Sidedoor
More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults. But where the public’s view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers and astrophysicists, host Lizzie Peabody sneaks listeners through the Smithsonian’s side door, telling stories that can’t be heard anywhere else. Check out si.edu/sidedoor and follow @SidedoorPod for more info.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 26 minutes
- Episodes
- 230
- Years Active
- 2016 - 2025
The Music of Jeopardy! From a Lullaby to $100,000,000
It’s the most recognizable TV theme in America. But Jeopardy’s “Think Music” wasn’t originally written for a game show… It was written for a toddler. In this episode, we trace the unlikely journey of…
00:23:40 |
Wed 17 Sep 2025
Extreme Botany
Ana María Bedoya's work takes her to some unlikely places: steep cliffs, river rapids, and tumbling waterfalls— all in search of vulnerable aquatic plants.
Through lively stories and conversations …
00:34:19 |
Wed 03 Sep 2025
Back to School: Origins of the Pledge
Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understand how a massive wave of immigration and sagging m…
00:31:30 |
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Bear Trouble
When a black bear in Minnesota woke up from hibernation in the middle of winter and attacked three people and a dog, researchers were left with one question: Why?
***
This episode of the Points Nor…
00:17:20 |
Wed 06 Aug 2025
Shellshocked II: Turtle Thieves
Turtles are built like tiny tanks—ancient, armored, and famously tough. But in the modern world, that toughness may be their greatest vulnerability. In part two of our turtle two-parter, we dive into…
00:30:28 |
Wed 23 Jul 2025
Shellshocked I: Turtles vs. The World
Turtles have been around for 200 million years—outliving dinosaurs, surviving ice ages, and basically minding their own business the whole time. Tough on the outside, chill on the inside, they seem b…
00:31:23 |
Wed 09 Jul 2025
Bloodsuckers!
Leeches don’t get a lot of love. They’re slimy, wriggly, and, well, they suck—blood that is. But there’s a lot to learn about the lowly leech. Led by a troupe of Smithsonian experts, we’ll discover h…
00:30:33 |
Wed 25 Jun 2025
The Giving Game
The Gilded Age was a time of unparalleled wealth and prosperity in America — but it was also a time of staggering inequality, corruption, and unchecked power. Among its richest figures was Andrew Car…
00:34:05 |
Wed 11 Jun 2025
Space Jams
If you were curating a mixtape that might be heard by aliens billions of years from now - but definitely would be seen by your fellow Earthlings - what would you put on it? In 1977, two Voyager space…
00:41:47 |
Wed 28 May 2025
Zoo's Clues
The Curious Case of the Dizzy Kudu. Rhinos with an unexplained skin disease. A lion that could barely chew. Who do you call when there's a mystery at the zoo? The Smithsonian National Zoo and Conserv…
00:41:21 |
Wed 14 May 2025
Writing on the Wall
From the time we’re old enough to hold a crayon, it feels instinctive to draw on the wall. But for MISS CHELOVE – also known as Cita Sadeli – this instinct became a calling. Through bold color and la…
00:37:36 |
Wed 30 Apr 2025
Cellphones Rock
Cellphones put the power of the world at our fingertips. With the touch of a finger, you can instantly connect with your doctor, have food delivered to your office or simply obliterate your niece at …
00:28:35 |
Wed 16 Apr 2025
The Art of the Fist
The United States has more martial arts schools than any other country – by far. Chances are you or someone you know practiced karate or another martial art growing up. While martial arts gained popu…
00:34:49 |
Wed 02 Apr 2025
Asteroid Tag
A billion-dollar spacecraft, a daring deep-space mission, and one of humanity’s biggest questions: Where did we come from? NASA’s OSIRIS-REx set out to collect a pristine sample from asteroid Bennu, …
00:36:59 |
Wed 19 Mar 2025
Poison and Poisonability
When we think of serial killers, we tend to think of men—Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack the Ripper. But in the 1800s, the deadliest killers often wore corsets. In fact, so many women were arrested f…
00:35:17 |
Wed 05 Mar 2025
Right Stuff, Wrong Sex
There was a time, before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, when some researchers believed women were better suited for space than men. In 1961, a group of female pilots—today known as the Mercury …
00:40:35 |
Wed 19 Feb 2025
To Sweat Like Beyoncé
Beyoncé is one of the most well-known and appreciated Black women in music today, but to understand her work, we need to look at who came before her and what those women contributed to the story of B…
00:18:21 |
Wed 05 Feb 2025
The Sex Lives of Giant Pandas
Whether it's live on the Smithsonian National Zoo's panda cam or in front of a crowd, possibly no other animal's sex life is as closely watched as the giant pandas' is. And there's a reason. These cu…
00:33:20 |
Wed 22 Jan 2025
Everybody Pledge Now
Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understand how a massive wave of immigration and sagging m…
00:30:32 |
Wed 08 Jan 2025
Midnight Magic
"I’m not superstitious, but I’m a little stitious.” As the New Year approaches, this iconic line from The Office feels more relatable than ever. From gulping grapes in Spain to donning yellow underwe…
00:24:35 |
Wed 25 Dec 2024
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Smithsonian Institution ([email protected]). This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.