Smithsonian Magazine

As France Prepares to Light Up the Statue of Liberty for America’s 250th, Peek Into the History of the Symbol of Trans-Atlantic Friendship

Here’s how three French idealists—an abolitionist, a sculptor and the engineer behind the Eiffel Tower—brought the ...
Smithsonian Magazine

From a Sea Turtle Release to an Outhouse Race, These Ten Fourth of July Traditions Celebrate America Like No Other

Revelers typically mark Independence Day with a barbecue and fireworks show, but these festivities across the country offer ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Excluded at the March on Washington, Dorothy Height Went on to Become the ‘Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.’ See How She Built a Movement with Wo…

As one of the only women planning the March on Washington, Dorothy Height organized the logistics, mobilized the crowds, and ...
Smithsonian Magazine

America’s First Space Station Proved Humans Could Live and Work in Orbit for Months. Now, the Public Can See What It Looked Like in Person for the First Time in Eight Years

A backup version of Skylab was displayed when the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum opened 50 years ago. After renovation of the building, the artifact is once more on view in a new gallery ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Alexander Hamilton’s First National Bank Revolutionized the U.S. Economy. After Sitting Shuttered for Years, the Philadelphia Landmark Reopened as a Museum

A controversial idea right after the American Revolution, the First Bank of the United States proved prescient. Visitors can now check out its historic home after a $43 million makeover ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Vintage ‘READ’ Posters Adorning Libraries and Classrooms for Decades Go on Auction as the American Library Association Turns 150

Taylor Swift, Serena Williams and famous fictional characters lent their iconic faces to encourage people to pick up a book ...
Smithsonian Magazine

‘The Greatest Cosmic Movie Ever Made’: The World’s Largest Digital Camera Begins a Historic, Decade-Long Survey of the Night Sky

After a year of testing, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has started capturing data as part of the much-anticipated ...
Smithsonian Magazine

After Decades of Debate, Scientists Say These Fossils Belong to the Largest Known Scorpion, Which Lived 415 Million Years Ago

Researchers have wondered whether Praearcturus gigas was a giant crustacean called an isopod or some other creature. A new analysis of museum specimens suggests that it was a scorpion that stretched m ...
Smithsonian Magazine

These Male Fruit Flies Have Sperm That Are Nearly as Long as Their Bodies. Here’s How the Cells Don’t Become a Tangled Mess

Males of the species Drosophila melanogaster pack thousands of almost two-millimeter-long sperm cells into significantly smaller storage organs. A new study reveals how they move in an orderly manner ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Ancient Monolith That Archaeologists Unearthed in Mexico May Depict People Receiving ‘Divine Liquid’ in a Ritual

Archaeologists in Mexico discovered a mysterious Indigenous settlement dating back some 1,400 years. While excavating in Veracruz, they found the remains of a massive stone platform, an unusual stela ...
Smithsonian Magazine

American Icons: A Toast to The White Oak

From bourbon to battleships, white oaks are among the most significant trees in American history, and they need our help.
Smithsonian Magazine

As the Ocean Warms, a ‘Cold Blob’ in the Atlantic Has Puzzled Scientists. It Might Be a Warning Sign About a Key Current System

A patch of water south of Greenland and Iceland has cooled by nearly 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. A new study suggests ...