Smithsonian Magazine: January 2009

Smithsonian Magazine January 2009 Cover

Features

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

Commander in Chief

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

Winging It

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

Gene Therapy in a New Light

A husband-and-wife team's experimental genetic treatment for blindness is renewing hopes for a controversial field of medicine

The Spotted Owl's New Nemesis

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

Night Visions

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

Mining the Mountains

Explosives and giant machines are increasingly destroying Appalachian peaks to obtain coal. Opponents say the practice kills forests, threaten tourism and damages human health. One operation looms over a tiny West Virginia town, where residents and the industry are fighting over mining the mountain

Departments

Indelible Images

With Santa, the More the Merrier

Neal Slavin captures the night some Santas bent the rules

From the Editor

Elevations

Disparate views from on high

Letters to the Editor

Letters

Readers Respond to the November Issue

Wild Things

Wild Things:
Life as We Know It

Butterflies, clicking antelopes, creatures of the deep and more

This Month in History

January Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

From the Castle

Teaming Up

Around the Mall

Intelligent Designer

Practical innovations that touched many lives

Around the Mall

Hail to the Chief

Around the Mall

Easy Rider

What's Up

What's Up

Presence of Mind

Frost, Nixon and Me

How I discovered what is gained and list when history is turned into entertainment

The Last Page

Your Name Here

If you're not yet a Hall of Famer, maybe you're just not trying

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