Happy Birthday, Smithsonian Magazine!

This month marks the 45th anniversary of Smithsonian magazine. The subscription-only publication was initially available to Smithsonian Associates members for $10 per year. The first issue exceeded a circulation of 200,000 and was unique in that it encompassed science, arts, and the humanities in a single magazine. Subject matter in the April 1970 issue included the relationship between the Earth and humankind; the breeding of elephants on Ceylon; the destruction of the Pacific coral reefs by the crown-of-thorns starfish; the centennial of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; education in a multimedia environment; the University of Maryland's Black Studies program; the revival of the ancient craft of macramé; and overpopulation predictions by John B. Calhoun based upon experiments with rats and mice. The issue also included commentary by Secretary S. Dillon Ripley, book reviews, and a listing of Smithsonian events.

Edward K. Thompson served as the first editor of Smithsonian, c. 1969-1979, and was awarded the Joseph Henry Medal in 1973 for exceptional service to the Smithsonian Institution.

Related Resources

• Magazine Debuts (page 2), The Smithsonian Torch, April 1970
• Noxious Bogs and Amorous Elephants: Smithsonian's birth, 35 years ago, only hinted at the splendors to follow, Smithsonian magazine, November 2005

Related Collections

• Smithsonian magazine records, Smithsonian Institution Archives