Smithsonian Stories

Stories that spark curiosity from the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex.

women surrounded by plastic trash
Smithsonian Story

Microplastics in Our Environment

Odile Madden, materials scientist with the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, knows a lot about platics.
Painted copper mask
Smithsonian Snapshot

La Malinche

This copper mask was used in traditional Mesoamerican dances.
photo of early female aviator
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Janet Harmon Bragg: Aviator

Janet Harmon Bragg is one of the first female black aviators and the first to hold a commercial pilot’s license.
elaborate Victorian card
Smithsonian Snapshot

Sending the Very Best for Valentine’s Day

This elaborate card made in Germany dates from 1900.
altar with the Virgin of Guadalupe
Smithsonian Story

A Lesson in “Rasquachismo” Art

Chicano aesthetics and the “sensibilities of the barrio” combine in artistic expression.
B&W photo of Saralegui interviewing guest in front of an audience
Smithsonian Snapshot

Meet the Cuban Oprah: Cristina Saralegui

To millions of people, she’s known on a first-name basis: Cristina.
Poster for film The Endless Summer
Smithsonian Snapshot

Endless Summer

An iconic poster for a seminal surf movie.
glowing diamond under UV light.
Smithsonian Story

Foxfire Diamond Has an Eerie Glow

At 187 carats, it’s the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered in North America.
Animation of exercising girl scout
Smithsonian Snapshot

How Are Those New Year’s Resolutions Going?

"Taking exercise" 1920s' style.
Photo of mail carrier with baby in a mailbag
Smithsonian Snapshot

Special Delivery

Fact or myth? Sending babies in the mail.
Japanese woodprint of puppies
Smithsonian Snapshot

Snow Puppies

Perhaps puppies cuddling in the snow makes winter’s bite not so unpleasant?
Guitar with airbrushed portrait of Carlos Vives
Smithsonian Snapshot

Vallenato Makes History at the Smithsonian

Colombian Grammy Award-winning singer and composer Carlos Vives is best known for his vallenato chart-topping hits.
Babe Ruth and wife with child
Smithsonian Story

Seven Babe Ruth Facts

Before the commercialization of sports superstars became commonplace, Ruth’s name and image fueled a marketing frenzy.
Monarch butterfly on flower
Smithsonian Story

Monarch Butterflies Make the Most of the Smithsonian’s Gardens

Conservation biologist Alfonso Alonso answers a few monarch-minded questions.
Waving Skeleton
Smithsonian Snapshot

Hi, Halloween!

A cheerful skeleton gives a wave.
Traditional calaveras, or skulls, which are prominent on Día de los Muertos.
Smithsonian Story

5 Facts About Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead)

What do sugar skulls, marigolds, and monarch butterflies have in common? 
fossil of seed fern
Smithsonian Story

Connecting Ancient CO2 Records with the Future

Researchers used fossilized plants to reconstruct the ancient atmospheric carbon dioxide record. 
animated gif of skeletons dancing on book page
Smithsonian Snapshot

Tequila!

A Neanderthal makes some moves.
Spikey sea worm.
Smithsonian Story

Bizarre New Marine Worms Named

An extraordinary arrangement of bristles, wrinkles, and wart-like bumps cover newly described worms.
Chuck Berry's red Cadillac on display
Smithsonian Snapshot

Rock ’n’ Roll Ride

The legendary Chuck Berry's red Cadillac.
historic Bell
Smithsonian Story

Historic Freedom Bell to Ring

It rang this year for the first time since segregation, for a congregation that formed as our nation was founded
dogs grouped into letters
Smithsonian Snapshot

Sit! Stay! Spell!

Whimsical wallpaper.
mule train in Grand Canyon
Smithsonian Story

Mules Still Deliver Mail in the Grand Canyon

Today in 1908, the Grand Canyon became a national monument. Here’s how its residents get their mail by mule.
brightly colored woven sculpture of bird
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Finery-Feathered Friend

Crocheted suits carry a message about biodiversity.

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