Any article that starts like this, "These are gallstones," say Lenore Barbian. "They're from President Eisenhower.", has got to be worth at least a second glance, and this detailed article on the Smithsonian Institute's lesser-known collections and museums does not disappoint.

It's easy to forget that this grand museum complex was created in the heart of the 19th century, when empires and robber barons ruled the land and P.T. Barnum's museum was considered the benchmark of what such things should be. Certainly the PC-groupthink of the last thirty years of the 20th century scrubbed away the most colorful bits. But they weren't discarded, they're just hidden in obscure corners and hard-to-reach places. Knowing where to look is half the fun.