Articles

Eileen Collins in space in 1995, when she became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle.

What It Was Like to Become the First Woman to Pilot and Command a Space Shuttle

Eileen Collins talked to <i>Smithsonian</i> about her career in the Air Force and NASA, women in aerospace and more

This Smart Cane Helps Blind People Navigate

WeWalk alerts users to obstacles at their body and face level, and can pair with a phone to give GPS directions and take voice commands

The Zamboni totally transformed winter sports by giving chopped-up ice surfaces a fresh-frozen smoothness in a matter of minutes.

How the Zamboni Changed the Game for Ice Rinks

Invented by rink owner Frank Zamboni, the ice-clearing machine celebrates its 70th anniversary this year

The tools and objects carried by an ancient warrior from a major battle in Europe more than 3,000 years ago.

What a Warrior's Lost Toolkit Says About the Oldest Known Battle in Europe

More than 3,000 years ago, soldiers appear to have traveled hundreds of miles from southern Europe to fight in what is now northern Germany

SmartCan is essentially a pair of robotic wheels that are compatible with any municipal-issued trash receptacle.

This Robotic Trash Can Takes Itself to the Curb

The award-winning invention automates a 'chore that everyone hates'

"An important first step is understanding how tropical forests worldwide, climate, and the food and other products that we consume are all interconnected on the global scale. Collectively we can have a real impact," says forest ecologist Kristina Anderson-Teixeira.

Yes, Tropical Forests Tragically Burned This Summer, but Here’s What You Can Do

Fires stoked worldwide anxiety, but Smithsonian forest ecologist Kristina Anderson-Teixeira offers a few practices for making a difference

The Smithsonian's American Food History Project seeks to understand the history of the U.S. through the multi-faceted lens of food.

Food, Glorious Food

How Food Brought Success to a Chef, a Cookbook Author and a Restaurateur

Historian Ashley Rose Young shares research from the Smithsonian’s 23-year-long ‘American Food History Project’

The fifth season of BBC drama "Peaky Blinders" is available now on Netflix

Based on a True Story

Who Were the Real 'Peaky Blinders'?

The Shelby family is fictional, but a real street gang operated in Birmingham at the turn of the 20th century

Visitors to CopenHill can ski or snowboard on four artificial slopes, a slalom course and a freestyle park.

You Can Hike, Fish and Even Ski at These Visitor-Friendly Power Plants

Copenhagen's new green power plant with a ski slope is just the latest energy facility with tourist attractions

Scientific illustrations, Humboldt once wrote, should “speak to the senses without fatiguing the mind.” His famous illustration of Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador shows plant species living at different elevations.

Alexander von Humboldt

The Pioneering Maps of Alexander von Humboldt

Beautiful and insightful, the illustrations of the German naturalist helped shape a new understanding of the world

Netflix's animated series, Carmen Sandiego, just released its second season.

How a Generation Became Obsessed With Tracking Down Carmen Sandiego

The globe-trotting thief of the popular 1985 computer game is back at it in a second season of an animated Netflix series

None

For Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a Rethinking of How We Celebrate American History

Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States

Illustration of a hot Jupiter planet in the Messier 67 star cluster. Hot Jupiters are so named because of their close proximity — usually just a few million miles — to their star, which drives up temperatures and can puff out the planets.

What Astronomers Can Learn From Hot Jupiters, the Scorching Giant Planets of the Galaxy

Many of the planets that are roughly the size of Jupiter orbit right next to their stars, burning at thousands of degrees

The cast of 'The Addams Family' poses for a publicity shot.

The Cultural History of 'The Addams Family'

As the spooky clan makes a new appearance on the big screen, a look back on the mystery of their longevity

La Bodeguita del Medio, where Hemingway preferred to drink his mojitos.

Follow Ernest Hemingway’s Footsteps Through Havana

Sixty-five years after nabbing a Nobel, many of Papa Hemingway’s favorite haunts are still open to the public

A reconstruction of a Siamraptor skull based on fossil evidence.

Newly Discovered Dinosaur Was a Giant 'Shark Tooth' Carnivore

<i>Siamraptor suwati</i>, discovered in Thailand, sliced flesh with razor-sharp teeth rather than crushing the bones of its prey

Susan Kare designed pictorial symbols that enabled non-technical users to operate a computer, a great contrast to previous screens with “command line” interfaces that required knowing code.

How Susan Kare Designed User-Friendly Icons for the First Macintosh

The graphic designer is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from Cooper Hewitt for her recognizable computer icons, typefaces and graphics

Coyotes are one of the most resourceful and resilient predators and play an important role in controlling populations of small mammals.

Connecting With Coyotes on the Prowl

Biologist Joe Guthrie embarks on a new study to track five adults in the Shenandoah Valley using GPS collars

Climate change is driving a surge in wildfires, and it’s only going to get worse.

This Gel Could Prevent Wildfires

Developed by Stanford researchers, the nontoxic, biodegradable gel can be sprayed on vegetation as a long-term fire retardant

Mexican free-tailed bats near Bracken Cave, Texas.

Halloween

The Best Places Around the World to See Bats (by the Millions)

Bat tourism might sound creepy, but it may be the best way to help bat conservation around the world

Page 177 of 1261