Smithsonian Stories

Stories that spark curiosity from the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex.

Loretta Lynn Signing Autographs
Smithsonian Snapshot

The Coal Miner’s Daughter and a Canary Yellow Dress

Country music icon Loretta Lynn created her own look and sound.
Illustration of a woman leaning on a couch reading a book. There is a wall of bookshelves behind her.
Smithsonian Story

Cozy Up with a Book for National Library Week

This dreamy library scene is from the pages of a 1919 design publication.
Map print of the Chicago area with neighborhoods in shown in red, yellow and green
Smithsonian Story

This Map Reimagines 1930s Chicago Without Redlining

Amanda Williams created Cadastral Shaking (Chicago v1) by cutting and shaking up map pieces.
Pink orchid with a yellow center
Smithsonian Story

Meet the Julia Child of Orchids

Rebecca Northen shared her knowledge of orchids with a wide audience.
Miniature flag with pale blue, pink and white stripes
Smithsonian Story

Who Designed the Transgender Flag?

The first transgender pride flag debuted in 1999. Learn about the flag's designer and symbolism.
“Offering Education,” “Offering Life” and “Rejecting Injustice”
Smithsonian Snapshot

Elizabeth Catlett Showcased Issues Through Her Art

Catlett’s sculptures show her long-standing interest in African American dignity, struggle, motherhood, and uplift.
Ethel L. Payne
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Fearless Journalist

Journalist and civil rights activist Ethel Payne was often known as the First Lady of the Black Press.
Book open to pages for family records with handwritten names and dates.
Smithsonian Story

This Bible Kept Record of One Family’s History After Slavery

During Reconstruction, newly freed African Americans embraced liberty by establishing families.
Valentine with a drawing of a girl holding a heart toward a boy holding a sign that reads Votes for Women
Smithsonian Story

These Valentines Pushed for a Woman’s Right to Vote

Send some love that supports the suffrage cause from the National Museum of American History.
Lorraine Hansberry in her Greenwich Village apartment
Smithsonian Snapshot

Her Moment in the Sun

Celebrated playwright and civil rights activist Lorraine Hansberry in her Greenwich Village apartment.  
Skeleton of a small rodent holding a nut
Smithsonian Story

Squirreling Away This Winter?

Meet the squirrel ancestor who lived millions of years before the last ice age.
An otter with snow on their nose.
Smithsonian Story

What Happens at the National Zoo When It Snows?

Some animals enjoy the winter weather, while others stay cozy in heated pools and dens.
Tailor of Gloucester
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Little Mouse Hygge

A pleasant scene from Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester.
Snowflake with six points
Smithsonian Story

How Do You Photograph a Single Snowflake?

More than 100 years ago, Wilson A. Bentley was the first person to capture an individual snowflake.
Solar Probe Cup
Smithsonian Snapshot

Shedding Light on the Sun

In a historic event, Smithsonian scientists help probe the sun.
Room filled with red poinsettias
Smithsonian Story

See the Thousands of Poinsettias the Smithsonian Cares For

Explore the Smithsonian Gardens greenhouses and learn more about these festive plants.
Three stamps with designs featuring a stag, tree and snowman
Smithsonian Story

These Cozy Stamps Began as Real Knitting

Embrace sweater weather with the artwork behind these pieces of postage.
Marine reptile with a long tail
Smithsonian Story

This Thanksgiving, Try the Fossil Turducken

We’re serving up an extinct sea monster and facts about the dinosaur on your table.
Large gallery with glass cases. Letters over top spell FUTURES.
Smithsonian Story

These Smithsonian Objects Bridge the Past and the Future

Travel through time at the Arts and Industries Building.
Necktie with a landscape of haystacks during sunset
Smithsonian Story

Fall Fashion from Ira Tucker, Lead Singer of the Dixie Hummingbirds

Tucker performed for decades with the gospel quartet.
Jet Pack
Smithsonian Snapshot

Taking Off With a Jet Pack

Imagining the future of flight.
Large stone memorial with a grave marker next to it for James Smithson
Smithsonian Story

How the Smithsonian Founder’s Bones Made Their Way to D.C.

British scientist James Smithson’s final resting place is in the Smithsonian Castle.
Bat
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Nose the Better To Hear You With

The horseshoe bat has excellent echolocation.
I Dreamed I Could Fly
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Vibrant Dreamscape

Carlos Almaraz is considered a pioneer of the Chicano art movement.

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