Smithsonian Stories

Swimming in the frigid waters of the Arctic, the narwhal is one of the world’s most elusive and bizarre marine mammals. 

The bracelet is believed to have been made by the eminent French jeweler, Honoré-Séverin Bourdoncle.

Coleman received the first pilot’s license issued to an African American woman from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.

The verso of Galileo’s drawings of the Pleiades star cluster, makes an exceptional background for our shooting stars.

Do you think you know everything about this feisty little mammal? We have a few surprising facts for you.

Smithsonian researchers just released approximately 500 frogs in Panama’s Colon province as a first step toward full-scale reintroduction of this species.

Snowflake study through photomicrography, 1890.

Flying high above the trees faster than other bats, dog-faced bats are rarely caught by even the most dedicated of bat researchers.

Learn how Hamilton, born on this day, went from being "young, scrappy, and hungry" to on our money.

Pelican spiders are active hunters, prowling the forest at night and following long silk draglines that lead them to their spider prey.

Scientists race to find genetic clues as malaria decimates rare Hawaiian honeycreepers.

25 years of data about the health of Caribbean coasts from the Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity Program has been released.

Born January 7, 1891, Hurston was an energizing force in the Harlem Renaissance.

Exploring the history of the phenomenon of contact with aliens.

In the past 50 years, the amount of water in the open ocean with zero oxygen has increased more than fourfold. 

The Inupiaq of Alaska have more than 120 words to describe sea ice in its many forms.

Happy Three Kings Day!

How does an artist portray the absence of a thing?

Thomas Edison opened a new era when he lit up his Menlo Park laboratory for New Year’s Eve in 1879.

Christmas celebrants might have their traditional plates of turkey, ham, and goose, but Chinese food for Jews represents a meal that is both exotic and familiar.

Las Posadas is a meaningful Christmas tradition in Spain and many Latin American countries.

Born December 12, 1915, Sinatra operated at the intersection of pop and jazz.

Riveting and inclusive: American worker portraits that challenge convention are on view at the National Portrait Gallery.

Conserving culture and artwork featuring the trendiest new technology of its time—the balloon.