Smithsonian Stories

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

Mark Spitz in Speedo wearing gold medals
Smithsonian Snapshot

Let the Games Begin

Mark Spitz set the world record for the most gold medals in a single Olympics.
Neon sculpture of the United States composed of televisions
Smithsonian Snapshot

See the U.S.A. on Paik’s “Electronic Superhighway”

This neon artwork shows the viewer the U.S. by highway--no car needed.
balloon over crowd
Smithsonian Snapshot

Up, Up and Away

In 1805, the first female aeronaut, Sophie Blanchard, took flight.
Babe Ruth in Red Sox uniform with other players
Smithsonian Snapshot

The Sultan of Swat

Babe Ruth was the ballpark sensation of his sensational era, the Roaring ’20s.
mosquito
Smithsonian Story

Smithsonian’s Mosquito Collection Is Weapon in Battle Against Zika

As the Zika virus takes hold around the world, health officials are racing to find its cause and prevent its spread.
Big Man sculpture (overweight bald man sitting with head on hand)
Smithsonian Snapshot

The Big Man

Why so grumpy, big guy?
Muhammad Ali visiting the Smithsonian in a crowd
Smithsonian Story

Muhammad Ali (1942–2016)

Risk taker, sports figure and fearless social icon, Ali is ever alive in the hearts of those who know him as the greatest boxer of the 20th century
Our View From Here installation
Smithsonian Snapshot

Linn Meyers: An Ephemeral Ebb and Flow

Rippling lines and patterns that pulse with energy.
Braille Wallpaper
Smithsonian Snapshot

Wallpaper That Tells a Story

Written in Braille, this wallpaper reveals how it was created.
purple mite
Smithsonian Story

Mites Are Everywhere!

Get up close with seven of the Earth's 3–5 million mite species.
Adults encourage some very partisan children to don uniforms
Smithsonian Story

How 19th-Century Youth Shaped Democracy

Politicians campaigning for the youth vote isn’t anything new.
blue bird on a conifer.
Smithsonian Story

When Is a Blue Bird Not Blue?

Smithsonian asked Scott Sillett, a wildlife biologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
panel from romance comic
Smithsonian Snapshot

Oh...Brad

Roy Lichtenstein transformed a wide variety of source materials as part of his creative process, including comic-strip panels.
Robert Irwin, “Untitled,” 1969
Smithsonian Snapshot

An Artwork That Poses a Question

Perceiving ourselves perceiving art.
women in long hoop skirt dresses
Smithsonian Story

A Purple Accident and Its Vibrant Impact

Learn how an English chemist changed the world with the color purple.
green snake
Smithsonian Story

Note to St. Patrick: Please Keep the Snakes

Legend says St. Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland. Our National Zoo reptile expert wouldn't recommend it.
zebra drawing
Smithsonian Snapshot

All About Perspective: Zebras and Their Stripes

Some animated animals offer insights into perspective and color.
lips
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Spoken-Word Brain Massage

An AMSR effect?
NFL lunchbox
Smithsonian Snapshot

Pack a Lunch for Super Bowl 50

A lunchbox that celebrates a Super Bowl.
imagining of the creation of the universe
Smithsonian Story

Probing the Beginning of the Universe

Learn how observations we make today can give clues to the universe’s origin.
Martin Luther King Jr. by Leonard Freed, gelatin silver print, 1964
Smithsonian Snapshot

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. greets supporters in Baltimore.
handheld electronic game
Smithsonian Story

How Toys Follow Tech Evolution

Kids have been clamoring for the latest and greatest tech toys long before “high-tech” became a buzzword in 1972.
illustration of tattoo placement.
Smithsonian Story

Ancient Ink: Iceman Otzi Has World's Oldest Tattoos

The debate about the world’s oldest tattoos is over.
Albicetus
Smithsonian Snapshot

“Call Me Albicetus”: Fossil Sperm Whale Is Named in Honor of Moby-Dick

A fossil whale gets its name from a classic work of literature.

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