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Television

A bust of the legless "bicycle girl" zombie executed by Rick Grimes in the Walking Dead pilot.

America’s Undead Are Immortalized at the Smithsonian

The cast of “The Walking Dead” donates a set of perfectly macabre Halloween gifts

Researcher Christopher Clarke controls a TV with his coffee cup.

Use Your Hand (or Your Coffee Cup, or Your Cat) as a Remote Control

A new gesture recognition technology could allow users to turn almost any item into a remote for controlling televisions, tablets and more

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Why This 1969 Royal Family Documentary Was Pulled Off Air

In total, the Queen Mother was a widow for 50 years of her life. During that time, she became known for two things: extravagance and an unpaid tab

Bullwinkle J. Moose. © Jay Ward Productions

How Bullwinkle Taught Kids Sophisticated Political Satire

Culture critic Beth Daniels argues the cartoon moose even allowed viewers to reckon with nuclear war

The Moon Landing Was the Television Event of the Decade

On June 16, 1969, Americans filled highways, streets and homes to witness the launch of a rocket from the Kennedy Space Center: the legendary Apollo 11

What is it about cheap eats, long hours, counters, and booths that so consistently captures the American imagination?

The Mystique of the American Diner, From Jack Kerouac to “Twin Peaks”

Freedom, fear and friendliness mingle in these emblematic eateries

Philo T. Farnsworth got his big idea while plowing a field. He was 14, by the way.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Farmboy Who Invented Television

The inventor of television’s career presages many of the good and bad things about Silicon Valley

George R. R. Martin at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International.

Texas University Invites Fans to Scour George R.R. Martin’s Archives for Plot Clues

The author’s vast collection is stored in Texas A&M’s Cushing Library

Thirty million TV viewers watched Fonzie water-ski while wearing his leather jacket.

Why ‘Happy Days’ — and the Fonz — Never Truly ‘Jumped the Shark’

The Fonz was the epitome of ’50s chill on TV’s family-friendly “Happy Days.” And then he went over the top

Visit the Real-Life Winterfell Castle for a ‘Game of Thrones’ Festival

An acrylic painting by Laura Collins recreates a 2006 photo of stars Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton

New Art Exhibit Remembers Trashy Tabloid Culture of 2000s

The Brooklyn show highlights art inspired by the age when celebrity scandals and gossip reigned supreme

Why Hospitals Started Displaying Newborn Babies Through Windows

How peering at babies through glass became a feel-good staple of American maternity wards

A 2009 U.S. stamp commemorating "The Twilight Zone" from the collections of the Smithsonian

‘Twilight Zone’ Enters the Stage Dimension

London theater will adapt the iconic television series to capture “American nightmares” past and present

Kermit the frog (left) and puppeteer Steve Whitmire (right) speak at a Commic-Con panel this year in San Diego.

Kermit the Frog Gets a New Voice for the First Time in 27 Years

Steve Whitmire, who voiced Kermit since Jim Henson’s death in 1990, has departed from the Muppets

What Happened to America’s Public Intellectuals?

Our nation has always depended on these heavyweights to guide us, but are they still with us, and if so, who are they?

Despite being largely forgotten today, Lowell Thomas was a pioneering journalist of the 20th century who reshaped news media.

History of Now

The Forgotten Man Who Transformed Journalism in America

Lowell Thomas was the first host of a TV broadcast news program, and adopted a number of other new technologies to make his mark in the 20th century

Mobster Frank Costello testifying before the Kefauver Committee.

History of Now

How Watching Congressional Hearings Became an American Pastime

Decades before Watergate, mobsters helped turn hearings into must-see television

History of Now

Joe Pyne Was America’s First Shock Jock

Newly discovered tapes resurrect the angry ghost of Joe Pyne, the original outrageous talk show host

Savannah, Georgia during the Civil War. The southern landscape is often a key element of southern gothic fiction.

Why People Love Southern Gothic

From the 19th century to S-Town, it’s a compelling genre that’s as flawed as its most grotesque characters

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