The Latest Breaking News from Smithsonian

American elm survives for over 150 years and 33 US presidents despite disease

A historic American elm on the grounds of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., has survived for more than 150 years, quietly witnessing generations of American history. Planted around 1850, the Smithsonian Witness Elm was already established decades before the museum opened in 1910. Since then,…

The Times of India · Oct 8

How the Smithsonian is using AI to connect artifacts from the American Revolution

The Smithsonian Institution is using artificial intelligence to better understand its collection related to the American Revolution

The Independent UK · Oct 3

In 2017–18, 2,500 volunteers counted tiny pores on ginkgo leaves to study the ancient atmosphere; 24,000 classifications helped process the images

Ginkgo trees, which have existed for millions of years, provide valuable information on historical carbon dioxide levels. Researchers employ citizen volunteers to count leaf pores, enhancing the study's efficiency. Initial test phases revealed varying accuracy levels among volunteers but still yielded useful data. Methods to correct classifications have improved the…

The Economic Times · Sep 26

New In Civitas: The Smithsonian Should Be Privatized

The Smithsonian Should Declare Its Independence from the Federal Government

Reason · Sep 23

Hispanic Heritage Month 2026: Key Dates, Free Events and the Smithsonian Exhibit Everyone's Anticipating

A Smithsonian lowrider exhibit, free concerts and citywide festivals anchor Hispanic Heritage Month 2026, running Sept. 15–Oct. 15 nationwide.

Latin Times · Sep 19

James Baldwin arrived in France with $40 and later bought a historic home

When James Baldwin arrived in Paris on November 11, 1948, he was 24 years old and had just $40 in his pocket. He had left the United States amid the racism and homophobia that had shaped much of his early life, hoping to find enough distance to write and understand…

The Times of India · Sep 19

In 1975, NASA sent a pocket calculator on Apollo-Soyuz as a backup if its main computer failed; 37 years later, it ended up at the Smithsonian

NASA utilized an HP-65 calculator as a crucial backup system during the Apollo-Soyuz mission. This programmable device carried essential guidance equations in case the main computer failed. The Apollo-Soyuz mission marked the first joint spaceflight between American and Soviet crews. While the calculator never performed its backup function, its presence…

The Economic Times · Sep 17

Trump promised to publicly shame the Smithsonian this summer. So the administration is now installing signs to do it: ‘Anti-white animus’

The administration has accused the museum of ideological bias

We Got This Covered · Sep 16

Trump asks Smithsonian to install ‘Colossus statue’ of George Washington with exhibit

Trump, again trying to curate museum, says exhibit would stay until 2032 for 300th anniversary of Washington’s birth

The Guardian - US · Sep 12

Trump to remake the Smithsonian — again

A 30-foot Washington should replace a modern art sculpture that “says nothing about America,” the president says

Salon · Sep 12