"We unsubscribed from 16 subscription services and documented the ways companies made it challenging. May 2023"

"[...]This archive explores the biographies of some of the world’s most important inventors throughout history to modern times. Scientists, engineers, architects, chefs, and even a U.S. president are among the inventors whose unique stories, backgrounds, and what led them to invent are featured in the compilation. These inventors have made significant advances to society and left profound impacts on the lives of many."

"Explore CHM’s informative and engaging timelines to learn something new about key events, people, documents, and artifacts in the history of computing."

"At Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, our curators, educators, and creators seek to illuminate the transformative role of design across history. The topics presented here draw on the museum’s diverse activities, including exhibitions, publications, programs, and collections. Cooper Hewitt will continue to build on these important topics."

"This town-building game teaches complex systems. Made in partnership with the Scalable Systems Lab at UW-Madison. [...]"

"Travel to the past via first-hand accounts from letters, diaries, and rare books in the Newberry's collections

Witness the Chicago Fire, join the Lewis and Clark expedition, and marvel at the World's Fair through manuscripts transcribed by our online volunteers!"

"Read the Constitution in Plain English"

"The Homestead Act of 1862 offered Americans the opportunity to claim parcels of 'public land,' occupy and improve it for five years, and then receive title to it. This map visualizes over time and space the more than 2.3 million claims and 900,000 'patents' granting ownership made and issued in the half-century after passage of the act."

"Idaho National Laboratory has enlisted its experts, researchers and writers to produce an online interactive Periodic Table that offers pop-up information on every single known element. [...]"

"The purpose of this site is to help you learn about the sounds of birds."

"Martin Luther King, Jr.’s story inspires people to dream big about what they believe in. Gain new perspective from Martin Luther King III and his family’s reading lists. See how libraries can help you learn more about this Nobel Peace Prize-winning civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolence and racial equity."

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"Over the course of this article I’ll explain the workings of the mechanism seen in the demonstration below. You can drag the device around to change your viewing angle, and you can use the slider to peek at what’s going on inside:"

"A journey of emotional awareness, where we uncover the power of naming and visualizing your feelings."

"Have you ever wanted to know how an airplane flies? Or why you become 'weightless' in space? These and many other questions are answered in the How Things Fly Web site, a companion to the physical exhibition at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Our goal is to explain the basic principles that allow aircraft and spacecraft to fly."

"The primary source documents on this page highlight pivotal moments in the course of American history or government. They are some of the most-viewed and sought-out documents in the holdings of the National Archives."

"This is an audio/visual story exploring the sounds of Mexico City’s streets."

"This map shows a slice of our Universe. It was created from astronomical data taken night after night over a period of 15 years using a telescope in New Mexico, USA. We are located at the bottom. At the top is the actual edge of the observable Universe. In between, we see about 200,000 galaxies."

"Americans, a major exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, highlights the ways in which American Indians have been part of the nation’s identity since before the country began. It delves into the three stories, surrounds visitors with images, and invites them to begin a conversation about why this phenomenon exists."

"As MBARI researchers explore the deep sea, we often discover life that we’ve never seen before. But some animals—for their wacky shapes, splendid colors, or bizarre lifestyles—remain long-standing staff favorites. Check out some of our most iconic deep-sea critters, including exclusive footage and information about how each animal thrives in the deep ocean."

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"Cotton, wool, polyester, silk—fiber is felt in every aspect of our lives and has long inspired women artists. This digital project highlights the work of eight artists. Their artworks from the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery are placed alongside the artist's words and primary sources from the Archives of American Art to deepen insight into the artists' creative processes."

"In this series from Adobe Discover, renowned industry pros share fundamental principles and insights from their own experience to help you better understand key elements of design, including topics such as typography and color."

"Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire will explore how artworks from the ancient city shape our understanding of Teotihuacan as an urban environment. One of the earliest, largest, and most important cities in the ancient Americas, Teotihuacan is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most visited archaeological site in Mexico."

"NightLife at Cal Academy brings its iconic after-hours programming to you with NightSchool—informal online "classes" with an eclectic mix of science and culture. Catch programs every first & third Thursday of the month!"

"Science is complicated and sometimes hard for non-scientists to understand. But science is important for solving problems and making life better for everyone on the planet. Argonne’s Science 101 series is aimed at helping to break down the complex concepts behind our work. Our videos and infographics will help you understand the language and concepts important to Argonne science and technology, from quantum science to batteries for clean energy."

"From our earliest musical encounters to the formation of complex social identities, the American musical landscape wouldn’t be what it is today without the countless contributions of women changemakers, groundbreakers, and tradition-bearers. Women’s leadership in music and social change is central to the American story. Music HerStory explores these contributions through unique media collections from across the Smithsonian."

"Considered one of the most influential schools of art and design of the 20th century, the Bauhaus forged a unique educational vision that blended theory with practice in order to cultivate a new generation of artists and designers.

Conceived in tandem with the Getty Research Institute’s gallery exhibition, Bauhaus Beginnings, this online exhibition offers an in-depth look into the school’s novel pedagogy."

"Your brain is always changing. Brain science is advancing rapidly as modern technology is helping us begin to unravel age-old mysteries about ourselves. What is the brain? What does it do? How does it work? Think about how you think, with these interactive activities, images, and videos to help you investigate what's going on inside your head and what the future holds."

"With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars."

"Originally captured as the medium for Ed Ruscha’s creative work, the more than 65,000 photographs selected from this archive present a unique view of one of Los Angeles’ quintessential streets, Sunset Boulevard, and how it has changed over the past 50 years. Ed Ruscha, with help from Getty and Stamen Design, is making this amazing collection accessible to you: explore his images of Sunset and discover your own story of Los Angeles."

"The Museum enhances its accessibility and enriches its exhibitions through a variety of virtual projects. The digitization of our collection allows visitors to explore the archive outside of their visit to the gallery. Additionally, the projects all seek to further the core principles of the institution: to explore tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence."

"Economics is a game you should know how to play. And once you get the fundamental concepts, you start to see it everywhere: the news, the supermarket and even your dating life. So it's time to learn the rules. Planet Money Summer School is a crash course in economics for your ears. See the world through the lens of an economist and you'll start to feel a little less overwhelmed when making financial decisions. [...]"

"What would be possible if we were to design for peace?


Designing Peace explores the unique role design can play in pursuing peace and creating a more equitable world. The exhibition features design projects from around the globe that look at ways to create and sustain more durable peaceful interactions—from creative confrontations that challenge existing structures to designs that demand embracing justice and truth in a search for reconciliation."

"Explore 40 years of satellite climate data via interactive globes and maps"

"Explore all of the new JWST images interactively on a map of the sky!"

"A novel tool for flexible spatial and temporal analyses of much of the observed and projected climate change information underpinning the Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, including regional synthesis for Climatic Impact-Drivers (CIDs)."

"An online magazine about particle physics."

"OOIR lists the latest articles from leading social science journals [...]"

"The U.S. Currency Education Program (CEP) is responsible for ensuring that users of U.S. currency around the world have access to education, training, and information about Federal Reserve notes."

"ID help and life history info for 600+ North American species"

"The Earth Observatory’s mission is to share with the public the images, stories, and discoveries about the environment, Earth systems, and climate that emerge from NASA research, including its satellite missions, in-the-field research, and models."

"Drawing on materials from the HBS Archives, From Inquiry to Action explores the introduction of the case method in the teaching of business administration and highlights the School’s early contributions that have led to the enduring influence of this participant-centered teaching practice."

"ACM has opened more than 117,500 articles published between 1951 and the end of 2000, during the first 50 years of its publishing program. These articles, which include many foundational articles by the pioneers of the field, are now freely available to view and download via the ACM DL."

"This digital exhibition illuminates how American designer Willi Smith (1948-1987) and his collaborators broke down social, cultural and economic boundaries by marrying affordable, adaptable 'street couture' with avant-garde performance, film and design. Choose a topic to explore exhibition objects, recollections, commissioned essays, archival video, and digital ephemera."

"In his 45 years on WFMT radio, Studs Terkel talked to the 20th century’s most interesting people. Browse our growing archive of more than 2,000 programs."

"NASA's Image Access Site for Visual Exploration of the Universe"

"Explore the latest visualizations of NASA's Earth Observing satellites and the data they collect. NASA researchers are constantly tracking remote-sensing data and modeling processes to better understand our home planet."

"An immersive 360 view of your national marine sanctuaries"

"Persepolis Reimagined is the result of a collaboration between historians, creatives, and technologists, in the context of the Getty Villa Museum exhibition, Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World.

This exhibition is part of an ongoing Getty series, The Classical World in Context, which explores the complex interrelationships between ancient Greece and Rome and other cultures and civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Objects on view in the exhibition are featured throughout this virtual experience."

"Our collection currently contains more than 100,000 works of art and design dating from ancient times to today. Of these objects, 2,205 of them are on view in the museum now. 82,716 of them are available online."

"AstroPix offers access to the public image galleries of many of the world's leading astronomical observatories under a single unified interface. Assets include a full range of astronomical observations, artwork, and charts spanning the field of astronomy."

"An enhanced digital edition of J. G. Heck’s collection of 13,000+ illustrations from 1851"

"This monumental exhibit of 120 3-D printed statues celebrates contemporary women innovators in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) [...]"

"The 2022 edition of AAS WorldWide Telescope launched on February 15th, 2022.

WWT isn’t a physical telescope — it’s a suite of free and open source software and data sets that combine to create stunning scientific visualizations and stories. While WWT started out as a standalone Windows application, it’s evolved into a powerful astronomy visualization toolkit that you can use on the desktop, in the browser, and from Python."

"A look at alternative logics for social media published in connection with 'Reimagine the Internet'"

"Looking at how to make writing easier to read"

"Digital Dante offers original research and ideas on Dante: on his thought and work and on various aspects of his reception. Though our editorial structure is that of an academic journal, we do not publish prose essays, instead showcasing work that intersperses prose with visual components (see Author Guidelines). We accept contributions from scholars and Dante lovers around the world."

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"To Secure the Tools We Need, We Need to Look Beyond 'Media' and 'Literacy'"

"Explore some of the building blocks of the Standard Model in this Physics 101 series."

"This page features items from the Library's digital collections that are free to use and reuse."

"The basics of neural networks, and the math behind how they learn"

"From arrival at the ESA launch Facility in Kourou French Guiana, through launch and deployment, the pages linked here are your starting point for exploring Webb's launch and commissioning."

"Effective data visualisation comes in many shapes and sizes, but how do you move away from a standard bar chart?"

"The EnviroAtlas Interactive Map is a discovery and analysis tool for hundreds of data layers relating to ecosystem services, biodiversity, people, and the built environment."

"Mapping the college curriculum across 7,292,573 syllabi."

"Laws of UX is a collection of best practices that designers can consider when building user interfaces."

"Feral Atlas invites you to explore the ecological worlds created when nonhuman entities become tangled up with human infrastructure projects. Seventy-nine field reports from scientists, humanists, and artists show you how to recognize “feral” ecologies, that is, ecologies that have been encouraged by human-built infrastructures, but which have developed and spread beyond human control. These infrastructural effects, Feral Atlas argues, are the Anthropocene."

"Explore Chicago Collections allows you to search for information in the physical and digital archives of a growing number of libraries and museums."

"Designer and paper engineer Kelli Anderson creates incredible things from analog materials: planetariums, cameras, and speakers. In this workshop, Kelli walks us through the computational thinking of artists including Sol LeWitt, George Perec, and Marjan Teeuwen, and introduces us to analog computing through exercises that engage our observation and reverse engineering skills."

"[...] asking women, girls, and gender non-binary individuals to participate in the simple act of recording their daily thoughts and personal experiences during this pandemic in order to document the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women’s lives."

"[...] an engaging digital experience that brings to life pivotal LGBTQ milestones and achievements.

In Plain Sight provides factual historic records and up-to-date information about people who have come out in different professional areas. [...]"

"A reproduction of Oliver Byrne’s celebrated work from 1847 plus interactive diagrams, cross references, and posters designed by Nicholas Rougeux"

"Satellite images courtesy of NESDIS Satellite Services Division (NOAA)"

"A series of informal videos talking about the biggest ideas we've come up with to describe our natural world. No prerequisites required!"

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"Explore with Perseverance puts you on Mars next to NASA's Perseverance, to see what the rover sees as it explores. You can select images right from this 3D interactive or from the list view. As the rover explores Mars, the images it takes are mapped onto the terrain to fill in the picture of the Jezero Crater landing site.

This experience uses imagery from Perseverance rover cameras including its Navcams, Hazcams, and Mastcam-Z. Additional data is filled in using orbital coverage from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera.

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/University of Arizona"

"Explore thousands of artworks in the museum’s wide-ranging collection—from our world-renowned icons to lesser-known gems from every corner of the globe—as well as our books, writings, reference materials, and other resources."

"Access the Museum’s resources, including interactive timelines, digital exhibitions, oral histories, registries, and the 9/11 primer, to learn more about the February 26, 1993 World Trade Center bombing and 9/11 and its aftermath."

"Team Brain Scoop is about to helicopter into a biologically unknown region of the Peruvian jungle with a team of conservationists to study and document the area's biodiversity for the first time in its history."

"[...] an open-source dynamic web application and public art project by Library of Congress Innovator in Residence Courtney McClellan. The tool presents a unique mini collection of Free to Use items from the Library of Congress for students, teachers, and users of all ages to annotate through captions, drawings, and other types of markmaking."

"[...] ever-growing summary of the history of Western philosophy showing the positive/negative connections between some of the key ideas/arguments/statements of the philosophers."

"[...] a free, online resource that helps users discover biographical and historical information about persons, families, and organizations that created or are documented in historical resources (primary source documents) and their connections to one another. Users can locate archival collections and related resources held at cultural heritage institutions around the world."

"[...] a partnership of academic and research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world."

"[...] a fully searchable, interactive curated collection of illusions. The illusions are categorised into different types, allowing you to search for, and compare, illusions that fall under one or more type"

"Walter Isaacson's lectures for the Tulane History Dept. course, 'The Digital Revolution: From Ada to Zuckerberg'"

"Poppy Field is an independent project – a reflection on human life lost in war."

"Free public domain audiobooks"

"[...] NOAA Climate.gov is a source of timely and authoritative scientific data and information about climate. Our goals are to promote public understanding of climate science and climate-related events, to make our data products and services easy to access and use, to provide climate-related support to the private sector and the Nation’s economy, and to serve people making climate-related decisions with tools and resources that help them answer specific questions."

"Our knowledge of the many life-forms on Earth - of animals, plants, fungi, protists and bacteria - is scattered around the world in books, journals, databases, websites, specimen collections, and in the minds of people everywhere. Imagine what it would mean if this information could be gathered together and made available to everyone – anywhere – at a moment’s notice. This dream is becoming a reality through the Encyclopedia of Life."

"[...]Built on a scalable web platform geared for large biodiversity and environmental data, Map of Life endeavors to provide ‘best-possible’ species range information and species lists for any geographic area. Map of Life aims to support effective and global biodiversity education, monitoring, research and decision-making by assembling and integrating a wide range of knowledge about species distributions and their dynamics over time."

"Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems"

"Visualizing SEP is an interactive data visualization for exploring the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, one of the Web's foremost resources on philosophy."

"TopoView highlights one of the USGS's most important and useful products, the topographic map. In 1879, the USGS began to map the Nation's topography. This mapping was done at different levels of detail, to support various land use and other purposes. As the years passed, the USGS produced new map versions of each area. TopoView shows the many and varied topographic maps of each of these areas through history. This can be particularly useful for historical purposes, such as finding the names of natural and cultural features that have changed over time. [...]"

"Understanding Evolution is a non-commercial, education website, teaching the science and history of evolutionary biology. This site is here to help you understand what evolution is, how it works, how it factors into your life, how research in evolutionary biology is performed, and how ideas in this area have changed over time."

"[...] a web-based visualization platform for exploring the 170,000 photographs taken by the FSA and OWI agencies of the U.S. Federal Government between 1935 and 1943."

"A real-time journey through the Apollo missions.

This website consists entirely of historical mission material"

"Inspiring discovery through free access to biodiversity knowledge."

"A CSS-based interactive exhibition celebrating evolutionary distinction."

"[...] the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research."

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"A resource for learning about the history of computing"

"[...] accurate and timely news and information about Earth’s changing climate, along with current data and visualizations, presented from the unique perspective of NASA, one of the world’s leading climate research agencies"

"A visual introduction to probability and statistics."

"A resource that provides guidance for designing ethically humane digital products through patterns focused on user well-being."

"[...] a fun, accessible, and free resource that accurately communicates what science is and how it really works"

"[...] an online planetarium running in your web browser"

"Explore facts, essays, and related content for all the U.S. presidents"

"A series of stories examining the Earth-wide impacts of our human presence"

"Connecting present-day environmental inequalities to redlining policies of the 1930s"

"Selma Online is more than a history lesson.

It’s a call to action to learn about democracy, civil rights, and the need to safeguard voting equality

…in every generation."

"Explore records of the National Archives documenting the ongoing struggle of Americans to define, attain, and protect their rights."

"[...]presents a thematic, chronological, and geographical exploration of global art history through The Met collection."

"Dig in to 2,500 years of vertical living through an interactive storybook, with rarely seen New York Times photos, as well as animation and games."

"A virtual library for exploration and research of NASA's space rock collections"

"To create a more equitable and just American society, the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative will create, disseminate, and amplify the historical record of the accomplishments of American women."

"an historical atlas of the United States for the twenty-first century. It combines cutting-edge research with innovative interactive mapping techniques, designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in American history or a love of maps."

"visualising data structures and algorithms through animation"

"Frankenbook is a collective reading and collaborative annotation experience of the original 1818 text of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley."

"This simulated view of our solar system runs on real data. The positions of the planets, moons and spacecraft are shown where they are right now. This digital orrery is a light, mobile-friendly version of NASA’s Eyes software."

"We’ve curated a collection of resources from our classes and workshops for you to explore. Use these activities, tools, and how-tos as a starting point — we hope you’ll hack them for whatever challenge you’re working on."

"Learn about the text, history, and meaning of the U.S. Constitution from leading scholars of diverse legal and philosophical perspectives."

"an ongoing attempt at an algorithmically-generated, readability-adjusted scatter-plot of the musical genre-space, based on data tracked and analyzed for 4,954 genre-shaped distinctions by Spotify as of 2020-10-07"

"an interactive experience through time, continents and cultures, featuring some of the most fascinating objects in human history."

"The world’s leading data visualization platform for international trade data."

"a visual interactive map of emotions"

"a hub for learning through play!"