Smithsonian Magazine

This 14-Year-Old Is Using Origami to Imagine Emergency Shelters That Are Sturdy, Cost-Efficient and Easy to Deploy

The teenager was researching the Miura-ori fold when Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida and wildfires raged in ...
Smithsonian Magazine

A Metal Detectorist Unearthed This Heart-Shaped Tudor Pendant. Now, the British Museum Has Raised Millions to Put It on Public Display

The only surviving piece of jewelry associated with Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon is now in the museum's ...
Smithsonian Magazine

A White Historian Claimed That Black People ‘Had No History.’ This Trailblazing Scholar Dedicated His Life to Proving Otherwise

Carter G. Woodson, the "father of Black history," founded the celebration now known as Black History Month in 1926. A ...
Smithsonian Magazine

The Tragedy of the Alps’ Disappearing Glaciers for Those Who Live, Visit and Ski There

Warming temperatures are wreaking havoc at elevation, upending the Winter Olympics and the tourism industry and imperiling ...
Smithsonian Magazine

An Elephant’s Trunk Is Covered in Whiskers—and They’re Unlike Those on Any Other Animal, a New Study Suggests

Elephants are famous for their dexterous trunks, which the animals use to eat, drink, trumpet and breathe. If you take a ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Scientists Say They May Have Found a Long-Lost Lunar Lander—the First to Successfully Touch Down on the Moon 60 Years Ago

Data from a NASA lunar orbiter has helped researchers deduce two potential locations for a defunct Soviet spacecraft called Luna 9 ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Scientist Brewed and Drank His Own ‘Vaccine Beer’ to Combat a Dangerous Virus. It Seems to Have Worked

Blood tests revealed that the beverage elicited an immune response, according to preliminary research. But far more safety ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Commemorate Presidents’ Day With 15 Images That Celebrate the Founding Fathers

Observed on February 22, George Washington’s birthday, Presidents’ Day became a holiday in 1885. In 1971, the day evolved to ...
Smithsonian Magazine

A Massive Monkey Research Center Might Turn Into a Primate Sanctuary. Animal Activists Rejoice, While Scientists Worry

The Oregon National Primate Research Center will explore a potentially federally supported transition with the National Institutes of Health ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Jewel Thieves Dropped This Crushed Crown as They Fled the Louvre. Now, the Historic Headdress Will Be Restored to Its Former Glory

The crown belonging to Empress Eugénie was found on the sidewalk after robbers made away with eight pieces of royal jewelry ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Feeling More Hate Than Love This Valentine’s Day? Send Snarky ‘Vinegar Valentines’ to Your Enemies Like the Victorians Did

These oft-anonymous messages took aim at pretentious poets, unhelpful salespeople, suffragists and secessionists alike ...
Smithsonian Magazine

A Gray Wolf Visited Los Angeles County for the First Time in a Century, Marking a Major Milestone in the Species’ Recovery

A gray wolf has graced Los Angeles County with its presence for the first time in about a century. The visit marks a major milestone for the species, which had once been completely pushed out of the ...