Smithsonian Magazine

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

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Whole of Our History • THIRTY YEARS AGO, WE DISTILLED THE NATION’S STORY INTO A SINGLE TRAVELING EXHIBITION. WHY THE CHOICES WE MADE STILL RESONATE TODAY

Smithsonian Magazine

Changing the Game • The wizardry of Dungeons & Dragons sparked a revolution in how we play just about everything

Here Be Dragons • THE MYTHICAL BEASTS HAVE FIRED UP CULTURES AROUND THE GLOBE. HERE ARE THEIR (ALLEGED) ORIGINS FROM EAST TO WEST

KNOTABLE WORKS • The ornate series of woodcuts that transformed printmaking

Around the World in 113 Days • Congressman Peter F. Mack’s soaring diplomatic ambitions made aviation history

A Jolt to the Union • How the North’s fruitful partnership with Liberian farmers fueled a steady supply of an essential beverage

Coffee Talk • MANIC BIRDS, EXCITABLE GOATS AND OTHER INVIGORATING TALES BEHIND THE BIRTH OF OUR JAVA ADDICTION

UNCOMMON THREADS • The gaudy shirt went from practical necessity to vintage treasure

A Style All Her Own • What made Libba Cotten one of the most distinctive guitar players in American music

First Tango in Paris • BREAKING IS MAKING ITS DEBUT AT THIS SUMMER’S OLYMPICS—A CENTURY AFTER ANOTHER DANCE ROCKED THE CITY

Trading Places • IN EGYPT’S EASTERN DESERT, WONDROUS NEW FINDS from the ancient port of Berenike ARE CHALLENGING OLD IDEAS ABOUT THE MAKINGS OF THE MODERN WORLD

The Next Big Wave • IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE IKE, ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN CRAFTING A $34 BILLION PLAN TO PROTECT GALVESTON. WILL IT BE BIG ENOUGH FOR TEXAS?

HANDING OVER THE REINS • IN SOUTH AFRICA, AN UNLIKELY CHAMPION OFFERS LESSONS IN RIDING AND IN LIFE

Plight of the Bumblebee • As numbers of these key pollinators decline, conservationists are eyeing new federal protections for one vulnerable species

MAPPING the MISSISSIPPI • THOMAS JEFFERSON IMAGINED IT AS THE HEART OF HIS “empire of liberty.” HOW AMERICA LAID CLAIM TO THE MIGHTY RIVER

THE WILD HARVEST • IN MAINE, AN UNUSUAL CONVERGENCE OF FARMWORKERS RENEWS AN ANCIENT AND INCREASINGLY THREATENED AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE

THE STRANGE AFTERLIFE OF PABLO ESCOBAR’S HIPPOS • DECADES AGO, THE DRUG BARON SMUGGLED THE BEASTS INTO COLOMBIA FOR HIS PRIVATE MENAGERIE. THEY’VE BEEN MULTIPLYING EVER SINCE. NOW OFFICIALS ARE TAKING EXTREME MEASURES TO COUNTER THE PROBLEM

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

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