Smithsonian Magazine

Smithsonian Magazine takes you on a journey through history, science, world culture and technology with breathtaking images from around the world.

Butler’s quilts “are the next step in the evolution of the quilt as art.”

The African Atlantis • A NEW EXHIBITION IMAGINES A WORLD IN WHICH THE MIDDLE PASSAGE CREATED LIVES INSTEAD OF CLAIMING THEM

the scroll • A GLIMPSE AT OUR DIGITAL OFFERINGS

Smithsonian Magazine

Before Lady Liberty • How a goddess embodied the hopes—and myths—of the nation’s first two centuries

Big Brother • THE REBELLIOUS AMERICAN CHARACTER WHO PAVED THE WAY FOR UNCLE SAM

DESERT DREAMS • Revisiting the radiant landscapes Charlotte Butler Skinner called home

Beyond Fairy Tales • The profound and long-forgotten influence of the first book to take children seriouslyI

History From Scratch • Cutting-edge tools are rescuing ancient graffiti from obscurity—and preserving them foreverB

Written in Stone • GRAFFITI PRESERVED AT POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM OFFER AN INTIMATE LOOK AT EVERYDAY LIFE

TYPE CASTING • Spelling out the genesis of one of history’s most indelible inventions

Life in the Fast Lane • Before he changed aviation forever, Glenn Curtiss achieved an unparalleled speed record on land

Facing the Past • HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT ANCIENT HUMANS LOOKED LIKE? INSIDE THE HIGH-TECH WORLD OF FORENSIC ART

Tales OF Andalusia • FROM FABLED PALACES TO ANCIENT MEDINAS, SNOWCAPPED MOUNTAINS TO WILD SEACOAST, OUR WRITER GOES IN SEARCH OF MOORISH SPAIN

On Common Ground • When members of the Choctaw Nation heard about a tragedy half a world away, they didn’t hesitate to help. The Irish never forgot their generosity. Some 175 years later, the bond remains

NECTAR OF THE GODS • How one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages could become the drink of the future

Out of the Deep Blue Beyond • The Caribbean reef shark is a target for fishing—and a magnet for ecotourists who just might save it

ECUADOR’S GOLD • CAN THE MOST COV ETED CHOCOLATE IN HISTORY HELP REVIVE FORESTS AROUND THE WORLD?

Bird by Bird • Top nature photographers across the country capture a birder’s-eye view of their favorite feathered neighbors

Flights of Fancy • Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna PHOTOGRAPH LOCATION: Newport, Oregon

Lords of the Dance • Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus

Surprise Visitors • Evening Grosbeak, Coccothraustes vespertinus

Big Birds on the Block • Great Egret, Ardea alba

Courtship Rituals • Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus

Beach Bodies • Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus

An Owl on the Prowl • Northern Pygmy-Owl, Glaucidium gnoma

Pretty in Pink • Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja

Giant From the Ice Age • California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus

SONGS OF SURVIVAL • Imprisoned by the Nazis at the Terezin concentration camp, some of Europe’s top composers found solace in creating new work. Now one musician is determined to make sure their repertoire lives on

Don’t Be Puzzled • YOU CAN FIND NINE ANSWERS IN THESE PAGES

ask smithsonian • YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS. WE’VE GOT EXPERTS