Scandal dogged Edward VIII, a suspected Nazi sympathizer, even after he relinquished his crown to marry Wallis Simpson, the woman he loved | Continue reading
Parmigianino painted St. Jerome asleep on the ground in his 16th-century altarpiece—a choice that's still puzzling experts five centuries later | Continue reading
According to new research, Earth might have reflected less solar radiation last year than in any other year since 1940, a trend that adds to the planet's warming | Continue reading
Two new, preliminary papers identify a gene related to a cat’s coloration. The work also explains why tortoiseshell and calico cats tend to be females | Continue reading
New research examines chemical signatures to determine the diet of a prehistoric boy and his mother, suggesting the Clovis people relied on mammoths for a large portion of their menu | Continue reading
The iconic shoes, which went missing for more than a decade, are now the most valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever auctioned | Continue reading
These works are not just for casual readers—they are for those who seek to expand their horizons, enrich their lives, and connect with the world on a deeper level | Continue reading
The discovery that other vertebrates have healthy microbial brains is fueling questions about our own brains | Continue reading
For ten nights, animal lovers brought their furry friends to "On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt" at the Shanghai Museum, where many examples of ancient cat imagery are on display | Continue reading
The peak of this popular annual meteor shower risks being washed out by an almost full moon this year—but stargazers can still spot shooting stars if they follow the right tips | Continue reading
A new book examines the rise and fall of the Carolingian dynasty, discussing how people across social classes understood the momentous history of their day | Continue reading
It was immediately controversial that President Theodore Roosevelt, famous for vigorous military interventions, was the first statesman to win the Peace Prize | Continue reading
After November 2024 was the second warmest November in the books, experts say the year is "effectively certain" to break the heat record set by 2023 | Continue reading
The winning word beat out finalists such as "demure," "pander," "totality," "fortnight," "allision" and "democracy" | Continue reading
Young Yitskhok Rudashevski documented his life while hiding from Nazis, as well as folklore told in his community that “must be collected and preserved as a treasure for the future” | Continue reading
Yitskhok Rudashevski documented his life while hiding from Nazis, as well as folklore told in his community that “must be collected and preserved as a treasure for the future” | Continue reading
The 17th-century painting, which may depict a young Pope Urban VIII, wasn't officially attributed to the renowned Baroque artist until the 1960s | Continue reading
The largest and most complete Stegosaurus specimen sold for a record-setting price in July, and it is currently on loan to the American Museum of Natural History for four years | Continue reading
Contracted divers found 101 gold coins from the wreckage of a Spanish fleet in 2015, but they only reported 51 to authorities. Now, 37 of the stolen coins have been found | Continue reading
From a deep dive on a fatal space shuttle disaster to a study of a dozen iconic trees, these are our favorite titles this year | Continue reading
Initial reactions to the signal, installed in London on this day in 1868, were mixed. Then, a freak accident scrapped the project entirely after just a month | Continue reading
Despite this historic first, the identity of the first professional English actress on stage remains a theatrical mystery | Continue reading
Piloting the new technology was a risky move in front of the national audience that watched the Army-Navy showdown on this day in 1963 | Continue reading
Months after capturing a promising sonar image, they learned that the blurry object was nothing more than a rock formation that resembled the aviator's Lockheed 10-E Electra aircraft | Continue reading
The space agency's decision comes after an investigation into the Orion spacecraft's heat shield, which suffered damage during the Artemis 1 test mission in 2022 | Continue reading
Only about 110 individuals of the species, called ʻalalā, are left in the world, making them the most endangered crows on Earth | Continue reading
Crafted by the renowned violin maker Antonio Stradivari in 1714, the rare instrument is expected to sell for between $12 and $18 million | Continue reading
Lift your spirits with these airy images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest | Continue reading
Whether you're doing some holiday shopping or looking for your own next read, consider our thoughtfully curated lists. | Continue reading
These top titles of the year whisk readers away on adventures and remind us of the many wonders in this world | Continue reading
Located in southern England, the king's quarters haven't been open to the public since the castle's destruction during the English Civil War in the 1640s | Continue reading
For over a century, ever since the bust was found on this day in 1912, the world has debated who should rightfully own this work of timeless beauty | Continue reading
The 2025 hue is an "evocative soft brown" that was selected to suggest the rich flavor of a piece of chocolate or a cup of hot coffee | Continue reading
New England Aquarium staff and volunteers are treating the reptiles, which have gotten trapped after venturing north earlier in the year. Experts say climate change is leading more turtles to get stranded in the bay | Continue reading
Photos and videos of the apex predators reveal how they engage in coordinated hunts in Mexican waters to take down juvenile whale sharks | Continue reading
The artifact is now on display at a museum in southern England. Experts say the find is "so rare that most qualified archaeologists would never find one themselves" | Continue reading
On December 7, the “king of planets” will line up with the Earth and sun in an event known as opposition. It will be visible all night and offer prime viewing, especially through binoculars or a telescope | Continue reading
A recent photo of an orca swimming with a salmon on its head has fueled speculation that the fad, first observed in the 1980s, has re-emerged off the coast of Washington state. But some experts are less eager to jump to that conclusion | Continue reading
The historic church was devastated by a fire in 2019. After five years of painstaking work, it's finally scheduled to reopen to the public this weekend | Continue reading
The astronomers behind the research looked to the output from the nearby planet's toxic volcanoes for clues | Continue reading
The decline of the American South's cotton and sugar industries paved the way for plantations in British-controlled Fiji and Australia, where victims of "blackbirding" endured horrific working conditions | Continue reading
On this day in 1952, buses stood still, cars were abandoned in the street, and residents couldn't see even a few feet in front of themselves as the lethal Great Smog descended on the city | Continue reading
Researchers have been carefully excavating the artifacts and decorative reliefs found at the 2,100-year-old site in the ancient city of Athribis | Continue reading
Staff at the Institution pick their favorite reads of the year, including riveting memoirs, fascinating true histories and fun fiction | Continue reading
In a new study, scientists used climate models to predict the alarming milestone | Continue reading
A new analysis of the artist's "The Little Cat" has uncovered a wealth of new information about the strange artwork—including the one-millimeter-long creature | Continue reading
The mid-infrared light image shows astronomical features that can’t be seen with visible light cameras or in previous infrared views—and in this shot, the galaxy doesn’t look much like a Sombrero anymore | Continue reading
An ancient marble thoroughfare and shards of classical pottery are on display in the city of Thessaloniki's new underground "archaeo-stations" | Continue reading