CURRENT ISSUE

December 2023

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine image Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine mobile image

Features

OPENER

State of the Art

In the birthplace of Italian sculpture, a powerful automated robot tries its hand at an ancient craft

Frog

Clinging to Life

The surprise rediscovery of a rare frog has conservationists doubling down on the need to protect vulnerable habitat

OPENER - Stark-Star grapes—native to North America, and considered a “champion cultivar” by Jerry Eisterhold, founder of TerraVox Winery.

American Vintage

The nation’s wine industry was once built on native grapes. Now one Missouri winemaker is restoring the vines to their former glory

Opener - reindeer

Valley of the Reindeer

On Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, a rare animal is thriving—for now

Opener - Babyn Yar, outside Kyiv, where 33,771 Jews were killed over two days in September 1941. The small portraits show unidentified Ukrainians, likely Jews, before the war.

The Ravine

Plans to create a uniquely ambitious Holocaust memorial at the site of an infamous massacre were finally underway. Then a new war in Ukraine changed everything

Departments

Discussion

Your feedback on Vietnam veterans, the value of stagecraft and one very adventurous anthropologist

What Comes Next for the Smithsonian's New Human Remains Task Force

As the Smithsonian grapples with a dark legacy, a new task force will recommend ethical policies for handling human remains

The Stuff of Legend

A president’s forbearance spurred history’s most enduring toy craze

Freedom Fighter

Thaddeus Stevens is one of the greatest heroes in U.S. history. Why hasn’t he gotten his due?

Tipple Play

A Yuletide mainstay continues to warm cockles and ventricles everywhere

Head Over Heels

Collectors go nuts over one of the rarest stamps in history

Photo Ops

The daring journalist who made a splash on both sides of the lens

Ask Smithsonian

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts