

The Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where prosecutors allege suspects stole Andy Warhol’s La Grande Passion and Jackson Pollock’s Springs Winter in 2005

Final Suspect in 20-Year Art Heist Case Turns Himself In

Nicholas Dombek is one of nine individuals accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of artwork, sports memorabilia and cultural artifacts

A player serving on an outdoor court. In 2022, the Association of Pickleball Professionals estimated there were 36.5 million pickleball players in the U.S.

How the Obscure Sport of Pickleball Became King of the Court

With origins dating back to the 16th century, paddle sports have always had an unmistakable allure

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There's More to That

The Books We Loved

Smithsonian editors choose their favorite (mostly) nonfiction of (mostly) 2023

This year's list includes The Horses, Still Life, Believable: Traveling with My Ancestors, and more.

The Best Books of 2023

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2023

Our favorite titles this year will make readers feel the power of visual storytelling

The Lakers were in town playing the Cavaliers in Cleveland over the weekend, so James took his Lakers teammates on a tour of the new museum.

A LeBron James Museum Is Now Open in Akron, Ohio

Museum-goers follow the star from his childhood apartment to his expansive NBA career

Only ten known examples of Babe Ruth's rookie baseball card still exist today.

Only Ten Babe Ruth Rookie Baseball Cards Survive. Now, One Is Going Up for Auction

Bidding starts at $2.5 million, but the auction house expects the 1914 collectible to sell for much more—and possibly break memorabilia records

A view of a Zamboni machine at work during a game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.

How the Zamboni Revolutionized Fun on the Ice

The story behind the most efficient—and intriguing—piece of hardware in all of sports

Though beachgoers are not allowed to go swimming, they can lounge in beach chairs and sit under the shade of umbrellas. 

Manhattan’s First Public Beach Opens Along the Hudson River

The new 5.5-acre recreation space includes a sandy shore, sports field, picnic area and boardwalk—but swimming isn’t allowed

Jack Trice (second from left) and three of his teammates on the varsity football squad

Untold Stories of American History

This Black Football Player Was Fatally Injured During a Game. A Century Later, a College Stadium Bears His Name

Rival athletes trampled Jack Trice during his “first real college game.” He died two days later at age 21

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