Speaking Bonobo
 
 

The Smart and Swinging Bonobo

 
The last great apes to be discovered, these peaceable, intelligent—and orgiastic—animals may be the first to go extinct if wars, hunting and habitat loss persist in their Congo homeland
 

Speaking Bonobo

 
Bonobos have an impressive vocabulary, especially when it comes to snacks
 

Bonobo Paradise

 
Orphaned bonobos find refuge at an 86-acre sanctuary near Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
 

Marie Antoinette

 
The high-spirited tomboy who charmed her subjects at age 14 was reviled by the time she stepped beneath the guillotine 23 years later. But was she a profligate seductress or misunderstood scapegoat?
 

An Interview with Richard Covington, author of "Marie Antoinette"

 
Richard Covington talks about why Marie Antoinette is still a controversial figure
 

Pilgrims' Progress

 
A journalist traces the star-crossed journey—from rural England to the Netherlands and the New World—of the religious dissidents who gave us democracy
 

New Faces of 1946

 
In the midterm elections 60 years ago, war-weary voters turned against the party of an unpopular president and opened Congress to a new crop of lawmakers, including Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy and Joseph McCarthy
 

An Interview with William E. Leuchtenburg, author of “New Faces of 1946”

 
William E. Leuchtenburg discusses the 1946 elections and how politics have changed
 

Chile's Driving Force

 
Embracing the economic policies of the dictator who once imprisoned her, the country's first female president, Michelle Bachelet, wants to spread the wealth
 

Song and Dance Man

 
Once an aspiring ballet star, neurobiologist Erich Jarvis is now taking bows for his melodious, "bird brain" approach to studying the evolution of language
 

R.I.P., Mighty O

 
A storied aircraft carrier sunk off Florida's coast has created the world's largest artificial reef
 
 

Smithsonian Books Weekly

The American Game

An excerpt from the new Smithsonian book celebrating minor league baseball.

 

Author Q & A

An interview with Ira Rosen, author of The American Game.

 
 

Did You Know?

Late Ballot

Women in the United States didn't win the right to vote in national elections until 1920.

 
 

Announcing a New Blog

Well Read

Current and recommended reading from Smithsonian magazine.

 
 

Photo of the Day

 

Today in History

 

Photo Contest

Enter Today!

Enter your remarkable images for the Fourth Annual Smithsonian magazine Photo Contest.

 
 

Featured Photographer

Peter Menzel

Menzel is known for his international photographic coverage of the sciences, world cultures and the environment.

 
 
 

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