Smithsonian Media Bias

How Marian Anderson Took the World by Storm - Smithsonian Magazine

lifestyle

On Easter Sunday 1939, Marian Anderson, wrapped in a fur coat against the April chill, stepped to the microphone atop the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and launched into “America (My Country, ’Tis of Thee).” First lady Eleanor Roosevelt had assembled an integrated crowd of 75,000 people—an unprecedented honor for a Black artist—who listened in solemn awe. Todd Duncan, a singer and voice teacher in the audience that day, described Anderson’s performance as indelible: “I know my soul has it and it will never, never leave,” he told the Washington Post.
Smithsonian Jan 11, 2023

A New Discovery Puts Panama as the Site of the First Successful Slave Rebellion

art

Robert Schwaller, a University of Kansas historian, discovered new details about the Panama uprising at the General Archive of the Indies, a repository in Seville, Spain, devoted to the Spanish Empire in the Americas and Asia. The papers, including letters, royal edicts and court documents, shed new light on several groups of enslaved Africans in and around what is now the Panamanian province of Colón.
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

The World's First Vaccine for Honeybees Is Here

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Pollinators—like honeybees, moths, hummingbirds and bats—are in trouble. While they’re crucial for promoting biodiversity and producing food for healthy human diets, pollinators face myriad threats, including habitat loss, climate change, pesticides, air pollution and disease-causing organisms.
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

Philip Pearlstein Painted the Naked Truth

art

In the 1960s, Philip Pearlstein first turned the iconic female nude on its head. The uninitiated might say he beheaded her. For centuries, artists exalted the female body as a thing of beauty, typified by Titian’s perfected Renaissance paintings of Venus and Peter Paul Rubens’ fleshy 17th-century Baroque nudes. Pearlstein painted it otherwise.
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

Police Discover Hundreds of Stolen Artifacts at Two Spanish Residences

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Officials in Spain have uncovered a veritable treasure trove of stolen archaeological artifacts in two private homes in the province of Alicante. In a statement, the Spanish Civil Guard calls it “one of the largest illegal private collections” ever found in the region, per Google Translate.
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

You Can Listen to Audiobooks Narrated by Artificial Intelligence

entertainment

The two current A.I. narrators are called Madison, a soprano, and Jackson, a baritone, per Apple’s website. In the future, the company plans to also offer A.I.-narrated nonfiction and self-development audiobooks and will be rolling out two additional digital voices named Helena and Mitchell.
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

'Self-Healing' Concrete May Have Preserved Ancient Roman Structures

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Ancient Roman infrastructure can put modern buildings to shame. While today’s concrete structures might only last a few decades, some long-lived concrete in Rome has survived for 2,000 years. The Pantheon’s unreinforced concrete dome, completed around 125 C.E., remains intact, according to a statement from MIT.
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

What to Know About 'Tranq,' the Animal Sedative Infiltrating Street Drugs

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An animal sedative that’s harmful to human health is showing up in street drugs across the United States, and it appears to be spreading. The drug, called xylazine, causes severe skin wounds and knocks users out for hours at a time, leaving them vulnerable and exposed.
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

For the First Time, U.S. Repatriates an Artifact to the Palestinian Authority

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“It is the first ever event of such repatriation from the United States to the Palestinian Authority in history,” the statement reads, “during which U.S. and Palestinian officials shared their mutual respect and appreciation for cultural heritage and history, acknowledging the importance of cultural exchange in strengthening the U.S.-Palestinian relationship.”
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

The Misunderstood Roman Empress Who Willed Her Way to the Top

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On the night of August 24, 410, the Roman Princess Galla Placidia was waiting for the end of the world. Although she left no record of her feelings on that fateful evening, we can recreate the scene as the 20-year-old noblewoman wandered the imperial palace complex on the Palatine Hill in the heart of the ancient city. Her surroundings exuded all the ancient splendor and confidence of the Roman Empire, the greatest the Western world had ever seen. The floors and walls of the palace were a kaleidoscope of colored marble embedded with gold and precious gems. Silver fountains burbled in the courtyards.
Smithsonian Jan 10, 2023

Iran Releases Taraneh Alidoosti, the Famous Actress Arrested for Supporting Protests

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After nearly three weeks in prison, famed Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti has been released on bail, state media announced, per the Associated Press. Iranian authorities had arrested and jailed the actress, 38, after she criticized Iran’s crackdown on ongoing anti-government protests.
Smithsonian Jan 08, 2023

'Stomp' Performers Hang Up Their Garbage Can Lids

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“We could not have imagined the remarkable success it would enjoy, becoming part of popular culture, touring for years, and making an unmistakable imprint on the theatre landscape here and all over the world,” say the show’s producers in a statement. “While we’re sad to see it close at the Orpheum Theatre, we couldn’t be prouder of the impact that Stomp has had—and will continue to have—as the tours run both here and in Europe.”
Smithsonian Jan 08, 2023

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