Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of Life magazine, received a call from S. Dillon Ripley, the then-Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, with a mandate that would define a new era of public engagement with science and history. Ripley tasked Thompson with creating a publication about things the Smithsonian was interested in, might be interested in, or ought to be interested in. Thompson approached this challenge with a philosophy that diverged sharply from the dry academic journals of the time, aiming to stir curiosity in already receptive minds rather than lecture them. He believed the magazine would deal with history as it was relevant to the present, presenting art in the richest possible reproduction because true art is never dated. The goal was to peer into the future via coverage of social progress and technology, digesting technical matters into intelligible prose by skilled writers who could stimulate readers to reach upward without turning them off with jargon. Thompson promised to find the best writers and the best photographers, creating a publication not unlike the best of the old Life magazine, blending high-quality journalism with the institutional weight of the Smithsonian.
A Million Reader Milestone
The magazine turned a profit for the first time in 1973, marking a financial turning point that validated Thompson's vision of a commercially viable yet intellectually rigorous publication. By 1974, circulation had nearly quadrupled to 635,000, and the publication reached the one million milestone in 1975, establishing itself as one of the most successful magazine launches of its time. This rapid growth was not merely a numbers game but a cultural shift, bringing complex topics from the Smithsonian's vast collections into the living rooms of millions of Americans. In 1980, Thompson was replaced by Don Moser, who had also worked at Life, and under his leadership, circulation reached upwards of two million. Carey Winfrey later took the helm, growing the audience further until his retirement in 2001. Michael Caruso succeeded Carey Winfrey in 2011, serving as editor-in-chief until 2019, while Debra Rosenberg and Terence Monmaney have served as editors since that time, ensuring the magazine's continued evolution in a changing media landscape.Celebrating American Ingenuity
From 2012 until 2019, the magazine sponsored the American Ingenuity Awards, a recognition of innovation in the arts, sciences, and technology that brought together a diverse array of winners including Bryan Stevenson, Elon Musk, Lin-Manuel Miranda, OK Go, John Krasinski, Dave Eggers, Aziz Ansari, Rosanne Cash, Jeff Bezos, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and David Lynch. Presenters for the event included Stephen Hawking, who appeared twice, Stephen Colbert, David Byrne, Herbie Hancock, Erin Brockovich, Ruben Blades, Bill Nye, Art Spiegelman, and Senator Al Franken. The American Ingenuity Award was created by the artist Jeff Koons, adding a layer of artistic prestige to the scientific and cultural recognition. This event served as a bridge between the magazine's written content and the public celebration of human achievement, highlighting the intersection of creativity and innovation that the Smithsonian Institution has long championed.