Smithsonian Chamber Music Society audiences are privy to the unparalleled experience of being able to hear two magnificent quartets of instruments—one made by Antonio Stradivari, the other by his teacher Nicoló Amati—in this popular four-concert series on Saturdays. This concert features music composed by Haydn, Bartók, and Beethoven.
The Amber Room, dazzling, invaluable, and considered the “eighth wonder of the world,” was constructed for Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin in the early 18th century and gifted to Peter the Great. Composed of amber, semi-precious stones, and gold, it symbolized Russian imperial wealth. Looted by Nazis, destroyed or hidden, and later reconstructed, it has shifted from emblem of global power to phantasm of imperial ambitions. Art historian Molly Brunson explores its history, craftsmanship, and enduring fascination nearly a century after its disappearance. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Insects surged to ecological dominance by evolving larvae—grubs, maggots, and caterpillars—with extraordinary survival strategies and life cycle advantages. Wildlife documentary filmmaker Steve Nicholls explores their remarkable origins and the ingenious ways these vulnerable young thrive, from impersonating predators to forming intricate social networks.
William T. Sherman, famed Civil War general, and his brother John Sherman, long-serving U.S. senator, experienced the war as a defining event in their lives. The conflict became a true "brothers’ war" as each relied on the other during some of its darkest moments. Historian Bennett Parten discusses how the two Shermans navigated the Civil War together, with both rising to personal and professional heights.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, America’s first common carrier, was a pioneer in many components of railroading. None was more important than its innovations in propulsion. Rail historian James Reeves leads an exploration of more than a century of locomotive history at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore. A Smithsonian Affiliate, the museum houses an outstanding collection of 19th-century locomotives—including an array on loan from the Smithsonian Institution.
Through the story of a pebble, paleobiologist Jan Zalasiewicz illuminates a complex history that begins in the farthest reaches of space and continues on Earth with volcanic eruptions, extinct animals and plants, long-vanished oceans, and transformations deep underground. The pebble’s story shows how geologists reveal the Earth’s past by forensic analysis of even the tiniest amounts of mineral matter crammed into a pebble.
Stoicism’s core teaching is that happiness arises from virtue, reason, and harmony with nature. Contrary to appearances, people do not react to events themselves but to their judgments about them. Stoics aim to recognize and refine these judgments, eliminating irrationality to live more wisely. Drawing from his book The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Manual, Ward Farnsworth, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law, offers practical guidance for clearer perception, resilient living, and easing life’s burdens.
In honor of America’s 250th, William McShea of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and SnapshotUSA are embarking on a massive project to resurvey the mammals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Trail—and they could use your help. McShea, a conservation biologist, explains the development of wildlife observation and how ordinary people can help advance scientific knowledge of mammals and the ecosystems they inhabit, with this project and beyond.
