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Tintagel Castle, a dramatic 13th century fortress on the rocky coast of Cornwall, England, has been associated with King Arthur.

Nine Mythical Places Archaeologists Think May Have Actually Existed

Historical evidence is helping to pinpoint the exact locations of fabled sites, from King Arthur’s castle to Solomon’s Temple

An 1851 ink-and-watercolor gift drawing titled A Type of Mother Hannah’s Pocket Handkerchief by Polly Jane Reed, a Shaker in New Lebanon, New York.

These Colorful Drawings Defy Expectations of Shaker Art

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Latest Features

Tintagel Castle, a dramatic 13th century fortress on the rocky coast of Cornwall, England, has been associated with King Arthur.

Nine Mythical Places Archaeologists Think May Have Actually Existed

September 4, 2024 8:30 a.m.

An 1851 ink-and-watercolor gift drawing titled A Type of Mother Hannah’s Pocket Handkerchief by Polly Jane Reed, a Shaker in New Lebanon, New York.

These Colorful Drawings Defy Expectations of Shaker Art

A reconstruction of Lokiceratops in the 78-million-year-old swamps of northern Montana—as two Probrachylophosaurus move past in the background.

Why Did Dinosaurs Have Horns? It May Not Have Been Simply for Defense

September 4, 2024 8:00 a.m.

To celebrate the guitar’s 70th birthday, Fender has released a Limited Edition 1954 Hardtail Deluxe Closet Classic, complete with gold hardware, for more opulent collectors. 

The Stratocaster Became Rock Music’s Most Iconic Guitar 70 Years Ago

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How Black Americans in the South Boldly Defied Jim Crow to Build Business Empires of Their Own

Gambel oak branchlet

This Massive New Guidebook Will Forever Change the Way You Look at Trees

September 3, 2024

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Remarkable Documents Lay Bare New York’s History of Slavery

A forlorn station sign recalls the days when Terowie was a vital railway stop between the towns of Adelaide and Alice Springs.

General MacArthur's Dramatic WWII Comeback Began in Australia. Trace His Journey From the Outback to the Queensland Coast

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July/August 2024

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Colossal Stone Monument Built 1,000 Years Before Stonehenge Shows Neolithic Engineers Understood Science

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What Really Happened to Michael Rockefeller

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Remarkable Documents Lay Bare New York’s History of Slavery

A newly digitized set of records reveal the plight and bravery of enslaved people in the North

This Decorated Samurai Sword Found in Rubble Beneath Berlin May Have Been a Diplomatic Gift

The short blade’s hilt was made in Edo Japan, and its journey to a German cellar destroyed during World War II is a mystery

Smithsonian Voices Special Report

Olympic rings are seen on the Eiffel Tower near the restored statue of "Cavalier Arabe" on the Pont d'Iéna bridge in Paris on July 4, 2024, ahead of the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

The Paris Olympics

Prepare yourself for the Paris Olympics with this comprehensive guide to the history, science, arts and thrills of the worldwide celebration

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History

The 31-star Perry flag is visible in the background of this photo, which shows United States General Douglas MacArthur signing the official Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945.

To Mark Japan's Surrender at the End of World War II, This Navy Officer Raced Halfway Around the World With a Historic Flag in Tow

In August 1945, John K. Bremyer undertook a 124-hour, 9,000-mile journey to Tokyo Bay, where he delivered the flag flown by Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853 to Admiral William Halsey's USS "Missouri"

Museum officials say that jars of this size and age are rarely found intact.

This 4-Year-Old Shattered a Bronze Age Jar. Now, He'll Get to See How Experts Restored It

<a href=A grand jury tasked with investigating the riots argued that the violence outside Peekskill “was basically neither antisemitic nor anti-Negro in character.”" width="400" height="300" />

The Peekskill Riots Revealed the Racism and Antisemitism Hidden Beneath the Surface of the Anti-Communist Movement

Science

An unidentified fly from the order Diptera, which has more than 125,000 species and is one of the largest insect orders

These Stunning Portraits of Insects Reveal the Intricacies of an Amazing World

Photographer Thorben Danke combines hundreds of shots to create breathtaking images of the tiny creatures

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This World War I Prisoner of War Solved the Mystery of the Ice Ages

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Innovation

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By building a broad coalition of partners across the political spectrum, the Florida metropolis is doing all that it can to keep the city cool

Namibia's brown hyenas live in small clans but often travel and hunt alone.

Artificial Intelligence Could Soon Match Footprints to the Animals That Made Them

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass waves an Olympic flag on her return from the closing ceremony of the Paris games on August 12, 2024.

Can a City Known for Its Freeways and Gridlock Deliver a Car-Free Olympics? Los Angeles Thinks So

Arts & Culture

A self-portrait taken in New York by Vivian Maier in 1954

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The self-taught artist is getting her first museum exhibition in New York City, where she nurtured her nascent interest in photography

The Museum of Perfume, <a href=presented by Paris’ Fragonard Perfumery, is dedicated to exploring the methodology and history behind perfume making." width="400" height="300" />

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The weapons are adorned with gold and silver designs and an engraved image of Napoleon.

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Travel

Tintagel Castle, a dramatic 13th century fortress on the rocky coast of Cornwall, England, has been associated with King Arthur.

Nine Mythical Places Archaeologists Think May Have Actually Existed

Historical evidence is helping to pinpoint the exact locations of fabled sites, from King Arthur’s castle to Solomon’s Temple

José Santiago of Palenque Don Lencho, in San Pablo Guilá village, with wooden vats of fermenting agave prior to distillation

The Race to Save Mezcal From the World

Visitors look at posters in the Third Man Museum in Vienna.

Eight Movie Museums Cinephiles Need to Visit

At the Smithsonian

Gambel oak branchlet

This Massive New Guidebook Will Forever Change the Way You Look at Trees

Written by Smithsonian botanist W. John Kress, the book details more than 300 North American tree species in words, maps and photographs—and why we shouldn't take them for granted