News
Groundbreaking DNA Analysis Identifies 1. 3 Million Living Relatives of Colonial Maryland's Earliest Settlers
1+ hour, 25+ min ago (709+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital Editor, History During the Colonial era, residents of St. Mary's City, the first permanent English settlement in Maryland, buried more than 400 members of their community in the cemetery at the local…...
From Basket Weaving to Oyster Reef Conservation, Gullah Geechee Women Are Preserving a Living Heritage
1+ day, 23+ hour ago (975+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine Sophia Michelen | Freelance writer For Youson, a fifth-generation sweetgrass basket weaver outside Charleston, that center point is not just a starting place'it is a lineage. "I learned sitting at my mother's side, watching her hands," she…...
Want to Avoid Having a Picky Eater? Start Exposing Your Kids to Veggies Super Early'in the Womb
2+ day, 21+ hour ago (380+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine Margherita Bassi | Daily Correspondent Children can often be extremely picky eaters, frustrating parents and even leading them to hide veggies in their kids" food. But there might be a way to influence youngsters" taste preferences'before they…...
The 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing Killed Four Young Black Girls. But They Weren't the Only Victims of Racial Violence in the City That Day
6+ day, 21+ hour ago (1305+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine History | May 19, 2026 8: 00 a. m. Hours after the attack, a police officer shot 16-year-old Johnny Robinson in the back. Then, a white teenager mortally injured 13-year-old Virgil Ware as he rode on the handlebars of his brother's bike Francine…...
These Colorful Contemporary Artworks Just Joined the Hirshhorn Museum as the D. C. Landmark Celebrated Its 50th Anniversary
3+ day, 1+ hour ago (456+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine The Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden announced last week that it acquired more than 300 pieces of modern and contemporary art in 2025, growing its permanent collection of more than 13, 000 items in conjunction with the celebration…...
Music From Beyonc" and Taylor Swift, Plus Dozens of Other 'Audio Treasures,' Added to National Recording Registry
5+ day, 18+ hour ago (822+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent Taylor Swift's album 1989, Beyonc's hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and about two dozen other "audio treasures" have been added to the national playlist, according to the Library of Congress....
Does the Experience of Beauty Show Up in the Brain? With Electrodes and a Museum Collection of Artifacts, These Neuroscientists Aim to Find Out
1+ week, 1+ hour ago (1152+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine Science | May 15, 2026 7: 30 a. m. Researchers are tracing the brain and body's response to aesthetic expression in search of a scientific value to art "You may open your eyes now," the researcher says. In a secluded room hidden behind…...
These 15 Breathtaking Photos of Yosemite National Park Will Have You Planning Your Next Vacation to the Great Outdoors
6+ day, 17+ hour ago (68+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine Travel | May 15, 2026 7: 23 a. m. Text by Tracy Scott Forson Donny Bajohr | Read More Tracy Scott Forson | Read More Tracy Scott Forson is a senior editor at Smithsonian magazine. Explore great travel deals A Note to our Readers Smithsonian…...
No Joke, Ahead of His 100th Birthday, Mel Brooks Donates His Hilarious Archive to the National Comedy Center
6+ day, 20+ hour ago (363+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine Brooks" trove of materials spans decades. From jokes and notes he kept while serving in the U. S. Army during World War II to materials from every feature film he directed or produced'including hits The Producers, Blazing Saddles…...
The National Museum of American History Is Displaying 250 Objects to Commemorate the Country's Big Birthday. Here's the Story Behind Ten of the Artifacts
6+ day, 21+ hour ago (1344+ words) More from Smithsonian magazine At the Smithsonian | May 14, 2026 3: 03 p. m. Featuring iconic and everyday items, including a Revolutionary War gunboat and a first-generation i Pod, "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness" is open now at the museum Emily Barske Wood | Freelance Writer…...