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The most popular branch of the Smithsonian will be closing after Labor Day to undergo a planned two-year renovation. The American History Museum wants to update the building's infrastructure and create a better display for the Star Spangled Banner. A painstaking 8-year conservation project on the flag was completed Wednesday.

Nigeria attempts its first population count in 15 years, amid separatist fears and violence. Previous attempts to count Africa's most populous nation -- home to as many as 160 million people -- have failed as factions schemed to control political power and oil money.

It's hard to imagine summer without a visit to an amusement park... and a heart-stopping rollercoaster ride. Every year, the coasters seem scarier. In Orlando, Disney seeks to raise a coaster's scream quotient while keeping it deceptively slow.

Food guru Mark Bittman and chef Chris Schlesinger have been at odds for years over just the right way to cook. They debate simple vs. fancy techniques for summer grilling.

Sixty years ago, a technician working on the Manhattan project took a rare color picture of the first atomic bomb test. Jack Aeby, now 82, remembers the moment he captured the blast on film.

The winners of the most prestigious awards in children's literature have been announced. The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the best picture book, and the Newbery to the best children's book. Before the awards, were announced, one Illinois school held its own mock competition.

Day to Day introduces listeners to Missy Higgins, a young singer-songwriter who has quickly become one of Australia's most popular musicians. Higgins began singing in her early teens, lying about her age to play at clubs. Hear her perform live at NPR West.

In a session from WXPN, Lovett showcases his inventive combination of folk, swing, blues, jazz and even gospel music. That mix pushed him to the forefront of country music, and he continues down that path on his new album, Natural Forces.

Though he remains a solo artist, LaMontagne branches out on his new album, Gossip in the Grain, taking some touring bandmates into the studio with him. In a session from WXPN, he reveals why he wrote a song about White Stripes drummer Meg White.

After winning the Juno Award in 2003, Sam Roberts' trajectory has gone nowhere but up. The Canadian rocker started as a humble self-recorded singer-songwriter and quickly found himself one of the country's biggest exports. He performs songs off his new riff-filled CD in a session from WXPN.