Smithsonian Magazine

These Extraordinary Photographs of Golden Age Hollywood Stars, From Greta Garbo to Clark Gable, Are Worth a Second Look

Photographer George Hurrell gets another exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, spotlighting a dazzling array of ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Lifelong Learning Might Lower Your Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease, a New Study Suggests

While the research does not point to a direct, causal link, it hints that activities like reading, writing and playing games ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Rare and Original Watercolor Illustrations of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’ Go Up for Auction

The two paintings were copied into a limited-edition book of illustrations published almost a decade after the famous book of ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Why Did a Man Build This Secret Passageway Below a Dresser Drawer Nearly 200 Years Ago? Historians Think It Was Part of the Underground Railroad

Staffers at the Merchant's House Museum in Manhattan are unraveling the mysteries of the narrow tunnel, which is hidden ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Can Apes Play Pretend? What Scientists Learned From Having Imaginary ‘Tea Parties’ With Kanzi the Bonobo

The study focused on Kanzi, a language-trained bonobo who died in March 2025 at the age of 44. Ape Initiative.
Smithsonian Magazine

Investigators Unravel $12 Million Ticket-Fraud Scheme at the Louvre

Police have arrested nine individuals in connection with the crime, though they have not revealed their identities ...
Smithsonian Magazine

First Lady Melania Trump’s second inaugural gown joins the Smithsonian collection

Since returning to the White House, Melania Trump has continued a modern tradition of First Ladies’ diplomatic travel by joining the president to represent the United States at the funeral of Pope ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Giant Tortoises Vanished From the Galápagos’ Floreana Island More Than 150 Years Ago. Now, Conservationists Have Brought Them Back

On February 20, 158 captive-bred creatures were released onto the island. The return of these young tortoises, ages 8 to 13, marks the beginning of a historic conservation effort, and they are the ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Construction Workers Digging in Northern England Stumble Upon a 2,200-Pound Cannon That May Be More Than 300 Years Old

Crews unearthed the artifact while working on a restoration project at Queen's Gardens, a public park that was once the largest dock in the United Kingdom ...
Smithsonian Magazine

The Oldest State Park in America Is About to Expand

Niagara Falls State Park in western New York is absorbing two neighboring parks, which will add more than 150 acres and new ...
Smithsonian Magazine

The Nazis Stole This Rare Jewish Prayer Book Decorated With Dragons, Unicorns and Intricate Floral Patterns. It Just Sold for $6.4 Million at Auction

A scribe created the volume, now known as the Rothschild Vienna Mahzor, in Vienna 600 years ago. It was recently returned to ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Austrian Diplomat Resigned When the Nazis Annexed His Country. To Make Ends Meet, His Wife Turned to Dressmaking—and Captivated the American Public

Gretchen Prochnik was known around Washington, D.C. for her stylish looks. She capitalized on this interest to launch a ...