Smithsonian Education

Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor when he was inspired by a real boxing match to write the film that became a legend. This year, the origin story of the franchise turns 50.

After growing up in poverty, she became famous for her legendary songs, big heart and larger-than-life style. But the iconic musician insisted that "the songs lead to everything else"

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest remind us that amusement parks have entertained generations of thrill-seekers

One of his subjects was a cousin I never knew. I wanted to learn more about the large-scale portraits that helped define the English artist's legacy

The power of film is often in its ability to feel larger than life. Movie makers have been developing ways to accentuate that aspect for more than a century

When new government policies allowed kids more time to grown up, the teenager was born. And every decade or so, they’ve changed the ways they entertain themselves … and everyone else

A groundbreaking cartoonist paired images with a running narrative in 1896 to create the first comic strip. They've mutated into books, blockbuster movies and Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novels

Irna Phillips was a radio voice actor in Chicago when she was asked to create a serialized program. From that, she created a legacy that includes ‘Guiding Light’ and ‘As the World Turns’

The music genre that became a global sensation started with some creative teens just getting together and riffing rhymes to DJ Kool Herc’s curated beats

Mary Randolph, an in-law of the Jefferson family who was influenced by enslaved cooks and traditions of European immigrants, didn’t change Southern cooking with her 1824 cookbook … she originated it

The comedian of the stage and big screen thrilled millions of Americans without ever speaking a word, leaving many to wonder what his voice sounded like

By letting Muddy Waters hear himself for the first time, he unlocked a new confidence that set the sharecropper on the path to superstardom. And that’s just the start of what he found in churches, prisons and even lumberjack camps

The genius of her work was in painting things as she saw them through her own eyes. So when she surrounded herself with beauty, her work reflected it

Known for spectacles like "The Phantom of the Opera," Broadway's most commercially successful composer now wants to tell the story of the world's most famous painting

From kangaroo grass to Kakadu plums, native foods are redefining diners' taste buds and deepening their connection to the land

Anzia Yezierska wrote from experience then worked hard to make sure her work found an audience. Then a new audience found her

This year’s best photos command attention by capturing intimate moments and bold colors

The French-American avant garde artist said painting and sculpture exhibitions made him sick. But the collection of 200 of his works may tell the story of art in the 20th century

Before computers and A.I., beautiful trinkets were formed with a combination of hubs, dies, finesse and force. Kevin Potter has perhaps the world’s largest assemblage of them

A new biography chronicles the history and evolution of the reserved artist who has always let his pen do the talking