Arts & Culture / Video
The Significance Behind Ancient Scythian Tattoos
Scythian women adorned themselves with tattoos portraying the animals they hunted. It was believed that these tattoos offered magical protection, and also used to commemorate acts of bravery.
Meet the Nomad Girl Who Hunts With a Golden Eagle
Aisholpan Nurgaiv is a Kazakh girl trained by her father from childhood to be an eagle huntress and is the star of the award-winning documentary “The Eagle Huntress.” Her bravery …
The Obama’s Official Presidential Portraits Revealed
© 2018 Smithsonian Institution. Video by Fluent Visual.
The Bond Between Mary Todd Lincoln and Her Seamstress
The connection between First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her African American seamstress Elizabeth Keckley was a remarkably strong one, forged out of a common sense that they were both …
Why the Flamingo Signaled the Birth of Sin City
The Flamingo was the first luxury resort to capture the public’s imagination in Las Vegas. But a $300,000 initial loss cost its principal developer, Bugsy Siegel, his life.
What the First Radio Commercial Jingle Sounded Like
Wheaties was one of the first companies to recognize the enormous potential of radio as an advertising tool. On Christmas Eve 1926, they aired the first commercial jingle ever, which …
Why Nancy Reagan’s Sense of Style Wasn’t Appreciated
Like Jackie and Dolley before her, Nancy Reagan brought her own unique style to the White House. But economic times were tough, and what was seen as stylish in one …
Here’s Exactly How Shrunken Heads Are Made
A scientist’s visit to a Shuar elder in Ecuador reveals the secrets of the ceremonial tradition of head shrinking. Now the scientist has set himself a gruesome goal to do …
Malala Yousafzai’s Message To Marley
Malala Yousafzai’s Message To Marley
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Shout Out to Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Shout Out to Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin
Behind the scenes video of C-3PO photo shoot
Credit: Cade Martin / © & ™ Lucasfilm Ltd
Credit: Smithsonian Digital Studio
Credit: Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Credit: Matt Huynh, artist, Kevin Shea Adams, composer, Irene Feleo, animator, Justice Shroomcloud, music, Mark Wang, MJ Steele and Sasha Kimiatek, assistants
This Cleveland DJ Popularized Rock ‘n’ Roll
Dancing – and dancing shows – became a teenage craze in the 1950s, spurred by figures like Cleveland DJ, Alan Freed. His hit dance show featured R&B and African American …
Why Queen Victoria Was an Early Adopter of Photography
In the 1840s, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert set up elaborate white winter interiors and decorated trees to celebrate Christmas at Windsor Castle. But the photographs they released to the …
Credit: WildlifeDIRECT
Credit: WildlifeDIRECT
How Colorized Historical Footage Is Painstakingly Made
Composite Films conducted 5,800 hours of research and poured over 27 miles of film to create our series America in Color. Where did they even begin? Their art director fills …
Jackie Kennedy’s Major Whitehouse Renovations
To Jackie Kennedy, appearance was everything. That’s why, upon arriving at the White House, she immediately set about redecorating to project a new sense of American style.
What Kind of Footage Do Historical Colorists Like Best?
Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Prohibition, the Roaring ‘20s. According to the historians and art directors from Composite Films who worked meticulously on America in Color, these were some of their …
How Sunbathing Became a National Craze in the 1930s
Tanning was big business in the 1930s, as people sought to recreate the sun-kissed California beach look. Inventive tanning products started to appear, including spray tans and even a tanning …
Julian Opie’s ‘Galloping Horse’
Julian Opie’s Galloping Horse appears to run alongside the shore of San Clemente Island in Venice. Video courtesy of Edition artCO
The Making of “Beyond Curie: Celebrating Badass Women in Science”
Credit: Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya
ODJB makes a record - Livery Stable Blues
For a newsreel, shot in late 1936 or early 1937, the band recreated their first recording session from February 26, 1917.
ODJB probably late 1936 - Livery Stable Blues
Rare production footage discovered by film archivists Mark Cantor and Bob DeFlores shows the entire performance of Livery Stable Blues, with breaks for the animal sounds at 1:12 and 1:26. …
Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories that Changed America
Credit: Don Mischer Productions
Charles Krebs Photography / Issaquah, Washington, USA / The predatory ciliate (Lacrymaria olor) / Differential Interference Contrast / 200x/400x
Micropolitan Museum / Berkel en Rodenrijs, Netherlands / The fungus Aspergillus niger growing fruiting bodiesStacking/Time Lapse / 10x
Zebrafish Embryo - Dr. Philipp Keller and Raghav K. Chhetrii
Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute / Ashburn, Virginia, USA / Spatially isotropic whole-animal functional imaging of a behaving Drosophila larva labeled with a calcium indicator / Custom-built IsoView …
1st Place - William Gilpin, Vivek N. Prakash, and Manu Prakash
Stanford University / Stanford, California, USA / An eight-week-old starfish larva creates vortices in order to capture its main food source, swimming algae / Dark Field / 4x
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