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SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE
At 18, this Irish student invented plant-based plastic that doesn't just biodegrade; it is designed to break down microplastics tooA creative solution emerges from Ireland, where a student has pioneered Eco Purge, a biodegradable substance that emits enzymes aimed at de...- A forested island appeared out of nowhere on a Canadian lake, disappeared weeks later and returned miles away, revealing a strange natural phenomenon officials still cannot fully explainA floating forest island appeared on Williston Lake in British Columbia this summer. Boaters discovered the unusual landmass, which was not...
- In 1834, an American blacksmith along with his wife built the first practical DC electric motor, creating a blueprint for modern electrical machineryIn 1834, an American blacksmith along with his wife built the first practical DC electric motor, changing how electrical energy could be co...
- In 1966, Marlon Brando bought a remote Pacific atoll after filming ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’; today, its protected beaches are a major nesting site where 15,614 green turtle hatchlings were recorded in one seasonMarlon Brando bought a Polynesian atoll named Tetiaroa after discovering it while filming Mutiny on the Bounty. More than five decades late...
- America's ghost towns hide old mines, abandoned buildings and eerie stories; these 10 forgotten places offer a haunting road trip through the nation's past, from coast to coastAmerica's ghost towns serve as intriguing windows into bygone eras. Many of these towns disappeared when economic prosperity waned or when ...
- School buses aren't yellow by accident: 44 standards came from a seven-day 1939 Columbia conference, and the color stimulates two types of cone cellsA 1939 meeting established the distinctive school bus yellow color for national transportation standards. This specific shade, National Sch...
- 80 years ago, Bermuda Triangle conspiracy was fuelled due to Flight 19's disappearance. Pilots vanished, fuel began running out and even the rescue plane never returnedEighty years ago, five US Navy aircraft disappeared during a routine training mission off Florida, and a rescue plane sent to find them van...
- In 1950, a pregnant military wife boarded a US Air Force plane despite husband’s chilling warning. Then the aircraft vanished forever and 76 years later no one knows what happenedIn 1950, a US Air Force Douglas C-54 Skymaster disappeared over Canada’s Yukon with 44 people aboard, including a pregnant military wife, h...
- In 1911, Mona Lisa was stolen in one of history’s most bizarre heists: The thief hid it under his clothes and nobody realised it was gone for more than a dayIn 1911, an Italian worker named Vincenzo Peruggia famously stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. This dramatic event captured the attention...
- In 1926, Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fuel rocket from a snowy Massachusetts field; 35 years later, NASA formally dedicated Goddard Space Flight CenterOn March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard made history by launching the first liquid-propellant rocket from a serene farm in Worcester, Massachuset...
- In 1944, a routine school day for children turned into deadly tragedy within minutes. A US bomber plane crashed into a classroom full of kidsIn 1944, a routine school morning in the English village of Freckleton turned into a devastating tragedy when a US B-24 Liberator bomber lo...
- In 1965, NASA deliberately crashed Ranger 9 into the Moon, creating live TV from crater Alphonsus with more than 5,800 imagesOn March 24, 1965, Ranger 9 made a historic descent, sending back thousands of photos that effectively debunked Soviet assertions regarding...
- In 1856, a 23-Year-old widow became America’s first female detective. Years later, she helped save former US president Abraham Lincoln’s lifeKate Warne became America's first female detective in 1856. She proved her skills investigating a major theft for the Adams Express Company...
- In 1971, Apollo 15 secretly left a tiny aluminum astronaut on the moon; beside it was a plaque naming 14 dead American and Soviet space travelersIn 1971, a hidden aluminum tribute was installed on the Moon, commemorating the bravery of fourteen astronauts and cosmonauts who lost thei...
- A lamp maker from Philadelphia sat motionless for 15 minutes in front of a homemade camera built with opera glass and copper in 1839; his picture became the first ‘selfie’ ever takenFirst selfie ever: Robert Cornelius achieved a milestone in 1839 as he created the first-ever photographic self-portrait. This endeavor req...
- In 1901, Wuppertal opened a railway suspended 26 to 40 feet above the city. 125 years later, the 8.3-mile Schwebebahn remains the backbone of local transport, carrying more than 80,000 passengers every dayWuppertal's Schwebebahn, a suspended railway, has connected communities since 1901. This unique transport system travels above the Wupper R...
- 17-year-old New Jersey high schooler Edward Kang built an AI tool that reads the retina for autism and ADHD screening and won $175,000 for his groundbreaking researchNew Jersey high schooler Edward Kang, 17, developed RetinaMind, an AI tool that analyzes retinal images to identify patterns linked to auti...
- In 1876, Rev. T. De Witt Talmage warned Americans that summer novels were “literary poison.” 150 years later, BookTok’s nearly 2 billion users have turned summer reading into a major cultural phenomenonSummer reading traditions have roots stretching back over 150 years. Publishers then promoted light paperbacks for travel and leisure durin...
- Earlier this year, researchers analyzed ancient Chilean mummies for traces of smallpox DNA. The evidence produced the first direct molecular proof that European colonists brought the deadly virus to the AmericasSmallpox DNA discovery: Ancient DNA from Chilean mummies offers direct evidence of European smallpox introduction. This discovery supports ...
- Earlier this year, Smithsonian scientists decoded the pheromones that determine whether bee daughters stay home or leave. It produced surprising clues about how simple insect societies evolve into complex communitiesBee pheromones: New research reveals queen bees use chemical signals to guide daughters. These pheromones influence whether daughters remai...
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