Pop culture

The History and Psychology of Roller Coasters

Researchers take you on a wild ride through endorphins, brain chemistry and stress science to explain the allure of theme park thrill

Only 17 percent of the more than 130,000 frames have been previously printed

Thousands of Unseen Photos Featuring Andy Warhol and Celebrity Pals to Be Digitized

The trove of the pop artist’s personal snapshots includes 130,000 frames, which will also be featured in an upcoming show and monograph

Reebok marketed their slim, pliable Freestyle shoes to aerobics lovers in the 1980s.

A Brief History of America’s Obsession With Sneakers

Invented for athletics, sneakers eventually became status symbols and an integral part of street style

Voiced by Josh Brolin, the hulking alien aggressor Thanos moves and speaks precisely as Brolin did on set, thanks to state-of-the-art performance-capture technology.

How the 'Infinity War' Directors' Childhood Gave Them the Guts to Pull Off That Ending

Marvel comes to D.C. to delve into Avengers spoilers and make a Smithsonian donation

Sam and his true love Suzy navigate the wilds of New Penzance in Moonrise Kingdom (2012).

Wes Anderson’s Fastidious Whimsy Has Delighted Moviegoers for Decades

A Smithsonian retrospective breathes fresh life into Anderson’s kaleidoscopic filmography

Awesome Con provided an opportunity for science fiction and real-life science to play off of one another. The Robot from Netflix's Lost in Space reboot (center) illustrates the former, while the NASA jacket of the con attendee on the right nods to the latter.

The Real Science Behind Your Favorite Nerd Culture at Awesome Con

Astrophysicists, vehicle technicians and biologists joined the party to bring cutting-edge research to fictional worlds

DropReg, President of the East Bay Chevs group, in his ride during a video shoot in downtown Oakland.

New Exhibition in Oakland Traces the History of Hip-Hop

“RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom” celebrates the 45th anniversary of hip-hop culture

The Temptations

Library of Congress Adds ‘The Sound of Music,’ ‘My Girl’ to National Recording Registry

Each year since 2002, 25 recordings that impacted American culture are chosen for inclusion in the growing database. Read about the class of 2017

The artist’s impression of "Self-Conscious Gene."

Sculpture of ‘Zombie Boy’ Fleshes Out London's Science Museum

A giant sculpture of artist and model Rick Genest, who has covered himself in tattoos of the inside of his body, will debut in its new Medicine Galleries

Artist J. Howard Miller produced this work-incentive poster for the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. Though displayed only briefly in Westinghouse factories, the poster in later year has become one of the most famous icons of World War II.

The Unsung Inspiration Behind the "Real" Rosie the Riveter

Historians pay tribute to the legacy of Naomi Parker Fraley, who died Saturday at 96. In 2015, she was linked, circumstantially, to the We Can Do It poster

Likenesses of American Indians have been used to sell everything from cigars to station wagons.

Probing the Paradoxes of Native Americans in Pop Culture

A new exhibition picks apart the cultural mythologies surrounding the first “Americans”

Black Lightning's costume favors style over subtlety.

The TV Show ‘Black Lightning’ Gives the Superhero World a Jolt of Social Justice

For the protagonist of WB’s new comic book show, community and family come first

On long-term loan from Warner Bros., the Burton Batmobile will be on view at the National Museum of American History for the next 3 years.

What the Batmobile Tells Us About the American Dream

Fans of DC Comics will go batty for this new installation at the National Museum of American History

In the nothingness of space, sound waves have no medium by which to travel.

The Science of Silence in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

The soundless lightspeed attack that baffled some fans was actually the film's most scientifically accurate moment

Rose Marie posing with her iconic black bow.

Rose Marie's Sprawling Legacy as Told Through the Artifacts She Left Behind

The late actress sang for mobsters, toured New York nightclubs and wisecracked her way through a career that spanned nine decades

The Library of Congress Will Stop Archiving Twitter

Because tweets have become too long and too numerous, the Library will only archive tweets of 'historic value"

A still from Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

This Cult Classic Christmas Special Is Quintessential Jim Henson

Although it features few of the usual Muppets, ‘Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas’ brings the holiday spirit to the whole family

Patty Hearst's Chilling Eulogy for Fallen SLA Members

When kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst's voice was transmitted on Radio KPFK in 1974, it wasn't the desperate plea for freedom many expected

Patty Hearst's Shocking Words After Robbing a Bank

On tape, kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst disavowed her family and expressed her support for the Symbionese Liberation Army

Theatergoers will find Coco to be a powerfully communicated story about the importance of family, community, a sense of belonging, tradition and remembrance.

Did Disney Pixar Get Day of the Dead Celebrations Right in Its Film 'Coco'?

Smithsonian folklorist Cynthia Vidaurri says: "It's complicated"

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