History | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/history/RSS feed for HistoryenMon, 26 Oct 2026 16:07:32 +0000Two Years After World War II Ended, This Ship Brought the Bodies of 6,251 Fallen Service Members Back Home to Americahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/two-years-after-world-war-ii-ended-this-ship-brought-the-bodies-of-6251-fallen-service-members-back-home-to-america-180989740/The S.S. "Joseph V. Connolly" arrived in New York City on October 26, 1947. The caskets stored in its holds contained the remains of privates and three-star generals alikeMon, 26 Oct 2026 16:07:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/two-years-after-world-war-ii-ended-this-ship-brought-the-bodies-of-6251-fallen-service-members-back-home-to-america-180989740/Archaeologists at This Ancient Maya Metropolis in the Forest of Belize Are Debunking Long-Held Myths About the Mesoamerican Civilizationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeologists-ancient-maya-metropolist-forest-belize-debunking-long-held-myth-about-mesoamerican-civilization-180989648/Diane and Arlen Chase have spent a good portion of their lives uncovering the once-great city of Caracol. Their groundbreaking research is rewriting everything we thought we knew about the MayaMon, 26 Oct 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeologists-ancient-maya-metropolist-forest-belize-debunking-long-held-myth-about-mesoamerican-civilization-180989648/Ivan the Terrible Wanted to Marry Elizabeth I. How Did England's 'Virgin Queen' Reject the Russian Czar Without Souring Trade Relations?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ivan-the-terrible-wanted-to-marry-elizabeth-i-how-did-englands-virgin-queen-reject-the-russian-czar-without-souring-trade-relations-180989656/A new book details the Russian ruler's failed courtship of the Tudor queen, who famously remained unmarried during her nearly 45-year reignFri, 23 Oct 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ivan-the-terrible-wanted-to-marry-elizabeth-i-how-did-englands-virgin-queen-reject-the-russian-czar-without-souring-trade-relations-180989656/'Pretty Boy' Floyd, One of the Most Notorious Outlaws of the Great Depression, Was Shot and Killed in an FBI Raid 92 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pretty-boy-floyd-one-of-the-most-notorious-outlaws-of-the-great-depression-was-shot-and-killed-in-an-fbi-raid-92-years-ago-180989725/Some Americans lauded the 30-year-old bank robber as a Robin Hood-esque folk hero. Others castigated him as a violent criminal whose misdeeds were emblematic of the troubled eraThu, 22 Oct 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pretty-boy-floyd-one-of-the-most-notorious-outlaws-of-the-great-depression-was-shot-and-killed-in-an-fbi-raid-92-years-ago-180989725/Were Two Ancient Chinese Astronomers Beheaded for Failing to Predict an Eclipse in 2134 B.C.E.? The Story May Be a Myth, but It Underscores the Real Risks of Interpreting Celestial Eventshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/were-two-chinese-astronomers-were-beheaded-for-failing-to-predict-an-eclipse-2134-bce-the-story-may-be-a-myth-but-it-underscores-the-real-risks-of-interpreting-celestial-events-180989715/Experts say that an oft-circulated anecdote about two royal astronomers drunkenly failing to foresee an eclipse thousands of years ago contains hints of truthWed, 21 Oct 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/were-two-chinese-astronomers-were-beheaded-for-failing-to-predict-an-eclipse-2134-bce-the-story-may-be-a-myth-but-it-underscores-the-real-risks-of-interpreting-celestial-events-180989715/Arthur Conan Doyle Based Sherlock Holmes on a Real-Life Scottish Surgeon Who Used Deduction to Diagnose Patients and Investigate Crimeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/arthur-conan-doyle-based-sherlock-holmes-on-a-real-life-scottish-surgeon-who-used-deduction-to-diagnose-patients-and-investigate-crimes-180989623/A new book chronicles the exploits of Joseph Bell, an Edinburgh lecturer whose lessons sparked the creation of the world's most famous detectiveFri, 16 Oct 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/arthur-conan-doyle-based-sherlock-holmes-on-a-real-life-scottish-surgeon-who-used-deduction-to-diagnose-patients-and-investigate-crimes-180989623/From Slasher Films to Vampire Flicks, Horror Movies Are More Popular Than Ever. Relive the Genre's Scariest Moments—if You Dare—at a New Exhibitionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/from-slasher-films-to-vampire-flicks-horror-movies-are-more-popular-than-ever-relive-the-genres-scariest-momentsif-you-dareat-a-new-exhibition-180989624/The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' latest show features nearly 350 props, costumes and artifacts from such films as "Psycho," "The Shining" and "Sinners"Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/from-slasher-films-to-vampire-flicks-horror-movies-are-more-popular-than-ever-relive-the-genres-scariest-momentsif-you-dareat-a-new-exhibition-180989624/The Marquis de Lafayette's Brother-in-Law Participated in Three Revolutionary Wars, Supporting American Independence but Brutally Suppressing an Uprising by Enslaved Africans in Haitihttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-marquis-de-lafayettes-brother-in-law-participated-in-three-revolutionary-wars-supporting-american-independence-but-brutally-suppressing-an-uprising-by-enslaved-africans-in-haiti-180989582/Louis-Marie, Viscount de Noailles, served during the American, French and Haitian Revolutions. "He fights wherever France fights, because he's a soldier and he believes in France," a historian saysThu, 01 Oct 2026 15:13:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-marquis-de-lafayettes-brother-in-law-participated-in-three-revolutionary-wars-supporting-american-independence-but-brutally-suppressing-an-uprising-by-enslaved-africans-in-haiti-180989582/Who Wrote Elizabeth I's Most Scathing Letters? New Research Suggests the Tudor Queen's Male Secretaries Revised Her Correspondence to Emphasize Her Temperhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-wrote-elizabeth-is-most-scathing-letters-new-research-suggests-the-tudor-queens-male-secretaries-revised-her-correspondence-to-emphasize-her-temper-180989565/An analysis of more than 500 missives found that Elizabeth's advisers crafted and even intensified the expression of emotion in her messages to such figures as Mary, Queen of Scots, and James VI of ScotlandMon, 28 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-wrote-elizabeth-is-most-scathing-letters-new-research-suggests-the-tudor-queens-male-secretaries-revised-her-correspondence-to-emphasize-her-temper-180989565/During the American Revolution, the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Served as the United States' Capital for Just One Dayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/during-the-american-revolution-the-city-lancaster-pennsylvania-served-as-the-united-states-capital-for-just-one-day-180989544/The nascent nation's leaders fled to the inland city as the British advanced on Philadelphia in September 1777. They held one meeting at the local courthouse before moving on to YorkThu, 24 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/during-the-american-revolution-the-city-lancaster-pennsylvania-served-as-the-united-states-capital-for-just-one-day-180989544/This Social Worker Was Supposed to Help Orphans Find Homes. Instead, She Abducted Children Who Already Had Families and Sold Them for Profithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-social-worker-was-supposed-to-help-orphans-find-homes-instead-she-abducted-children-who-already-had-families-and-sold-them-for-profit-180989543/Between 1924 and 1950, Georgia Tann placed more than 5,000 children—many of them seized from their parents without permission—with wealthy families across the U.SWed, 23 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-social-worker-was-supposed-to-help-orphans-find-homes-instead-she-abducted-children-who-already-had-families-and-sold-them-for-profit-180989543/The Founders of the 'New York Times' Pledged to Cover 'Every Subject of Public Importance.' 175 Years Later, the Paper Continues to Publish 'All the News That's Fit to Print'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-founders-of-the-new-york-times-pledged-to-cover-every-subject-of-public-importance-175-years-later-the-paper-continues-to-publish-all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print-180989512/Much has changed since the publication debuted on September 18, 1851. What hasn't changed, staff members say, is the paper's missionFri, 18 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-founders-of-the-new-york-times-pledged-to-cover-every-subject-of-public-importance-175-years-later-the-paper-continues-to-publish-all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print-180989512/Six Ways That People of the Past Used Magic to Protect Their Homes, From Witch Bottles to Mystical Symbolshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/six-ways-that-people-of-the-past-used-magic-to-protect-their-homes-from-witch-bottles-to-mystical-symbols-180989493/Throughout history, humans around the world have employed protective talismans such as special stones, herbs and plants, and decorative demon tilesTue, 15 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/six-ways-that-people-of-the-past-used-magic-to-protect-their-homes-from-witch-bottles-to-mystical-symbols-180989493/The Real Story Behind 'The Uprising' and the 1381 Peasants' Revolt, When Thousands Marched on London to Demand a Fairer Societyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-story-behind-the-uprising-and-the-1381-peasants-revolt-when-thousands-marched-on-london-to-demand-a-fairer-society-180989464/Paul Greengrass' new film stars Andrew Garfield as a fictionalized, unnamed farmer who leads a rebellion against unfair taxes and the system of serfdomWed, 09 Sep 2026 17:10:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-story-behind-the-uprising-and-the-1381-peasants-revolt-when-thousands-marched-on-london-to-demand-a-fairer-society-180989464/How Did the Nation Get Its Name? Other Suggestions Included the United Colonies, Columbia and the United States of Alleghaniahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-did-the-nation-get-its-name-other-suggestions-included-the-united-colonies-columbia-and-the-united-states-of-alleghania-180989435/The nascent country adopted its name 250 years ago, on September 9, 1776. Americans have debated the moniker ever since. One congressman even proposed the "United States of the Earth"Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-did-the-nation-get-its-name-other-suggestions-included-the-united-colonies-columbia-and-the-united-states-of-alleghania-180989435/To Defeat the Royal Navy During the American Revolution, a Rebel Inventor Designed a Secret Weapon: a Bomb-Carrying Submarinehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-defeat-the-royal-navy-during-the-american-revolution-a-rebel-inventor-designed-a-secret-weapon-a-bomb-carrying-submarine-180989400/David Bushnell developed the "Turtle" submersible as a student at Yale University. The vessel's attack on a British flagship failed, but the trailblazing boat's legacy endures 250 years laterThu, 03 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-defeat-the-royal-navy-during-the-american-revolution-a-rebel-inventor-designed-a-secret-weapon-a-bomb-carrying-submarine-180989400/Some of the Earliest Automobile Enthusiasts Signed Up to Help the Allies in WWI. They Also Ushered in the Mechanization of Warhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/some-earliest-automobile-enthusiasts-signed-up-help-allies-world-war-i-also-ushered-in-mechanization-war-180989285/When the gentlemen drivers of Britain’s Royal Automobile Club Volunteer Force shipped their roadsters and racers to face the Germans, they became chauffeurs, couriers and inadvertent combatantsTue, 01 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/some-earliest-automobile-enthusiasts-signed-up-help-allies-world-war-i-also-ushered-in-mechanization-war-180989285/