Foundry Workers Melt Down Charlottesville’s Divisive Robert E. Lee Statue (www.smithsonianmag.com)
Eventually, an artist will be chosen to transform the bronze bars into a public art installation
Grappling With Climate Change and Overtourism, Italy Is Betting Big on Train Travel (www.smithsonianmag.com)
cross-posted from: lemmy.zip/post/1086439...
TIL The first air conditioner was created not for cooling a room but to prevent humidity causing swelling pages and blurry prints in a printing press (www.smithsonianmag.com)
At the turn of the 20th century, humidity threatened the reputation of Brooklyn’s Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographic and Publishing Company’s high-quality color printing. After two summers of extreme heat disrupted business and caused swelling pages and blurry prints, the printing company found that a nascent cooling industry...
Our Human Ancestors Very Nearly Went Extinct 900,000 Years Ago, Genetics Suggest (www.smithsonianmag.com)
When This Beetle Gets Eaten by a Frog, It Heads for the ‘Back Door’ (www.smithsonianmag.com)
What a journey for this beetle!
The Teddy Bear Was Once Seen as a Dangerous Influence on Young Children (www.smithsonianmag.com)
Inspired by a moment of empathy from President Theodore Roosevelt, the huggable toy had a rocky start before it became the stuff of legend
James Webb Telescope Captures Image of Supernova That 'Absolutely Shattered' a Star (www.smithsonianmag.com)
Americans Will Soon Need More Paperwork When Traveling to Europe (www.smithsonianmag.com)
True for all third countries though, not only the US.
Saturn's Rings Will Temporarily Disappear From View in 2025 (www.smithsonianmag.com)
The National Zoo's Giant Pandas Bid Washington, D.C. Farewell (www.smithsonianmag.com)
Upon their arrival in China, 25-year-old Mei Xiang and 26-year-old Tian Tian will enjoy “a luxurious retirement,” while their son Xiao Qi Ji will have the opportunity to find a mate of his own, NZCBI’s director, Brandie Smith, tells NBC Washington’s Maggie More.
Netflix Plans to Open Brick-and-Mortar Stores in 2025 (www.smithsonianmag.com)
Visitors will dine at themed restaurants and participate in immersive experiences
TIL Kudzu growth in the US has been way overestimated. Newer estimates stated that Asian privet had invaded some 3.2 million acres—14 times kudzu’s territory (www.smithsonianmag.com)
In news media and scientific accounts and on some government websites, kudzu is typically said to cover seven million to nine million acres across the United States. But scientists reassessing kudzu’s spread have found that it’s nothing like that. In the latest careful sampling, the U.S. Forest Service reports that kudzu...
The Unlikely, Enduring Friendship Between Ireland and the Choctaw Nation (www.smithsonianmag.com)
The Dog Who Served on Both Sides of the American Revolution (www.smithsonianmag.com)
New evidence suggests an ice age in western Europe interrupted hominid occupation of the continent for 200,000 years (www.smithsonianmag.com)
The evidence comes from a deep-sea sediment core taken off the coast of Portugal. This newly discovered cold snap happened about 1.15 million years ago, causing early humans to leave or die off. It perhaps extended throughout the Mediterranean to as far as southwestern Asia.
How Far Will Salmon Swim for a Craft Beer? (www.smithsonianmag.com)
The day is young, but it’s unlikely I’ll run into another question hed and actually want to read the story.
See Photos of Gay Men in Love Dating Back to the 1850s (www.smithsonianmag.com)
Metal Detectorist Unearths Bronze Age Jewelry in Swiss Carrot Field (www.smithsonianmag.com)
Researchers suspect the trove may have belonged to a “rich woman with a passion for collecting”...
Our Human Ancestors Very Nearly Went Extinct 900,000 Years Ago, Genetics Suggest (www.smithsonianmag.com)
doi.org/10.1126/science.abq7487
Empty Office Buildings Are Being Turned Into Vertical Farms (www.smithsonianmag.com)
With office usage hovering near 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, cities are putting the underutilized space to new use growing food
Ornamental Hermits Were 18th-Century England's Must-Have Garden Accessory (www.smithsonianmag.com)
One of Europe’s Most Endangered Birds Is Bouncing Back (www.smithsonianmag.com)
TIL of socialite Ida Wood - Everything Was Fake but Her Wealth (www.smithsonianmag.com)
In 1907 she emptied her 1 million dollar bank account(21 million in today's money), declared she was “tired of everything" and shut herself in a hotel room along with her sisters. She stepped out of the room for the first time 24 years later