Why Was Purple the Color of Royalty? And More Questions From Our Readers
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You Can Now Preview the Upcoming Latino Museum
New exhibition "¡Presente!" aims to show how Latinos shaped American history
Abstractionist Sam Gilliam Dies at 88, Hirshhorn Hosts His Final Show
The beloved Washington, D.C. artist went full circle with a bold new series of round paintings
The Record-Shattering Airplane Behind a Dashing Pilot’s Meteoric Rise to Fame
Roscoe Turner's air racer takes center stage this fall when newly renovated galleries open at the...
Why Women's Music Embraces the Voices of Past Generations
New show examining the deep connections women make with musical tradition kicks off with a concert...
Enacted 50 Years Ago, Title IX Is More Relevant Than Ever
New exhibit highlights female athletes who gained opportunities and the controversies that still surround the statute
After Long Absence, the Folklife Festival Returns to the National Mall
The much-loved summer event, featuring the United Arab Emirates and Earth Optimism programs, opens with a...
The Lost Story of Lexington, the Record-Breaking Thoroughbred, Races Back to Life
For her latest novel “Horse,” the Pulitzer-prize winning author Geraldine Brooks found inspiration in the Smithsonian...
The Craft World Is Undergoing a Democratization
In a new show at the Renwick Gallery, maker’s art is having a renaissance moment, with...
Is a KAWS Celeb Sighting Cause for Speculation?
The ex-street artist turned art-world sensation receives a warm reception and an award from the Hirshhorn
'Top Gun' Is Back. But Is the Elite Navy Fighter Pilot School Really Like the Movies?
The Smithsonian’s Chris Browne flew the much-feared F-14, and as a former TOPGUN student, knows well...
A Makeshift Raft Speaks to the Risks Cubans Took to Escape Their Homeland
In the mid-1990s, tens of thousands left in boats or handcrafted floats facing treacherous waters in...
Why the Smithsonian Adopted a New Policy on Ethical Collecting
For more than a century, museum artifacts were acquired in ways we no longer find acceptable....
The Mouse That Squeaked Its Way Into Scientific History
Forget Dolly the Sheep. The birth of a mouse named Cumulina 25 years ago launched a...
Why Do Only Men's Bicycles Have Crossbars? And More Questions From Our Readers
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The Revolutionary 1965 Supreme Court Decision That Declared Sex a Private Affair
A Smithsonian curator of medicine and science looks back to the days when police could arrest...
Could Ants, Termites and Fishes Make Humans Better Farmers?
Scientists are now revealing the agricultural expertise that other species have cultivated for tens of millions...
Invented by a Woman Activist, an Early 1970s Rape Kit Arrives at the Smithsonian
Martha Goddard didn’t receive much recognition—instead she got the job done
How to Find Wholeness in the Cracks of a 16th-Century Tea Bowl
A new exhibition, “Mind Over Matter,” invites viewers to pause and connect with the teachings of...
The Second Man in Space Had a Wee Wish—That He'd Used the Bathroom Before Blasting Off
Alan B. Shepard's historic Mercury spacesuit undergoes hours of conservation work for its debut when the...
View the Granddaddy of Political Scandals in Oils, Cartoons and Sculpture
The 1972 Watergate break-in that led to Richard Nixon's resignation is the subject of a new...
A Trio of Elizabeth Catlett Sculptures Convey the Power of Service to Humanity
Regarded as “guardians of the Black narrative,” the artworks greet visitors to NMAAHC’s Heritage Hall
Who Gets to Define Native American Art?
A pivotal letter from Oscar Howe, whose work is the focus of a new exhibition, demanded...
A New Surge of Earth Optimism Takes Center Stage at This Year's Folklife Festival
The challenges are many, but evidence shows that positivity emboldens global conservation efforts
Martha Mitchell Was the Brash 'Mouth of the South' That Roared
A portrait reveals the dignity behind the maligned woman who stepped up to tell the truth
Nine Artists on What It Means to Create
Forty years of bringing critical attention to the nation's best-known makers in the arts is celebrated...
This Quirky Contraption Lifted 19th-Century Pilots Into the Air for a Short, Exhilarating Glide
The rare Lilienthal glider, one of only a few originals known to exist, is newly conserved...
The Trailblazing Sisters Who Founded the Nation's First Woman-Led Museum
A new exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, tells the story of founders Sarah...
New Artifacts Document the Soaring Popularity of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The Smithsonian bestows its Great Americans Award on the former associate justice of the U.S. Supreme...
How Do Birds Stay Upright When They Are Sleeping?
You've got questions. We've got experts
How Baseball Put Its Stamp on the American Psyche
An exhibition at the National Postal Museum examines the history of the nation’s favorite pastime
When Patsy Cline Broke Through as a Country Music Sensation
The recording star sported a homemade suit as spectacular as her voice
Art Sensation Yayoi Kusama Wraps Visitors in Polka Dots, Pumpkins and a World Without End
A new Infinity Mirror Room with its forever-repeating lights and imagery opens at the Hirshhorn with...
What the History of Science and Religion Reveals About Today’s Divisive Covid Debates
A new Smithsonian book and exhibition explores the ongoing conflicts and reconciliations between faith and technology...
The Music and Freedom We Experienced on the Streets of Kyiv
The story of a joint Smithsonian-Soviet-Ukrainian program in 1990 lends poignant resonance to Russia’s brutal invasion...
Studio Executives Did Not Want Marlon Brando for the Title Role in 'The Godfather'
On the film's 50th anniversary, a Smithsonian historian reflects on the cultural phenomenon of the blockbuster...
How Black Men Changed the World
A Smithsonian traveling exhibition powerfully dismantles corrosive myths with triumphant portraits and the stories of African...
The Smithsonian's Planned Return of the Benin Bronzes Comes After Years of Relationship Building
The ground-breaking move heralds a new path for interactions between African and Western institutions
A Museum Show Takes Visitors on a Hunt for the Birds of Prey Populating Centuries of Artworks
From an ancient Egyptian plaque to a Ming dynasty scroll, explore the central role that falcons...