We journey back to the late 1800s to understand how a massive wave of immigration and sagging magazine subscriptions gave rise to this vow of patriotism. From the Civil War…
Icky Gunk. Moldy Hay. Kermit. You might recognize one of these names. Before Kermit joined Miss Piggy and Big Bird, he was kicking it with Sam and Friends—a local TV…
From gulping grapes in Spain to donning yellow underwear in South America and practicing Scotland’s ancient “first-footing” tradition, people around the world embrace odd—and oddly meaningful—rituals to ensure good luck…
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When Isabella Dalla Ragione assesses a Renaissance painting, she doesn’t immediately notice the brushstrokes or the magnificence of the imagery. The first thing she notices is the fruit. {read} On a spring…
Many penguin species huddle together in massive colonies, but pairs of yellow-eyed penguins go out of their way to be alone, nesting deep in New Zealand’s scrublands and forests out…
smithsonianmag.com How Recovering the History of a Little-Known Lakota Massacre Could Heal Generational Pain Tim Madigan 46–59 minutes To reach the place known as Mni Tho Wakpala, the Blue Water, you…
It fell to Belle da Costa Greene, a Black woman whose racial identity was kept secret for decades, to catalog J.P. Morgan’s immense collection of books and art Toward the…
In order to catch liars, the ancient Chinese would sometimes give the accused a mouthful of uncooked rice during interrogation—and then ask the person to open wide. Dry rice would…
During and after the Civil War, inventive illustrations allowed Democrats and Republicans to turn American ballots into powerful propaganda A selection of ballots from the 1860s shows a variety of…