Smithsonian Magazine16h
How Henry VIII’s Armies Defeated a Much Larger Scottish Force, Humiliating His Nephew, the King of Scotland
On this day in 1542, the Battle of Solway Moss left James V enfeebled and ill, clearing the way for his young daughter, Mary, ...
Smithsonian Magazine2d
A Little Girl Dropped a Message in a Bottle Into a Lake. Her Daughter’s Classmate Found It 26 Years Later
Makenzie Van Eyk wrote the letter as part of a class project in 1998, when she was in fourth grade. Recently, the note was ...
Smithsonian Magazine2d
The Real Story Behind Apple TV+’s ‘Blitz,’ a New Steve McQueen Movie About Britain’s Everyday World War II Heroes
Starring Saoirse Ronan as a young mother, the film celebrates Londoners' resilience in the face of an eight-month Nazi aerial ...
Smithsonian Magazine2d
How an Engraving of Queen Victoria Ushered in the Era of the Bouquet Holder in England
The monarch set fashion trends during her time, and the flower holder became a sought-after accessory in Victorian society ...
Smithsonian Magazine2d
After 50 Years, Scientists Still Love Lucy
Paleoanthropologists have learned a lot about Lucy, the world’s most famous hominin fossil, since she was discovered in 1974.
Smithsonian Magazine2d
Archaeologists Say These Mysterious Markings Could Be the World’s Oldest Known Alphabetic Writing
Found etched into clay cylinders in Syria, the strange symbols date to around 2400 B.C.E.—500 years before other known ...
Smithsonian Magazine3d
That Viral Banana Duct-Taped to a Wall? It Just Sold for $6.2 Million
Maurizio Cattelan’s perishable piece soared above the pre-auction estimate of $1.5 million and was the subject of an intense ...
Smithsonian Magazine2d
This New, Yellow Powder Quickly Pulls Carbon Dioxide From the Air, and Researchers Say ‘There’s Nothing Like It’
Scientists say just 200 grams of the material could capture 44 pounds of the greenhouse gas per year—the same as a large tree ...
Smithsonian Magazine9d
Before the Titanic Sank, a Cheerful Passenger Wrote in a Postcard That He Was ‘Leaving for the Land of Stars and Stripes’
A handwritten note by Richard William Smith, a British businessman who perished in the disaster, is heading to the auction ...
Smithsonian Magazine3d
Can Insects See Color? And More Questions From Our Readers
How do scientists know which insects can see color? John Jay Rouse | St. Cloud, Minnesota ...
Smithsonian Magazine3d
To Understand How Species Evolve, Scientists Flock to Where Charismatic Birds Intermingle
Despite only weighing as much as a AA battery, these birds have charisma to spare and are amazing avian acrobats. Nearly 60 ...
Smithsonian Magazine2d
These Ice Age Artworks Etched Into Rock 15,800 Years Ago May Be the Earliest Known Depictions of Fishing
Found in western Germany, the stone plaques feature etchings of fish trapped in grid-like nets, according to a new study ...