#SmithsonianSunday
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The Etch A Sketch was a toy to me. For some, it's a tool to create true art. This week, #SmithsonianSunday affords us a look at its dual role in our culture. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the tests and life. #TestPrep ReadingIsFundamental #EtchASketch

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July 13, 2025 at 2:18 PM
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For any of us who have made an embarrassing typo (and who hasn't?), an exhibit at the Yale Library offers some comfort. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #SmithsonianSunday #ReadingIsFundamental #TestPrep #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT

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Typos Have Plagued Us for Centuries. Just Ask the Publishers Who Printed the Seventh Commandment as 'Thou Shalt Commit Adultery' in 1631
A new exhibition at Yale Library explores the history of typos across five centuries. Visitors will see corrections that were listed inside copies of works by James Joyce, Upton Sinclair and Nicolaus Copernicus
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March 22, 2026 at 6:30 PM
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The key to longevity is...be a fish in the Great Lakes? This week's #SmithsonianSunday article explores the possibility that some may be 400 years old or older. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE

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Some Fish in the Great Lakes Might Be More Than 400 Years Old, a Study Suggests, Outliving Around 15 Generations of Humans
Lake sturgeon may be among the longest-living vertebrates, second only to Greenland sharks, according to recent research. However, scientists note that follow-up work is necessary to clarify the species’ lifespan
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September 21, 2026 at 1:53 AM
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This week's #SmithsonianSunday article offers a reconsideration of Grandma Moses and her legacy as an artist. Read challenging and interesting materials to prepare yourself for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT

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In Her 70s, Grandma Moses Began Painting Lovely Scenes of Rural Life. Then She Became an Icon
A new Smithsonian retrospective explores the legacy of America’s beloved late bloomer, often underrated in art history
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November 30, 2025 at 7:11 PM
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On a holiday Sunday morning, what better time to learn more about one of my favorite topics? This article is a lengthier-than-usual explanation of the science of coffee. Enjoy with a cup of your favorite bean. #SmithsonianSunday #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE
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How a Forgotten Bean Could Save Coffee From Extinction
One leading botanist is scouring remote corners of the earth to find new species that could keep our mugs full
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April 13, 2025 at 12:55 PM
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Who says that Long Island Test Prep can't meet the cultural moment? This week's #SmithsonianSunday gives scientific context to the viral story of Punch The Monkey. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT

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Why Has Punch, an Adorable Baby Monkey, Struggled to Fit in With His Troop? Scientists Explain the Lives of Japanese Macaques
Experts say the other monkeys' aggressive behaviors toward Punch are pretty normal
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March 8, 2026 at 5:10 PM
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This week's #SmithsonianSunday article explores the career and worldview of one of my favorite artists: Johnny Cash. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #TheManInBlack

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Seventy Years Ago, Johnny Cash Recorded 'Folsom Prison Blues' and Became a Folk Hero for the Ignored and Downtrodden
A man of the people, the artist put his money where his mouth was by visiting prisons around the country and performing the song
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August 3, 2025 at 2:16 PM
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In today's #SmithsonianSunday article, we read the story of a potential breakthrough for safer drinking water, made by a current high school student. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT

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This High School Student Invented a Filter That Eliminates 96 Percent of Microplastics From Drinking Water
Virginia teenager Mia Heller’s filtration system harnesses the power of ferrofluid, a magnetic oil that binds to microplastics in flowing water
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March 29, 2026 at 2:51 PM
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Love the music in Jaws or the Star Wars series? Then you may enjoy the composition that is the focus of this week's #SmithsonianSunday piece, written by John Williams. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams!! #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #Music

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John Williams, the Famous Composer Known for 'Jaws' and 'Star Wars,' Debuts First Piano Concerto at Age 93
The renowned composer has scored many of the most famous films of our time. But until this summer, he had never attempted a concerto for piano
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August 10, 2025 at 3:08 PM
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On the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, Smithsonian Magazine gives a brief history of the battle and Custer's role in it. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SmithsonianSunday #SAT #ACT #GRE

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A Century and a Half After Custer's Last Stand, the Battle of Little Bighorn Continues to Mystify
The June 1876 firefight resulted in the deaths of George Armstrong Custer and 267 of his men. Historians continue to debate exactly how the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne secured their victory over the U.S. Army
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June 28, 2026 at 11:04 PM
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Another post to celebrate our nation's 250th...

How did the U.S.A. actually get her name? This week's #SmithsonianSunday article provides a brief history. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE

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How Did the Nation Get Its Name? Other Suggestions Included the United Colonies, Columbia and the United States of Alleghania
The nascent country adopted its name 250 years ago, on September 9, 1776. Americans have debated the moniker ever since. One congressman even proposed the "United States of the Earth"
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September 13, 2026 at 8:15 PM
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This week's #SmithsonianSunday article traces the history of Jim Henson's guidance of the Muppets from a scrappy startup to a forceful franchise. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #Alliteration

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Kermit the Frog Was Just Trying to Put on a Variety Show. Fifty Years Later, the Muppets Are Some of the Biggest Stars in Television History
The first episode of Jim Henson's "The Muppet Show" premiered in the United Kingdom on September 5, 1976. Enthusiasm for the eclectic ensemble has endured ever since
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September 7, 2026 at 2:01 AM
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This week's #SmithsonianSunday piece is a brief review of a book that places the Gold Rush in its proper historical context: it unleashed forces still at work. Read challenging and interesting materials to prepare for the exams and life. #ReadingIsFundamental #TestPrep #SAT #ACT

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When a Carpenter in California Found a Nugget of Gold, It Started a Rush Toward Nothing Less Than the Modern World
A new book by historian Nathaniel Philbrick makes the case that James Marshall’s 1848 discovery set in motion events from the Civil War to the rise of Silicon Valley
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August 30, 2026 at 4:39 PM
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#SmithsonianSunday! This week: preservation of the history of the Bear River Massacre, often overlooked because it took place during the Civil War. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE

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This 1863 Massacre Was the Deadliest Slaughter of Native Americans in U.S. History. Now, the Shoshone Are Restoring the Site of the Attack
Amid mounting tensions between white settlers and the Shoshone, Union soldiers killed an estimated 250 to 500 Shoshone. Today, the Indigenous nation is working to bring "nature back into balance"
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August 2, 2026 at 3:28 PM
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This week's #SmithsonianSunday article tells of an experimental surgery offers hope for those who have lost feeling in and use of limbs. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT

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A Man With Paralysis Has Regained Feeling and Movement in His Hands After an Experimental Brain Implant
After months of training, the patient can now move his arms and hands and feel the sensation of touch
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July 27, 2026 at 12:30 AM
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For this July 4th weekend, a special #SmithsonianSunday article. A brief history of the building that houses the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum. Read challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE

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This Building Hosted Lincoln's Inaugural Ball and Displayed the Declaration of Independence. Today, It's Home to Two World-Class Art Museums
The Old Patent Office Building now houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. A new exhibition spotlights the structure's rich history of encouraging innovation
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July 5, 2026 at 6:28 PM
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With hope that this year's semiquincentennial goes better, we look at Philadelphia's experience celebrating our independence 100 years ago. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SmithsonianSunday #SAT #ACT #GRE

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America's 150th Birthday Celebration Was Deemed the Nation's 'Greatest Flop.' What Went Wrong With the Sesquicentennial?
Philadelphia politicians hoped to replicate the success of the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Instead, the 1926 world's fair lost millions of dollars, essentially bankrupting the city on the eve of the Great Depression
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June 21, 2026 at 5:22 PM
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Since I'm in Chicago for the National Test Prep Association conference, a brief history of the city is our topic for today's #SmithsonianSunday. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #NTPA #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT
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June 14, 2026 at 1:31 PM
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This week's #SmithsonianSunday article details the escape from slavery and the life of Ona Judge and highlights the mural unveiled in her honor in Portsmouth. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE

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Ona Judge Escaped From Slavery While George Washington Was Busy Eating Dinner Inside. Now, a New Mural Honors Her Legacy
The artwork in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, shows Judge arriving in the city after her journey from Philadelphia in May 1796. She remained a free woman until her death in 1848
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May 31, 2026 at 5:12 PM
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The Mona Lisa is getting a private room! To improve the flow of foot traffic, the Louvre is creating a separate room for the famous work. Read challenging and interesting materials to prepare for the exams and life. #SmithsonianSunday #TestPrep #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT

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'Mona Lisa' Is Moving to a New Home. The Louvre Just Announced the Architects Who Will Design Her Private Suite
Visitors will be able to view Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece without touring the rest of the Louvre, and visitor traffic at the museum will be able to grow by three million people annually
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May 24, 2026 at 4:10 PM
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This week's #SmithsonianSunday piece is an extended tribute to David Attenborough that details ten things in nature that have been named in his honor. Read challenging and interesting materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT

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David Attenborough Has Inspired Countless Scientists. To Mark His 100th Birthday, Here Are Ten Living Things They've Named After Him
Researchers around the planet grew up watching documentaries hosted by the English broadcaster and naturalist, which sparked their love of the natural world. Now, their discoveries become tributes to his legacy
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May 10, 2026 at 9:40 PM
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As the Semiquicentennial approaches, we read about the gunboat Philadelphia. It reminds us of the remarkable effort required to secure independence. Read challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT #SmithsonianSunday

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The Gunboat ‘Philadelphia’ Lasted One Day in Battle. It’s Still Telling Us About the Revolution 250 Years Later.
The 29-ton ship went to war against the British, then sat at the bottom of Lake Champlain for 160 years. Now it’s a relic of ragged glory
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April 12, 2026 at 4:59 PM
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This Ides of March, an exploration of the fighting that followed Caesar's assassination, ending the Roman Republic once and for all. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #SmithsonianSunday #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT

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The Hunt for Julius Caesar's Assassins Marked the Last Days of the Roman Republic
A new page-turning history details the events that led to the deaths of many of the conspirators
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March 15, 2026 at 3:15 PM
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Earlier interpretations tell us that Europe was the center of the ancient world. Today's #SmithsonianSunday article reminds us that it was likely quite a bit to the east. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental

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Afghanistan Was a Crossroad of the Ancient World, Where Hellenistic Culture Blended With Buddhist Influences
Alexander the Great conquered the region around 329 B.C.E., leaving behind Greek and Macedonian settlers who intermarried with locals. Their descendants eventually formed new kingdoms whose legacies continue to be debated today
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February 15, 2026 at 4:51 PM
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For Super Bowl #SmithsonianSunday, we read about an athlete in a different sport: Climbing Really Tall Things That Nobody Should Ever Try To Climb. Read interesting and challenging materials to prepare for the exams and life. #TestPrep #ReadingIsFundamental #SAT #ACT #GRE #LSAT

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See How Alex Honnold Climbed a Dizzying 1,667-Foot-Tall Skyscraper Without Ropes
He became famous after scaling El Capitan without protective equipment in 2017. Now the 40-year-old athlete has completed the first free solo of Taipei 101 in Taiwan
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February 8, 2026 at 2:17 PM