Subscribe to Smithsonian Magazine

Photo of the Day

Sunrise over a calm river

Featured Video

Articles

Wonder of the Deep

Wonders of the Deep

Wonders of the Deep

The National Museum of Natural History's Sant Ocean Hall illuminates the murky waters of the deep blue sea

President Lincoln with officers at the Battle of Antietam

History & Archaeology

Lincoln as Commander in Chief

A self-taught strategist with no combat experience, Abraham Lincoln saw the path to victory more clearly than his generals

Vincent van Goghs The Starry Night

Arts & Culture

Van Gogh's Night Visions

For Vincent Van Gogh, fantasy and reality merged after dark in some of his most enduring paintings, as a new exhibition reminds us

Cabbage white butterfly

Science & Nature

Wild Things:
Life as We Know It

Butterflies, clicking antelopes, creatures of the deep and more

a salt-making site at the village of Teguidda-n-Tessoumt in arid northern Niger

People & Places

Africa on the Fly

Dangling from a paraglider with a propeller on his back, photographer George Steinmetz gets a new perspective on Africa

Askariya Shrine in Samarra, Iraq

History & Archaeology

Samarra Rises

In 2006, sectarian violence engulfed Iraq after terrorists destroyed the mosque of the golden dome, built on a site sacred to Shiites for 1,100 years. Today, Sunnis and Shiites are working together to restore the shrine and the war-torn city

Three-week-old spotted owl hatchlings

Science & Nature

The Spotted Owl's New Nemesis

An epic battle between environmentalists and loggers left much of the spotted owl's habitat protected. Now the celebrity species faces a new threat—a tougher owl

80-square-mile Hobet 21 mine near Danville, West Virginia

Science & Nature

Mining the Mountains

Explosives and giant machines are destroying Appalachian peaks to obtain coal. In a tiny West Virginia town, residents and the industry fight over a mountain's fate

Chuck Harrison designed the View-Master and a Sears sewing machine

Arts & Culture

Intelligent Designer

Charles Harrison, former industrial designer at Sears, Roebuck and Company, created practical innovations that touched many lives

Santa Clauses Eating Milk and Cookies

Arts & Culture

The More the Merrier

Photographer Neal Slavin captures the night some Santas bent the rules

David Frost interviews Richard Nixon in Ron Howards Frost/Nixon

History & Archaeology

Frost, Nixon and Me

Once a researcher for David Frost and now a character in the motion picture Frost/Nixon, an author discovers what is gained and lost when history is turned into entertainment

Think Fast

Which baseball pitcher holds the record for most strikeouts?


Games

Smithsonian Videos

Blogs

Most Popular

Advertisement

Newsletter

In The Magazine





CultureSpotter


Marketplace


Travel & Adventure


Advertisement

Join the Smithsonian Media Advisor Panel

And be entered to win a wireless reader device with instant access to books, blogs and magazines valued at $359. Share your opinions in surveys throughout the year and increase your chance to win great prizes.

Subscribe Now

Smithsonian magazine brings history, science, nature, the arts, and world cultures to your front door.