History & Archaeology | Smithsonian.com

Revisiting the First Ladies’ Homes

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:19:37 GMT

The oft-overlooked lives of America's first ladies are on display in house museums across the country

Indelible Images - Salami, Mr. Holcomb? - July09

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The first women to attend the Naval Academy became seniors in 1979. Photographer Lucian Perkins was there as the old order changed

"25 years of looking for the unexpected"

Sat, 01 Apr 1995 05:00:00 GMT

Over the past quarter-century, the magazine has published more than 2,000 major articles. Starting below is a birthday sampler that revisits and updates one story from each year, adding here and there a few brief reflections on just what it all means.

In Damascus, Restoring Beit Farhi and the City’s Jewish Past

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:47:22 GMT

An architect works to restore the grand palace of Raphael Farhi, one of the most powerful men in the Ottoman world

We Have Liftoff

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The launch 40 years ago of Apollo 11, which put a man on the moon, brought Americans together during a time of nationwide unrest

On the March - Terra Cotta Soldiers

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

A traveling exhibition of China's terra cotta warriors sheds new light on the ruler whose tomb they guarded

Arthur Lubow on “On the March”

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:44:10 GMT

A traveling exhibition of China's terra cotta warriors sheds new light on the ruler whose tomb they guarded

ATM Blog - Father's Day Redirect

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:23:20 GMT

There are a few notable dads hanging in the hallways of the Smithsonian, but which one is your favorite?

Setting Sail on the Hudson River 400 Years Later

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:44:58 GMT

Using 17th century techniques, volunteers built a replica of Henry Hudson's vessel in honor of the anniversary of his exploration

Civil War Geology

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:52:10 GMT

What underlies the Civil War’s 25 bloodiest battles? Two geologists investigate why certain terrain proved so hazardous

Nikita in Hollywood - Khrushchev

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Lunch with the Soviet leader was Tinseltown's hottest ticket, with famous celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin

This Month in History - July09

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Phenomena - Forest Primeval - July09

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

An Illinois coal mine holds a snapshot of life on earth 300 million years ago, when a massive earthquake "froze" a swamp in time

Presence of Mind - Recovered Ground - Jun09

Tue, 19 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Famed World War II Gen. George S. Patton's grandson finds his calling in the ashes of his fathers journals

The Triumph of Frank Lloyd Wright

Tue, 19 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The Guggenheim Museum, turning 50 this year, showcases the trailblazer's mission to elevate American society through architecture

From the Editor - My Favorite Commie - July09

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Nikita Khrushchev Comes to America

Paul Raffaele

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:44:11 GMT

From misunderstood animals to diverse cultures and people, Paul Raffaele has traveled the world reporting for Smithsonian magazine

The Object at Hand 20th Anniversary

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

As the magazine's Object at Hand column turns 20, we look back on some of the treasures inside the Smithsonian Institution

Two Hundred Years of Abraham Lincoln

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:00:00 GMT

This year, the country commemorates the 200th birthday of our beloved 16th president, Abraham Lincoln

From Washington to Obama, Inauguration History

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:53:44 GMT

Every four years, D.C. celebrates the presidential inauguration with a parade, star-studded concerts, balls and parties

Decoding Ancient Egypt

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:44:35 GMT

Learn to decode hieroglyphs and discover other ancient Egyptian treasures

Behind Inaugural Speeches, Meaningful Words

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:41:14 GMT

What words did Lincoln and Washington focus on most in their inaugural addresses? Explore presidential speeches in a whole new way

Czar Treasures From the East

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:26:21 GMT

A trove of spectacular objects from the Kremlin’s collection highlights Ottoman opulence

Facing a Bumpy History

Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00 GMT

The much-maligned theory of phrenology gets a tip of the hat from modern neuroscience

Alice Ramsey’s Historic Cross-Country Drive

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:32:40 GMT

In 1909, 22-year-old Alice Ramsey made history as the first woman to drive across the United States

The Strange Lives of Polar Dinosaurs

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 03:01:59 GMT

How did they endure months of perpetual cold and dark?

Bones to Pick

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 03:10:39 GMT

Paleontologist William Hammer hunts dinosaur fossils in the Antarctic

Jewel of the Jungle

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor's ancient temples

History & Archaeology

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:17:54 GMT

Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor's ancient temples

U.S. History

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:39:17 GMT

Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor's ancient temples

World History

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:39:38 GMT

Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor's ancient temples

Archaeology

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:37:07 GMT

Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor's ancient temples

Biography

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:38:55 GMT

Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor's ancient temples

The Seeds of Civilization

Sun, 01 May 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Why did humans first turn from nomadic wandering to villages and togetherness? The answer may lie in a 9,500-year-old settlement in central Turkey

The World's First Temple? - Turkey

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years, Turkey's stunning Gobekli Tepe upends the conventional view of the rise of civilization

From the Editor - Outliers - May09

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Big Sur and George Koval, atomic spy

The Kentucky Derby’s Forgotten Jockeys

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:56:37 GMT

African American jockeys once dominated the track. But by 1921, they had disappeared from the Kentucky Derby

A Green Addition to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Meeting House

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:29:36 GMT

Architects of the First Unitarian Society’s new eco-friendly addition find inspiration in the ideas of original architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Indelible Images - Who Was That Masked Man? - May09

Tue, 19 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

For the noir photographer Weegee, bathers at Coney Island had another kind of gritty reality

Road Warrior

Tue, 19 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

French amateur archaeologist Bruno Tassan fights to preserve a neglected 2,000-year-old ancient interstate in southern Provence

Before Rosie the Riveter, Farmerettes Went to Work

Fri, 29 May 2009 08:50:53 GMT

During World War I, the Woman’s Land Army of America mobilized women into sustaining American farms and building national pride

Spies Who Spilled Atomic Bomb Secrets

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

As part of the Soviet Union's spy ring, these Americans and Britons leveraged their access to military secrets to help Russia become a nuclear power

Arthur Lubow on “The Triumph of Frank Lloyd Wright"

Tue, 19 May 2009 07:29:59 GMT

As part of the Soviet Union's spy ring, these Americans and Britons leveraged their access to military secrets to help Russia become a nuclear power

Cézanne's endless quest to parallel nature's harmony

Mon, 01 Apr 1996 08:00:00 GMT

After all the analysis of his apples, his bathers, that mountain, his paintings still electrify at a major show in Philadelphia

American Bounty

Mon, 01 Dec 2003 05:00:00 GMT

A new book documents a week in the life of America in all its rich, colorful, contradictory, nostalgic, emotional, heartfelt and, oh yes, exuberant...glory

From the Editor - Poles Apart - Apr09

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

A new book documents a week in the life of America in all its rich, colorful, contradictory, nostalgic, emotional, heartfelt and, oh yes, exuberant...glory

Destination America: Tombstone

Mon, 01 May 2006 04:00:00 GMT

In this Arizona outpost, residents revere the Wild West—and live it.

Lincoln's Pocket Watch Reveals Long-Hidden Message

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:54:13 GMT

The Smithsonian opens one of its prized artifacts and a story unfolds

Lincoln's Watch Redirect

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:37:03 GMT

A watch that once belonged to Abraham Lincoln might have a secret message engraved inside of it

Mr. Lincoln's Washington

Tue, 01 Apr 2003 05:00:00 GMT

The house where the conspirators hatched their heinous plot now serves sushi, and the yard where they were hanged is a tennis court.

Discovering George Washington

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 05:00:00 GMT

Little-known facts about the nation's first president

Lincoln Caption Contest Redirect

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:00:00 GMT

In honor of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, write a photo caption for our Around the Mall blog

Absence of Malice

Mon, 01 Apr 2002 05:00:00 GMT

In a new book, Historian Ronald C. White, Jr., explains why Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, given just weeks before he died, was his greatest speech

Darwin on Lincoln and Vice Versa

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:53:07 GMT

Two of the world’s greatest modern thinkers are much celebrated, but what did they know of one another?

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Negotiations

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:57:59 GMT

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas engaged in pre-debate negotiations in 1858.

"My Whole Soul Is In It"

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 08:00:00 GMT

As his army faltered and his cabinet bickered, Abraham Lincoln determined that "we must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued." In 1862, he finally got his chance

What's Up

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 05:00:00 GMT

Paper dolls, Josephine Baker and the Seven Years' War

What's Up Apr 07

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Duke Ellington, animated movies and the old ballgame

One man's private cache pays off for the rest of us

Wed, 01 Feb 1995 08:00:00 GMT

From the muddy yard of a private collectorto the dresser drawers of a dealer, MitchellWolfson ransacks the world for his finds

Mr. Edison Takes a Holiday

Wed, 01 Dec 1999 08:00:00 GMT

At Seminole Lodge, where the inventor wintered over in Fort Myers, Florida, he kept a second lab going strong

Steve Fossett

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 04:00:00 GMT

On March 3, 2005, after 67 hours aboard his Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, he became the first person to fly alone around the world nonstop.

It's a new battle every day in the war on whiskers

Wed, 01 Feb 1995 08:00:00 GMT

Razors have come a long way in 7,000 years, but preparation and a steady hand remain the survival skills each time steel meets skin

Believe it or not, Rip was almost as odd as his items

Sun, 01 Jan 1995 08:00:00 GMT

Incredible! Incomparable! Robert L. Ripley, who won fame and fortune by celebrating the outlandish, was himself a prime example

'Ruth? He is still in the spotlight, still going strong'

Wed, 01 Feb 1995 08:00:00 GMT

A century after his birth, four decades after his death, the amazing Babe maintainsa powerful grip on America's imagination

The Battle of Lake Erie

Sun, 01 Jan 1995 08:00:00 GMT

We were floundering in the War of 1812 when young Captain Perry delivered the winning motto, 'Don't Give Up The Ship'

Mrs. Malaprop's mangled prose set a president

Sun, 01 Jan 1995 08:00:00 GMT

Grande dame of an 18th-century comedy, she has been an aspiration to all who read--and write--the boners, gaffes and mutilations perpetrated upon the English language.

It's hard to believe one man held sway over all this land

Sat, 01 Jul 1995 07:00:00 GMT

But it's true. In the mid-1800s Lucien Maxwell, a dauntless former mountain man, ruled a huge chunk of New Mexico and lower Colorado

One thousand and one ways of saying Uncle

Sat, 01 Jul 1995 07:00:00 GMT

Sam meddles shamelessly in U.S. politics and carries on with Miss Liberty, but nobody knows for sure exactly where he came from

'America beats by far anything,' said the ex-POW

Thu, 01 Jun 1995 07:00:00 GMT

In WWII, thousands of captive Germans found our prison camps so hospitable that they later became U.S. citizens

When he saw how well it was preserved, he thought: Why not just fly it out of here?

Fri, 01 Sep 1995 07:00:00 GMT

Actually, there were a lot of reasons, but that didn't prevent Darryl Greenamyer from wrenching an old warplane out of its grave

When he saw how well it was preserved, he thought: Why not just fly it out of here?

Fri, 01 Sep 1995 07:00:00 GMT

Actually, there were a lot of reasons, but that didn't prevent Darryl Greenamyer from wrenching an old warplane out of its grave

Strang the Strange: America's only king

Tue, 01 Aug 1995 07:00:00 GMT

Actually, there were a lot of reasons, but that didn't prevent Darryl Greenamyer from wrenching an old warplane out of its grave

The Spirited Story of the Psychic and the Colonel

Mon, 01 May 1995 07:00:00 GMT

Actually, there were a lot of reasons, but that didn't prevent Darryl Greenamyer from wrenching an old warplane out of its grave

It comes out only once a week, but the Sun never sets

Sun, 01 Oct 1995 07:00:00 GMT

Can a weekly paper in rural New Mexico raise enough hell to keep its readers hungry for more, issue after issue? Don't ask

The Floods That Carved the West

Sat, 01 Apr 1995 08:00:00 GMT

In a great geological catastrophe, a giant lake exploded through an Ice Age dam, and its waters swept across the Pacific Northwest; awesome signs of its passage are still visible to this day

A Freedom Summer Activist becomes a math revolutionary

Thu, 01 Feb 1996 08:00:00 GMT

In the Algebra Project Robert Moses uses subway rides, gumdrops and everyday experiences to help kids cope with exponents and negative numbers

The way we were and the way we went in 1846

Mon, 01 Apr 1996 08:00:00 GMT

What with the Mexican War, and a million square miles of new real estate, our westward destiny became highly manifest

How many sailors does it take to make an American flag?

Mon, 01 Jan 1996 08:00:00 GMT

In the patriotic fervor of World War I, Arthur Mole commanded thousands of troops to produce 'living symbols' from his unique perspective

Where you went if you really had to get unhitched

Sat, 01 Jun 1996 07:00:00 GMT

In the days when divorce was still a sin and a shame, the city of Reno grew rich and infamous, catering to domestic disharmony

How the great war on war surplus got won or lost

Fri, 01 Dec 1995 08:00:00 GMT

Getting rid of $34 billion worth of old ships, planes and guns, not to mention seven million tubes of toothpaste, was no picnic

Congress couldn't have been this bad, or could it?

Wed, 01 Nov 1995 08:00:00 GMT

If you think things are pretty messy on Capitol Hill today, just take a look at what was going on up there a century and a half ago

Pliny's world: All the facts and then some

Wed, 01 Nov 1995 08:00:00 GMT

In A.D. 77 a workaholic called Pliny the Elder published the first encyclopedia, Natural History. Headless people were among the many marvels

Let us now praise the romantic, artful, versatile toothpick

Wed, 01 Jan 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Flirting, scale modeling, putting on the dog through the ages, the device has been used for a lot more than dental hygiene

Traveling the long road to freedom, one step at a time

Tue, 01 Oct 1996 07:00:00 GMT

When historian Anthony Cohen set out to retrace a route along the legendary Underground Railroad, he recovered a piece of the American past

Fifty years ago, the trial of Nazi War criminals ended: the world had witnessed the rule of law invoked to punish unspeakable atrocities

Tue, 01 Oct 1996 07:00:00 GMT

In the war-shattered city of Nuremberg, in November 1945, an Allied tribunal convened to seek justice in the face of the Third Reich's monstrous war crimes.

Vintage Radios By the Score

Sat, 01 Feb 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Tucked into an Elgin, Illinois, office building, Ralph Muchow's Historical Radio Museum houses the world's foremost antique collection

The rise, and fall, of a fervid third party

Fri, 01 Nov 1996 08:00:00 GMT

In the 1850s, a burgeoning coalition of self- proclaimed nativists, or Know-Nothings, swept into office and called out for radical change

A Nova crew strains, and chants, to solve the obelisk mystery

Wed, 01 Jan 1997 08:00:00 GMT

The public television team put theories to the test to uncover the secrets of how the ancient Egyptians moved and raised the giant blocks

How a weed once scorned became the flower of the hour

Thu, 01 Aug 1996 07:00:00 GMT

The gaudy sunflower is the ornament of the Nineties, turning up everywhere and on everything, including baseball players' faces

Sir Francis Drake is still capable of kicking up a fuss

Wed, 01 Jan 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Westward the corsair of England's empire made his way, plundering Spain for Queen and country; now modern moralists are nibbling at his fame

Three's a crowd, they say, but not at Coney Island!

Sun, 01 Dec 1996 08:00:00 GMT

The old place has had its downs and ups, from a wild man from Borneo to glittering Luna Park, but it's still happily roller-coasting along

Near and far, we're waving the banner for flags

Sun, 01 Jun 1997 07:00:00 GMT

Across time and distance, these colorful emblems fluttering in the breeze are symbols steeped in our history and our cultures

The grave at Vukovar

Sat, 01 Mar 1997 08:00:00 GMT

A war crimes tribunal sent forensic scientists to investigate mass graves in the former Yugoslavia. What happened there?

The Maginot Line

Sun, 01 Jun 1997 07:00:00 GMT

It is known as a great military blunder, but in fact this stout network of ingenious bunkers did what it was designed to do

Declaring an open season on the wisdom of the ages

Thu, 01 May 1997 07:00:00 GMT

Under the stewardship of scholars Diderot and d'Alembert, the 18th-century's EncyclopÃ©die championed fact and freedom of the intellect

Even our most loved monuments had a trial by fire

Thu, 01 May 1997 07:00:00 GMT

Controversies like those swirling around the FDR Memorial are the rule when Americans try to agree on anything to be cast in bronze

Sieur de La Salle's fateful landfall

Tue, 01 Apr 1997 08:00:00 GMT

After 300 years, the wreck of a beautiful French ship in Texas yields clues and treasure from a bold explorer's last voyage

Shadows on the Rock

Mon, 01 Sep 1997 07:00:00 GMT

Spain wants Gibraltar; the people of the Rock hate the very idea; England is caught in the middle

A stout ship's heartbreaking ordeal by ice

Sat, 01 Mar 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Heading north for the pole, the Jeannette was frozen fast for 21 months, then sank; for captain and crew, that was the easy part

A family, a colony, a life of good works in the Holy City

Sat, 01 Mar 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Founded more than a century ago, the American Colony in Jerusalem has endured hardships, wars, upheaval, and the ebb and flow of empires

George C. Marshall The Last Great American?

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 07:00:00 GMT

No soldier since Washington has had his Roman virtues, and so significantly shaped a peace

An Englishman Looks at India Fifty Years After British Rule

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 07:00:00 GMT

No soldier since Washington has had his Roman virtues, and so significantly shaped a peace

Saving American Steel

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 07:00:00 GMT

As the giant mills of the Rust Belt fall silent, a move is afoot to preserve them

Signs of the Times

Sat, 01 Nov 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Autographs of luminaries from Lincoln to Liberace feed the yen for nostalgia and a brush with fame

In the Game of Chess "Your Opponent Must Be Destroyed"

Thu, 01 Jan 1998 08:00:00 GMT

Autographs of luminaries from Lincoln to Liberace feed the yen for nostalgia and a brush with fame

The Strange Journey of Heinrich Harrer

Wed, 01 Oct 1997 07:00:00 GMT

The Austrian mountain climber escaped from a prison camp in 1944, slipped into forbidden Tibet, tutored the Dalai Lama and wrote a famous book: now there's a major film and a controversy

Mark Catesby

Mon, 01 Sep 1997 07:00:00 GMT

Both Audubon and Linnaeus were indebted to this intrepid British limner of the New World

Miriam Leslie: Belle of the Boardroom

Sat, 01 Nov 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Both Audubon and Linnaeus were indebted to this intrepid British limner of the New World

Daughter of the Desert

Wed, 01 Apr 1998 08:00:00 GMT

Renowned as the Uncrowned Queen of Iraq, Gertrude Bell was once the most powerful woman in the British Empire

They Flew & Flew & Flew

Wed, 01 Oct 1997 07:00:00 GMT

How two brothers in an old Curtiss Robin set a record that's stood for 62 years

A Gem of an Exhibition

Mon, 01 Sep 1997 07:00:00 GMT

How two brothers in an old Curtiss Robin set a record that's stood for 62 years

The Case of the Disappearing Frescoes

Wed, 01 Apr 1998 08:00:00 GMT

Or how a mustachioed Barcelona artist foiled an elaborate plot to spirit Catalonia's priceless Romanesque paintings away from their homeland

On a Bungled Flight to Nowhere, They Sought a Chinese Mountain High

Sun, 01 Mar 1998 08:00:00 GMT

When a ballpoint pen czar and a hotshot pilot went looking for the world's tallest peak, all they found was trouble

On a Bungled Flight to Nowhere, They Sought a Chinese Mountain High

Sun, 01 Mar 1998 08:00:00 GMT

When a ballpoint pen czar and a hotshot pilot went looking for the world's tallest peak, all they found was trouble

Mutiny on the Amistad

Mon, 01 Dec 1997 08:00:00 GMT

In 1839, African freemen, seized as slaves, struck a daring blow for freedom

Museums and Marketing

Thu, 01 Jan 1998 08:00:00 GMT

As philanthropy ebbs, the Smithsonian Council advises prudence in our search for corporate sponsorship

The ACLU Defends Everybody

Thu, 01 Jan 1998 08:00:00 GMT

Its clients have ranged from Muhammad Ali to Oliver North, but its real allegiance is to the Bill of Rights

"Expand the Pie Before You Divvy It Up"

Sat, 01 Nov 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Sound half-baked? Not to Bill Ury, coauthor of the "negotiator's bible," as he mediates a peace talk between the Russians and the Chechens

For Those Who Want to Play Outdoors

Wed, 01 Oct 1997 07:00:00 GMT

REI was started in the back of a gas station in 1938. Now this consumer co-op is the nation's largest

The Changing Face of Stone Mountain

Fri, 01 Jan 1999 08:00:00 GMT

In the shadow of a towering Confederate memorial and a difficult history a small Georgia town looks to the future

A Pastoral Preserve Faces the Future

Fri, 01 May 1998 07:00:00 GMT

At Vermont's Shelburne Farms, a 19th-century showplace fulfills a quest to teach love for the land

Who Are Those Guys?

Fri, 01 Jan 1999 08:00:00 GMT

At Vermont's Shelburne Farms, a 19th-century showplace fulfills a quest to teach love for the land

Pursuing Justice in the Arctic

Fri, 01 May 1998 07:00:00 GMT

At Vermont's Shelburne Farms, a 19th-century showplace fulfills a quest to teach love for the land

Buffalo Soldiers

Tue, 01 Dec 1998 08:00:00 GMT

For decades, African-American Regulars were the most effective troops on the western frontier

In Vermont, a Valiant Stand for Freedom

Wed, 01 Jul 1998 07:00:00 GMT

At Mount Independence, heroic Americans held off the British in a confrontation that changed the course of the Revolutionary War

Tangier

Wed, 01 Jul 1998 07:00:00 GMT

Tales of pirates, diplomacy and espionage frame America's liaison with the exotic city

Aldo Leopold: A Sage for All Seasons

Tue, 01 Sep 1998 07:00:00 GMT

Aldo Leopold articulated a new way to look at the land and its creatures

Old News is Good News

Sun, 01 Nov 1998 08:00:00 GMT

For the collector of history in print, old news is good news

Jacques-Louis David

Sat, 01 Aug 1998 07:00:00 GMT

Painting martyrs and producing state funerals and pageants, the artist fueled France's bloody revolutionary fervor

Salt of the Earth

Fri, 01 Jan 1999 08:00:00 GMT

We can't live without it. Salt runs through our language, our history, and our veins

Around the World Alone

Fri, 01 May 1998 07:00:00 GMT

Joshua Slocum was the first to do it, a hundred years ago, then wrote about it; the world is still awed by his seamanship and his prose

Jeu de Paume, Anyone?

Sat, 01 Jan 2000 08:00:00 GMT

Pete Sampras and the Williams sisters play tennis. The author and his fancy French friends prefer its ancestor

Looking for Henry Hudson

Fri, 01 Oct 1999 07:00:00 GMT

Set adrift by mutineers during his expedition to find a Northwest Passage, the famous explorer was never heard from again. What was his fate?

Bar Codes: Reading between the Lines

Mon, 01 Feb 1999 08:00:00 GMT

Set adrift by mutineers during his expedition to find a Northwest Passage, the famous explorer was never heard from again. What was his fate?

In the Year 1, Augustus Let the Good Times Roll

Sun, 01 Aug 1999 07:00:00 GMT

The year 2000 is almost upon us, but what in the (Western) world was happening when the counting began?

"There Is a Certain Amount of Humor in Checkers"

Sun, 01 Aug 1999 07:00:00 GMT

But if you think this game is easy, you haven't met the Ayshire Lassie, the Black Doctor, the Goose Walk or the Canalejas Cannonball

Terror in A.D. 1000?

Thu, 01 Jul 1999 07:00:00 GMT

While we look to the new millennium with both trepidation and amusement, medieval scholars argue about what really happened at this time 1,000 years ago

You Can't Keep a Good Prophet Down

Thu, 01 Apr 1999 08:00:00 GMT

What will be, will be. Or will it? As the millennium draws nigh, prophets want to tell us about it

Splendors of Topkapi

Tue, 01 Feb 2000 08:00:00 GMT

What will be, will be. Or will it? As the millennium draws nigh, prophets want to tell us about it

Out of Egypt: Art in the Age of the Pyramids

Wed, 01 Sep 1999 07:00:00 GMT

A landmark exhibition showcases the creative genius that burgeoned during the Old Kingdom

Mount Athos, Where "Every Stone Breathes Prayers"

Sun, 01 Aug 1999 07:00:00 GMT

At this remote sanctuary, art and religion have intertwined for 1,000 years

Reading the Messages in Everyday Things

Sat, 01 Apr 2000 08:00:00 GMT

As an inspired observer of landscapes urban and rural, historian John Stilgoe teaches us all to see with new eyes

Myles and Me

Wed, 01 Mar 2000 08:00:00 GMT

The author, who according to family legend is a direct descendant of Myles Standish, surveys the checkered career of his pugnacious Pilgrim ancestor

Taking the Measure of Time

Wed, 01 Dec 1999 08:00:00 GMT

Throughout the ages, humankind's attempt to demarcate our days has resulted in a succession of breakthroughs, from sundials to wristwatches and atomic clocks

Empire of the Dead

Sat, 01 Apr 2000 08:00:00 GMT

Throughout the ages, humankind's attempt to demarcate our days has resulted in a succession of breakthroughs, from sundials to wristwatches and atomic clocks

A Noble and Absurd Undertaking

Wed, 01 Mar 2000 08:00:00 GMT

The Federal Writers' Project gave Depression-era writers a second chance...and America its first comprehensive self-portrait

When War Called, Davis Answered

Sat, 01 Apr 2000 08:00:00 GMT

The first modern war correspondent, Richard Harding Davis covered the first modern wars

In Praise of Pianos...

Wed, 01 Mar 2000 08:00:00 GMT

The first modern war correspondent, Richard Harding Davis covered the first modern wars

Searching for Gavrilo Princip

Tue, 01 Aug 2000 07:00:00 GMT

Eighty-six years ago the Serbian teenager shot an Archduke and set Europe on the road to World War I. Today he is all but forgotten

The Bozeman Trail

Sun, 01 Oct 2000 07:00:00 GMT

In the 1860s, the Lakota and their allies, led by chief Red Cloud, closed an immigrant route and made it stick

People of the Reindeer

Fri, 01 Dec 2000 08:00:00 GMT

Khanty reindeer herders of northwestern Siberia have fought cold weather and foreign incursions for centuries, but these resilient people may not weather the current storm

Recollecting the Presidents

Wed, 01 Nov 2000 08:00:00 GMT

An election year exhibition proudly hails the chiefs

Renaissance of the Longrifle

Tue, 01 Aug 2000 07:00:00 GMT

In masterpieces of metal and wood, modern craftsmen revive a straight-shooting icon of the old frontier

A Lofty Tribute to Barns

Sun, 01 Oct 2000 07:00:00 GMT

In masterpieces of metal and wood, modern craftsmen revive a straight-shooting icon of the old frontier

The Dogs of War

Fri, 01 Dec 2000 08:00:00 GMT

There's a special quality in some dogs call it loyalty, heroism or just plain courage that comes alive under fire

Baking Up a Business

Wed, 01 Nov 2000 08:00:00 GMT

At the King Arthur Flour Company, folks have helped us produce the perfect loaf of bread since 1790

George Mason: Forgotten Founder, He Conceived the Bill of Rights

Mon, 01 May 2000 07:00:00 GMT

This wise Virginian was a friend to four future presidents, yet he refused to sign the Constitution

His Heart Was in the Highlands

Thu, 01 Mar 2001 08:00:00 GMT

Robert Burns' fierce pride, penetrating wit and perfect ear for language gave Scotlandand the worldan imperishable legacy of poetry and song

King of the Lobby

Tue, 01 May 2001 07:00:00 GMT

Gilded age lobbyist Sam Ward almost always got his way, swaying movers and shakers with his legendary food, wine and charm

Winston Churchill in America

Sun, 01 Apr 2001 08:00:00 GMT

His travels and ties nurtured the special relationship between the United States and Britain

Eternal Egypt

Fri, 01 Jun 2001 07:00:00 GMT

A landmark traveling exhibition features masterworks from the British Museum's collection of ancient Egyptian art

Arctic Arsenic

Thu, 01 Feb 2001 08:00:00 GMT

Charles Francis Hall was murdered during an expedition that might have taken him to the North Pole decades before Peary. Or was he?

The World According to Wells

Sun, 01 Apr 2001 08:00:00 GMT

Best-known for sci-fi classics like The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, H. G. Wells became one of the most prolific, and controversial, writers of his day

The Madness That Swept Miami

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 08:00:00 GMT

Political controversies have rocked Florida lately, but they can't compare with the hysteria unleashed during the land boom of the 1920s

Run Silent, Run Deep

Thu, 01 Mar 2001 08:00:00 GMT

In the Cold War's undersea cat and mouse game, the prize went to the submarine that could

Viva Vintage

Mon, 01 Oct 2001 07:00:00 GMT

As Fidel looks the other way, classic capitalist cars brighten Cuba's dreary streets and byways

Samuel Pepys' London Chronicles

Sun, 01 Jul 2001 07:00:00 GMT

The candid diarist portrays the ravages of fire and plague, the bawdy court of Charles II, and his own romps with maids

The Case of the Purloined Pots

Sat, 01 Sep 2001 07:00:00 GMT

In the deserts of the Southwest, pothunters are stealing a priceless heritage of ancient Native American art

Crazy for Bears

Mon, 01 Oct 2001 07:00:00 GMT

Introduced as a toy nearly a century ago, the ever popular teddy bear has become a prized collectible the world over

Four Fateful Elections

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 07:00:00 GMT

What if Lincoln had lost in 1860, or if Theodore Roosevelt had won in 1912? How did Franklin Roosevelt, in 1932, and Ronald Reagan, in 1980, emerge to lead a dispirited nation?

The Lure of Gold

Thu, 01 Jan 1998 08:00:00 GMT

What if Lincoln had lost in 1860, or if Theodore Roosevelt had won in 1912? How did Franklin Roosevelt, in 1932, and Ronald Reagan, in 1980, emerge to lead a dispirited nation?

The Aztecs: Blood and Glory

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 08:00:00 GMT

A new exhibition probes the contradictions of an advanced civilization that practiced human sacrifice

For Your Eyes Only

Sun, 01 Jul 2001 07:00:00 GMT

Keith Melton's museum contains the finest collection of espionage paraphernalia anywhereand it's so secret we can't even tell you where it's located

Dr. Franklin's Plan

Fri, 01 Jun 2001 07:00:00 GMT

This printer, scientist and ambassador early formed a plan for himselfand for the country he helped to found

"For a While...It Was Fun"

Wed, 01 Sep 1999 07:00:00 GMT

Then the full force of the storm hit. By the time it had played itself out, Galveston, Texas, was a shambles

Take Two and Call Me in the Morning

Wed, 01 Aug 2001 07:00:00 GMT

Once we didn't know how aspirin works; now we know that it does a lot more than ease pain and inflammation

The Great Goddess Devi

Tue, 01 Jun 1999 07:00:00 GMT

Once we didn't know how aspirin works; now we know that it does a lot more than ease pain and inflammation

Bang! went the doors of every bank in America

Tue, 01 Apr 1997 08:00:00 GMT

Cashless, we carried on with nothing to fear but fear itself; by the time FDR opened them again, something called the New Deal was hard upon us

Benjamin Franklin Joins the Revolution

Fri, 01 Aug 2003 04:00:00 GMT

Returning to Philadelphia from England in 1775, the "wisest American" kept his political leanings to himself. But not for long

Images of African-Americans Illuminate a Proud Past

Mon, 01 Nov 1999 08:00:00 GMT

Returning to Philadelphia from England in 1775, the "wisest American" kept his political leanings to himself. But not for long

The First Empire Builder of the Northwest

Fri, 01 Oct 1999 07:00:00 GMT

Long before Bill Gates, James J. Hill blazed a technological trail, built a fortune — and tested the government's tolerance for big business

"Hello Boys! Become an Erector Master Engineer!"

Sat, 01 May 1999 07:00:00 GMT

With no "hanky-panky gimcracks," A. C. Gilbert's Erector sets taught boys more than just the nuts and bolts

Tattoos

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 05:00:00 GMT

The Ancient and Mysterious History

Gilgamesh Sidebar

Tue, 01 May 2007 04:00:00 GMT

In Gilgamesh, scholars unearthed literary gold

Secrets of the Maya: Deciphering Tikal

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:29:33 GMT

After decades of intense research, the ancient ruins of Mexico and Central America are yielding new insights into the pre-Columbia culture

Remembering the Alamo

Thu, 01 Apr 2004 05:00:00 GMT

Move over, John Wayne. John Lee Hancock's epic re-creation of the 1836 battle between Mexican forces and Texas insurgents casts the mythic massacre in a more historically accurate light

A Passionate Collector

Wed, 01 Nov 2000 05:00:00 GMT

Move over, John Wayne. John Lee Hancock's epic re-creation of the 1836 battle between Mexican forces and Texas insurgents casts the mythic massacre in a more historically accurate light

Resurrecting Pompeii

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 05:00:00 GMT

A new exhibition brings the doomed residents of Pompeii and Herculaneum vividly to life

Boar War

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 04:00:00 GMT

A marauding hog bites the dust in a border dispute between the United States and Britain that fails to turn ugly

In the Event of War

Tue, 01 May 2007 04:00:00 GMT

How the Smithsonian protected its "strange animals, curious creatures" and more

Happy Trails

Sun, 01 Dec 2002 05:00:00 GMT

As freshly carved toys or treasured heirlooms, well-bred rocking horses ride high in the affections of kids and collectors alike

Indelible: Fearing the Worst

Mon, 01 May 2006 04:00:00 GMT

A church is bombed. A daughter is missing. A rediscovered photograph recalls one of the most heart-wrenching episodes of the civil rights era.

Winter of Discontent

Thu, 01 May 2003 04:00:00 GMT

Even as he endured the hardships of Valley Forge, George Washington faced another challenge: critics who questioned his fitness to lead

Exploring Mount Vernon

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 05:00:00 GMT

George Washington's historic Virginia plantation

Houdini Revealed

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Some 80 years after his death, Harry Houdini is back in the public spotlight. This photo essay sheds light on the escape artist's life

Free at Last

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 05:00:00 GMT

A new museum celebrates the Underground Railroad, the secret network of people who bravely led slaves to liberty before the Civil War

The Vikings: A Memorable Visit to America

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 05:00:00 GMT

Exploring the New World a thousand years ago, a Viking woman gave birth to what is likely the first European-American baby. The discovery of the house the family built upon their return to Iceland has scholars rethinking the Norse sagas

Lost Over Laos

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Scientists and soldiers combine forensics and archaeology to search for pilot Bat Masterson, one of 88,000 Americans missing in action from recent wars.

Grace Under Fire

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 05:00:00 GMT

As San Francisco burned, 100 years ago this month, a hardy band of men worked feverishly to save the city's mint—and with it, the U.S. economy

Sweet Sorrow

Sat, 01 Mar 2003 05:00:00 GMT

As San Francisco burned, 100 years ago this month, a hardy band of men worked feverishly to save the city's mint—and with it, the U.S. economy

Savoring Pie Town

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT

Sixty-five years after Russell Lee photographed New Mexico homesteaders coping with the Depression, a Lee admirer visits the town for a fresh slice of life

Faces of War

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Amid the horrors of World War I, a corps of artists brought hope to soldiers disfigured in the trenches

Reconstructing Petra

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Two thousand years ago, it was the capital of a powerful trading empire. Now archaeologists are piecing together a more complete picture of Jordan's compelling rock city

A Sumpcious Dinner

Sun, 01 Feb 2004 05:00:00 GMT

William Clarka better explorer than spellertells his older brother of the impending transfer of the Louisiana Territory to the United States

Where the Wild Things Are

Sat, 01 Mar 2003 05:00:00 GMT

President Theodore Roosevelt started what would become the world's most successful experiment in conservation

Talking to the Feds

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 GMT

The chief of the FBI's organized crime unit on the history of La Cosa Nostra

Outlaw Hunters

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 04:00:00 GMT

The Pinkerton Detective Agency chased down some of America's most notorious criminals

What So Proudly We Hailed

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

The story behind the flag that inspired America's national anthem

Digitizing the Hanging Court

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Cutpurses! Blackguards! Fallen women! The Proceedings of the Old Bailey is an epic chronicle of crime and vice in early London. Now anyone with a computer can search all 52 million words

Equal Say

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

SLIDESHOW: A photographic essay of how women won the vote

Forget Independence

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

John Ferling, author of "100 Days that Shook the World," imagines an alternate history

William Clark and the Shaping of the West

Fri, 01 Apr 2005 05:00:00 GMT

John Ferling, author of "100 Days that Shook the World," imagines an alternate history

The Man Who Sailed the World

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Ferdinand Magellan's global journey gave him fame, but took his life

Barefoot Hemingway

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Valerie Hemingway, author of "Hemingway's Cuba, Cuba's Hemingway," talks about pirated novels and Papa's living legend

Celebrating St. Patrick

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

On March 17, everyone's green-even the Chicago River. Yet St. Patrick remains colored in myth.

Catching Up With "Old Slow Trot"

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Stubborn and deliberate, General George Henry Thomas was one of the Union's most brilliant strategists. So why was he cheated by history?

Epic Hero

Tue, 01 May 2007 04:00:00 GMT

How a self-taught British genius rediscovered the Mesopotamian saga of Gilgameshafter 2,500 years

100 Days That Shook the World

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

The all-but-forgotten story of the unlikely hero who ensured victory in the American Revolution

War Correspondence

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Letters between George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette

Rebellious Son

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:11:37 GMT

Amenhotep III was succeeded by one of the first known monotheists

The Ambush That Changed History

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT

An amateur archaeologist discovers the field where wily Germanic warriors halted the spread of the Roman Empire

Through the Mill

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Because of a Lewis Hine photograph, Addie Card became the poster child of child labor. But what became of Addie Card?

Ties That Bind

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT

At last, all parties were ready to make peace in the Middle East. Whoops ... Not So Fast

Saving New Orleans

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 04:00:00 GMT

In a new book, "Patriot Fire," the author of "Forrest Gump" paints an uncommonly vivid picture of an overlooked chapter in American history -- and its unlikely hero.

Back To The Future

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 04:00:00 GMT

One of Washington's most exuberant monuments—the old Patent Office Building —gets the renovation it deserves.

An Assassin's Final Hours

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 04:00:00 GMT

John Wilkes Booth, cornered in a Virginia barn, wanted to go down fighting: "I have too great a soul to die like a criminal."

Tea's Time

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:00:00 GMT

The ancient drink makes a comeback

Below the Rim

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Humans have roamed the Grand Canyon for more than 8,000 years. But the chasm is only slowly yielding clues to the ancient peoples who lived below the rim

Remembering the Ladies

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:00:00 GMT

A new series of commemorative coins honors presidential spouses whose achievements have long been overlooked

Time Capsule

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 05:00:00 GMT

A riverboat's telltale contents included 133-year-old pickles. Want one?

Shifting Ground in the Holy Land

Mon, 01 May 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Archaeology is casting new light on the Old Testament

Forgotten Forest

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 05:00:00 GMT

Photographic plates discovered in a dusty shed offer an astonishing look at life in the American woods more than a century ago

Washington Takes Charge

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT

Confronting the British in Boston in 1775, Gen. George Washington honed the personal qualities that would carry the day in war and sustain the new nation in peace

Pay Dirt

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 05:00:00 GMT

When self-taught archaeologists dug up an 1850s steamboat, they brought to light a slice of American life

Black Woodstock

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Harlem 1969: Jesse Jackson, Nina Simone, B.B. King and 100,000 spectators gather for a concert worth remembering

Marching on History

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 05:00:00 GMT

When a "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans converged on Washington in 1932 to demand a promised payment, MacArthur, Eisenhower and Patton were there to meet them

Interview with Elizabeth Wilson, Author of "The Queen Who Would Be King"

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Wilson discusses what drew her to study the pharaoh, and Hatshepsut's enduring allure.

The Spirit of George Washington

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 05:00:00 GMT

After two centuries, Mount Vernon's whiskey distillery returns

Rethinking Jamestown

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT

America's first permanent colonists have long been considered lazy and incompetent. But new evidence suggests that it was a prolonged droughtnot indolencethat almost did them in

Poland's War

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 05:00:00 GMT

Remembering martial law 25 years later

We saw him land!

Wed, 01 May 2002 04:00:00 GMT

In a long-lost letter an American woman describes Lindbergh's tumultuous touchdown in Paris75 years ago this month

Pieces of History

Fri, 01 Nov 2002 05:00:00 GMT

Raised from the deep, the Monitor's turret reveals a bounty of new details about the ship's violent end

Making Sense of Robert E. Lee

Tue, 01 Jul 2003 04:00:00 GMT

"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it." Robert E. Lee, at Fredericksburg.

The Law that Ripped America in Two

Sat, 01 May 2004 04:00:00 GMT

One hundred fifty years ago, the Kansas-Nebraska Act set the stage for America's civil war

Harriet Tubman

Thu, 01 Apr 2004 05:00:00 GMT

One hundred fifty years ago, the Kansas-Nebraska Act set the stage for America's civil war

Contemplating Churchill

Tue, 01 Mar 2005 05:00:00 GMT

On the 40th anniversary of the wartime leader's death, historians are reassessing the complex figure who carried Britain through its darkest hour

Romancing the Stones

Mon, 01 Jul 2002 04:00:00 GMT

Who built the great megaliths and stone circles of Great Britain, and why? Researchers continue to puzzle and marvel over these age-old questions

The Old Man of Olduvai Gorge

Tue, 01 Oct 2002 04:00:00 GMT

Irrepressible Louis Leakey, patriarch of the fossil-hunting family, championed the search for human origins in Africa, attracting criticism and praise

Lesson of a Lifetime

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Her bold experiment to teach Iowa third graders about racial prejudice divided townspeople and thrust her onto the national stage. Decades later, Jane Elliott's students say the ordeal changed them for good

A Walk Across England

Mon, 01 Sep 2003 04:00:00 GMT

In the 1970s, British accountant Alfred Wainwright linked back roads, rights-of-way and ancient footpaths to blaze a beguiling trail across the sceptered isle

Blast from the Past

Mon, 01 Jul 2002 04:00:00 GMT

The eruption of Mount Tambora killed thousands, plunged much of the world into a frightful chill and offers lessons for today

People's Choice

Mon, 01 Nov 2004 05:00:00 GMT

With the advent of mechanized vote counting in the 1890s, a ballot could be tallied in minutesnot hours or days

First City in the New World?

Thu, 01 Aug 2002 04:00:00 GMT

Peru's Caral suggests civilization emerged in the Americas 1,000 years earlier than experts believed

Out of the Shadows

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT

After decades of obscurity, African-American architect Julian Abele is finally getting recognition for his contributions to some of 20th-century America's most prestigious buildings

Down In Mississippi

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT

The shooting of protester James Meredith 38 years ago, searingly documented by a rookie photographer, galvanized the civil rights movement

The Real Robinson Crusoe

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 04:00:00 GMT

He was a pirate, a hothead and a lout, but castaway Alexander Selkirkthe author's ancestorinspired one of the greatest yarns in literature

A Fork in the River

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 04:00:00 GMT

After deliberating for nine days, the captains choose the tortuous southwest branch of the Missouri toward the Great Falls

The Glory That Is Rome

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Thanks to renovations of its classical venues, the Eternal City has never looked better

Clutch Shot Clinches Fall Classic

Tue, 01 Oct 2002 04:00:00 GMT

Thanks to renovations of its classical venues, the Eternal City has never looked better

July 1970

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 04:00:00 GMT

A look back at the world in Smithsonian Magazine's first year

Cold and Hungry

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT

When snow blankets the mountains, the expedition is once again imperiled

A Model Son

Mon, 01 Apr 2002 05:00:00 GMT

Chesapeake Bay's maritime history comes alive in miniature wood carvings by a Maryland craftsman

Martin as Muse

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 05:00:00 GMT

Chesapeake Bay's maritime history comes alive in miniature wood carvings by a Maryland craftsman

Gets His Marching Orders

Mon, 01 Dec 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Jefferson spells out the mission

Ultimate Sacrifice

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:24:53 GMT

At age 33 in 1917, the Harvard-trained lawyer and Major League baseball player Eddie Grant volunteered to serve in World War I. He fought as he'd played: selflessly

Man of the Hour

Mon, 01 Dec 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Master horologist John Metcalfe keeps on ticking

The President's Been Shot

Sat, 01 Nov 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Forty years ago, the assassination of JFK stunned Americans, who vividly recall the day even as they grapple with his complex legacy

Daniel Libeskind: Architect at Ground Zero

Sat, 01 Mar 2003 05:00:00 GMT

From his Jewish Museum in Berlin to his proposal for the World Trade Center site, Daniel Libeskind designs buildings that reach out to history and humanity

The Calm Before Desert Storm

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Two months before the Gulf War began in 1991, President George H. W. Bush greeted U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia

Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!

Mon, 01 Oct 2001 04:00:00 GMT

The story of how the Smithsonian came by its mask rivals in interest the way the Lone Ranger got his

When the Shooting Started

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:24:56 GMT

A century and a half ago, Britain's Roger Fenton pioneered the art of war photography

Westward Ho!

Sat, 01 May 2004 04:00:00 GMT

The corps begins its epic journey

Off the Charts

Thu, 01 Apr 2004 05:00:00 GMT

Going where few cartographers have gone before, the expedition members hope to find a river that will carry them all the way to the Pacific Ocean

Osage Oranges Take a Bough

Mon, 01 Mar 2004 05:00:00 GMT

The first shipment of botanical specimens sent to President Jefferson contained the seeds of thousands of miles of fences

Flower Child

Thu, 01 Apr 2004 05:00:00 GMT

A Vietnam War protester recalls a seminal '60s image, part of a new book celebrating French photographer Marc Riboud's 50-year career

Profile in Courage

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 05:00:00 GMT

Fifteen years later, a photograph of an anonymous protester facing down a row of tanks in Beijing's Tiananmen Square still inspires astonishment

Looking For a Few Good Men

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 05:00:00 GMT

While the budding Corps of Discovery plans the expedition near St. Louis, William Clark grades the recruits

Making Copies

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:29:31 GMT

At first, nobody bought Chester Carlson's strange idea. But trillions of documents later, his invention is the biggest thing in printing since Gutenburg

Off to the Races

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:29:32 GMT

Before the American Revolution, no Thoroughbred did more for racing's growing popularity than a plucky mare named Selima

Let the Games Begin

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:25:10 GMT

Spectators braved all manner of discomfortfrom oppressive heat to incessant badgering by vendorsto witness ancient Greece's ultimate pagan festival

In Search of William Tell

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:29:29 GMT

Seven hundred years ago, William Tell shot an arrow through an apple on his son's head and launched the struggle for Swiss independence. Or did he?

Of Majesty and Mayhem

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:29:34 GMT

An exhibition of ancient Maya art points up the opulence and violence of the great Mesoamerican civilization

The Rocky Road to Revolution

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:29:36 GMT

While most members of Congress sought a negotiated settlement with England, independence advocates bided their time

Salem Sets Sail

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:31:25 GMT

After the Revolutionary War, ships from a little Massachusetts seaport brought the new nation wares from China and the mysterious East

Off the Beaten Track

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:31:29 GMT

During a civil rights march in 1965, photographer Bruce Davidson left the highway to focus on a single Alabama sharecropper and her nine children

Native Intelligence

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT

The Indians who first feasted with the English colonists were far more sophisticated than you were taught in school. But that wasn't enough to save them

Push to the Pacific

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Guided by the Nez Percé, the men and women of the corps reach the Columbia amid threats for their lives

The Great Diamond Hoax of 1872

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:31:24 GMT

How a Kentucky grifter and his partner pulled off one of the era's most spectacular scamsuntil a dedicated man of science exposed their scheme

A Bittersweet Homecoming

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 04:00:00 GMT

As the corps finally makes contact with the Shoshone Indians, interpreter Sacagawea reunites with her family.

The Elusive Shoshone

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Needing horses and a route across the Rockies, the corps must find Sacagawea's peopleor risk the fate of the expedition

Glyph Dweller

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Archaeologist Alanah Woody's infectious enthusiasm for Nevada's rock art knows no bounds

Rocky Mountain High

Sun, 01 May 2005 04:00:00 GMT

After a canoe capsizes, the first sight of the mountainous "snowey barrier" lifts the corps' spirits

A Fine Boy

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT

With a little help from a rattlesnake's rattle, Sacagawea gives birth to a baby she names Jean Baptiste

A Formidable Anamal

Fri, 01 Apr 2005 05:00:00 GMT

After a winter of waiting, the corps leaves Fort Mandan and heads warily into bear country

Coming Home

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT

To a war-weary nation, a U.S. POW's return from captivity in Vietnam in 1973 looked like the happiest of reunions

Dangerous Liaisons

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT

Severe cold and fraternizing with the Mandan keep Meriwether Lewis' doctoring in demand

The Colors of Childhood

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:17:08 GMT

To mark 50 years of Crayola's 64 box, a piece from our archives

Prophet on the Mount-sidebar

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:00:00 GMT

The devout pay respects to Aaron

The Epic of Gilgamesh Translation

Tue, 01 May 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Translated by Stephen Langdon, University of Pennsylvania

Passing Notes

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Zhou Daguan, part of a group of diplomats from China that lived in Angkor from 1296 to 1297, recorded his thoughts on the area

News Flash

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:12:44 GMT

Zhou Daguan, part of a group of diplomats from China that lived in Angkor from 1296 to 1297, recorded his thoughts on the area

General Resent

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

In this interview, Ernest "Pat" Furgurson, author of "Catching Up with 'Old Slow Trot,'" says some people are still fighting the Civil War

Capturing a Narrative

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 GMT

In this interview, Guy Gugliotta, author of "Digitizing the Hanging Court," talks about the Old Bailey's influence on Dickens, Defoe and other writers

The Stranger and the Statesman

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

An excerpt from Nina Burleigh's book, The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum

The Forgotten General - sidebar

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Historians' perspectives on George H. Thomas

The Lost World of James Smithson

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:00:00 GMT

An excerpt from Heather Ewing's book, The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian

Rivaling Nature

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:00:00 GMT

The war in Iraq has increased demand for limb and facial plastic surgeons

The Past Informs the Present

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:00:00 GMT

In this Q & A, Caroline Alexander, author of "Faces of War," discusses robotic faces and the timelessness of war stories

Excerpt from Elizabeth Winthrop's "Counting on Grace"

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 04:00:00 GMT

This novel about a 12-year-old mill worker was inspired by a Lewis Hine photograph.

New Faces of 1946

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 05:00:00 GMT

An unpopular president. A war-weary people. In the midterm elections of 60 years ago, voters took aim at incumbents

October Anniversaries

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Momentous or merely memorable

Interview with Andrew Lawler, Author of "A Mystery Fit for a Pharaoh"

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Andrew Lawler discusses imperialism and the natural romance of studying ancient cultures.

Encore! Encore!

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Lorenzo Da Ponte was a hit in Europe: a courtier, a cad, the librettist for Mozart's finest operas. But the New World truly tested his creative powers.

Indelible: Stars and Strife

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 05:00:00 GMT

A clash of cultures at Boston's City Hall in 1976 symbolized the city's years-long confrontation with the busing of schoolchildren

Who Was Mary Magdalene?

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 04:00:00 GMT

From the writing of the New Testament to the filming of The Da Vinci Code, her image has been repeatedly conscripted, contorted and contradicted. But through it all, one question has gone largely unanswered

Secrets of the Range Creek Ranch

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 05:00:00 GMT

Archaeologists cheered when Waldo Wilcox's vast spread was deeded to the state of Utah, believing that it holds keys to a tribe that flourished 1,000 years ago - and then mysteriously vanished.

The Aztecs: Blood and Glory

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 05:00:00 GMT

A new exhibition probes the contradictions of an advanced civilization that practiced human sacrifice

'The Basque History of the World' By Mark Kurlansky

Sat, 01 Apr 2000 05:00:00 GMT

A new exhibition probes the contradictions of an advanced civilization that practiced human sacrifice

"My Whole Soul Is In It"

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 05:00:00 GMT

As his army faltered and his cabinet bickered, Abraham Lincoln determined that "we must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued." In 1862, he finally got his chance

A Tale of Fatal Feuds and Futile Forensics

Wed, 01 Mar 2000 05:00:00 GMT

A Smithsonian anthropologist digs for victims of a West Virginia mob murder

Fire on the Mountain

Sat, 01 Apr 2000 05:00:00 GMT

A Smithsonian anthropologist digs for victims of a West Virginia mob murder

A Mystery in Miniature

Sat, 01 Jan 2000 05:00:00 GMT

An enigmatic button once decorated the uniform of Haitian liberator Toussaint Louverture

A Fury from Hell—or Was He?

Tue, 01 Feb 2000 05:00:00 GMT

As underwater archaeologists pull artifacts from what may be the wreck of Blackbeard's flagship, historians raise new questions about the legendary pirate

A Smithsonian for this Century

Tue, 01 Feb 2000 05:00:00 GMT

As underwater archaeologists pull artifacts from what may be the wreck of Blackbeard's flagship, historians raise new questions about the legendary pirate

Increase, Diffusion and...Inspiration

Sat, 01 Jan 2000 05:00:00 GMT

As underwater archaeologists pull artifacts from what may be the wreck of Blackbeard's flagship, historians raise new questions about the legendary pirate

Looking to the Future

Wed, 01 Dec 1999 05:00:00 GMT

Five years of heading the Smithsonian continues a proud legacy, but much remains to be done

A Passion for Learning

Mon, 01 Nov 1999 05:00:00 GMT

The opportunity to broaden one's horizons at the Smithsonian is a job perk to be relished

A Darkness in Donora

Mon, 01 Nov 1999 05:00:00 GMT

When smog killed 20 people in a Pennsylvania mill town in 1948, the clean air movement got its start

Two for the Road

Fri, 01 Oct 1999 04:00:00 GMT

Changes mean a bright future for the National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery

Outsmarting Napoleon

Wed, 01 Sep 1999 04:00:00 GMT

War games enthusiasts use miniature soldiers and multiple-terrain boards to simulate real battles

Review of 'All You Need Is Love: The Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960s'

Wed, 01 Sep 1999 04:00:00 GMT

War games enthusiasts use miniature soldiers and multiple-terrain boards to simulate real battles

Moving Down the Line

Thu, 01 Apr 1999 05:00:00 GMT

It's pulled and jimmied, tied and lifted but the 20-ton Jupiter engine finally reaches its new home

Looking Back and Ahead

Mon, 01 Mar 1999 05:00:00 GMT

With regret but a legacy of accomplishment, the Secretary plans to leave the Smithsonian in December

A Durable Memento

Sat, 01 May 1999 04:00:00 GMT

An upcoming exhibition honors the legacy of an American artist who found freedom in Liberia

Saving the Nation's Flag

Thu, 01 Oct 1998 04:00:00 GMT

After nearly two centuries of exposure, the Star-Spangled Banner gets a much needed overhaul

Review of 'One Round River: The Curse of Gold and the Fight for the Big Blackfoot'

Mon, 01 Mar 1999 05:00:00 GMT

After nearly two centuries of exposure, the Star-Spangled Banner gets a much needed overhaul

Saving Our Treasures

Mon, 01 Feb 1999 05:00:00 GMT

A devoted keeper of the past, the National Museum of American History looks ahead to the Millennium

Conveying History Through Song

Mon, 01 Feb 1999 05:00:00 GMT

Bernice Johnson Reagon adds cultural nuance and period flavor to rousing a cappella renditions

Our Future in Flight

Tue, 01 Dec 1998 05:00:00 GMT

With a new facility in the works, the National Air and Space Museum prepares for the 21st century

Dispatches from the Past

Thu, 01 Oct 1998 04:00:00 GMT

An exhibition at the Postal Museum commemorates the centennial of the Klondike/Alaska gold rush

Why Save the Flag?

Tue, 01 Sep 1998 04:00:00 GMT

Preserving the Star-Spangled Banner reflects our ongoing effort to establish a more perfect union

Smithsonian Highlights

Fri, 01 May 1998 04:00:00 GMT

Preserving the Star-Spangled Banner reflects our ongoing effort to establish a more perfect union

Hang 'em First, Try 'em Later

Mon, 01 Jun 1998 04:00:00 GMT

By Gobs! There was nothing judicious about Judge Roy Bean

Reviw of 'The Beggar and the Professor: A Sixteenth-Century Family Saga'

Fri, 01 May 1998 04:00:00 GMT

By Gobs! There was nothing judicious about Judge Roy Bean

Long May It Wave

Wed, 01 Jul 1998 04:00:00 GMT

The Smithsonian embarks on an ambitious project to preserve the Star-Spangled Banner

A Metal Far From Base

Wed, 01 Jul 1998 04:00:00 GMT

A tiny flake started the rush to California, but where gold is concerned, that isn't the half of it.

Turn-of-the-Century Views

Fri, 01 May 1998 04:00:00 GMT

A tiny flake started the rush to California, but where gold is concerned, that isn't the half of it.

The AP Looks Back

Fri, 01 May 1998 04:00:00 GMT

150 Years of Capturing the Moment

Catching a Glimpse of America's Industrial Past

Fri, 01 May 1998 04:00:00 GMT

150 Years of Capturing the Moment

Review of ' The Seed Is Mine and Across Boundaries'

Wed, 01 Apr 1998 05:00:00 GMT

150 Years of Capturing the Moment

Lessons from the Mall

Wed, 01 Apr 1998 05:00:00 GMT

From courses to cruises, the Smithsonian has educational and cultural adventures for everyone

In Honor of Struggle

Thu, 01 Jan 1998 05:00:00 GMT

Life came hard for people like historian Lonnie Bunch's ancestors; he strives to commemorate them

Singing Our Praises

Sun, 01 Mar 1998 05:00:00 GMT

With creativity and a vast collection, the Smithsonian has become a leader in preserving our musical heritage

A Symbol That Failed

Thu, 01 Jan 1998 05:00:00 GMT

In 1918, a hopeful France gave Mrs. Wilson a peace brooch, but peace eluded her husband and the world

Bang! Bang! You're Dead

Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Dueling at the drop of a hat was as European as truffles, and as American as mom's apple pie

Stamps What an Idea!

Thu, 01 Jan 1998 05:00:00 GMT

New commemoratives look like our first stamps, which were slow to catch on in 1847

Museum Networking

Thu, 01 Jan 1998 05:00:00 GMT

Whether at the Nobel Prize awards or at the opening of the new Getty center, the Smithsonian has a vital role

Joseph Henry's Legacy

Mon, 01 Dec 1997 05:00:00 GMT

A man of science and compromise, the Smithsonian's first Secretary laid the foundation for success

A Real "Nation's Attic"

Sat, 01 Nov 1997 05:00:00 GMT

It's a place with a two-foot-wide "dead zone," a "wet" pod and a refrigerated room for the garbage

Pipelines to the Public

Sat, 01 Nov 1997 05:00:00 GMT

Through innovative outreach programs, the Smithsonian extends its resources far and wide

Pushing the Envelope

Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00 GMT

At the National Postal Museum, envelopes are as critical a part of history as the letters inside

An illustrated history of a mughal emperor

Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00 GMT

The opulent paintings in the "King of the World" exhibition bring the reign of the Taj Mahal builder to life and incite a passion for learning

Review of 'How Proust Can Change Your Life'

Wed, 01 Oct 1997 04:00:00 GMT

The opulent paintings in the "King of the World" exhibition bring the reign of the Taj Mahal builder to life and incite a passion for learning

Our New Gem Hall is a Jewel, Indeed

Mon, 01 Sep 1997 04:00:00 GMT

The opulent paintings in the "King of the World" exhibition bring the reign of the Taj Mahal builder to life and incite a passion for learning

The Space Race

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Onetime rivals are now partners. A new exhibition and an IMAX film, Mission to Mir, tell the story

Review of 'Eyewitness to America'

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Onetime rivals are now partners. A new exhibition and an IMAX film, Mission to Mir, tell the story

Review of 'The Pinball Effect'

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Onetime rivals are now partners. A new exhibition and an IMAX film, Mission to Mir, tell the story

Review of 'Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit'

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Onetime rivals are now partners. A new exhibition and an IMAX film, Mission to Mir, tell the story

The Man Who Built The Taj

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Onetime rivals are now partners. A new exhibition and an IMAX film, Mission to Mir, tell the story

Smithsonian Perspectives

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Onetime rivals are now partners. A new exhibition and an IMAX film, Mission to Mir, tell the story

A Treasury of Archives

Tue, 01 Jul 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Though seldom seen by the public, the Smithsonian's vast repositories are vital to the institution

All the Presidents' pooches

Sun, 01 Jun 1997 04:00:00 GMT

Though seldom seen by the public, the Smithsonian's vast repositories are vital to the institution

Smithsonian Perspectives

Thu, 01 May 1997 04:00:00 GMT

A patriarch of flight, Paul Garber devoted his Smithsonian career to the preservation of historic aircraft

Edward K. Thompson, 1907-1996

Sun, 01 Dec 1996 05:00:00 GMT

A patriarch of flight, Paul Garber devoted his Smithsonian career to the preservation of historic aircraft

Smithsonian Perspectives

Sat, 01 Feb 1997 05:00:00 GMT

As financial demands soar, the Institution seeks corporate dollars while safeguarding its integrity

Edward K. Thompson, 1907-1996

Sun, 01 Dec 1996 05:00:00 GMT

As financial demands soar, the Institution seeks corporate dollars while safeguarding its integrity

Around the Mall Jan 96

Mon, 01 Jan 1996 05:00:00 GMT

Since its founding in 1967, the Anacostia Museum has grown from "storefront" concept to "neighborhood museum" to world renown for its innovative programs and service to the community

Smithsonian Perspectives

Fri, 01 Nov 1996 05:00:00 GMT

Over 150 years, the Smithsonian has evolved as a visitor-friendly place that reflects a diverse nation

Antebellum Quilts

Fri, 01 Nov 1996 05:00:00 GMT

A new show at the Renwick Gallery features a rare repository of textile history

Fifty years ago, the trial of Nazi War criminals ended: the world had witnessed the rule of law invoked to punish unspeakable atrocities

Tue, 01 Oct 1996 04:00:00 GMT

In the war-shattered city of Nuremberg, in November 1945, an Allied tribunal convened to seek justice in the face of the Third Reich's monstrous war crimes.

Smithsonian Perspectives

Sun, 01 Sep 1996 04:00:00 GMT

Coins from James Smithson's bequest created the Institution; on our anniversary, commemorative coins from the U.S. Mint will help it to continue

It's Over

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 04:00:00 GMT

We asked readers to tell us where they were and how they reacted to the news that World War II had ended. And what a response we got!

Close encounters with an ancient world

Tue, 01 Oct 1996 04:00:00 GMT

We asked readers to tell us where they were and how they reacted to the news that World War II had ended. And what a response we got!

Around the Mall Aug 96

Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:00:00 GMT

Every belfry must have its bell, and what better time than noon on August 10, the Smithsonian Institution's 150th birthday, to hoist one up to the Castle clock tower and ring out the hour?

Smithsonian Perspectives

Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:00:00 GMT

From its start, the Smithsonian had international interests, and it is now more than ever a global institution

Taking liberties with an American goddess

Mon, 01 Jul 1996 04:00:00 GMT

Mocked, martyred and marketed, our favorite statue is still hard at work "enlightening the world"

Smithsonian Perspectives

Sat, 01 Jun 1996 04:00:00 GMT

In its early days, the Smithsonian faced the Civil War, a disastrous fire and a vastly uncertain future

Smithsonian Perspectives

Wed, 01 May 1996 04:00:00 GMT

Among the Smithsonian's greatest legacies has been its long line of directors with vision and drive

Smithsonian Perspectives

Mon, 01 Apr 1996 05:00:00 GMT

Volunteer service at the Smithsonian is a time-honored tradition that goes all the way back to Joseph Henry, our first Secretary

Smithsonian Perspectives

Fri, 01 Mar 1996 05:00:00 GMT

From the start, the Smithsonian has pursued activities that fulfill its mandate to increase knowledge

The Object at Hand - What a difference the Difference Engine made: from Charles Babbage's calculator emerged today's computer

Thu, 01 Feb 1996 05:00:00 GMT

The incredible world of computers was born some 150 years ago, with a clunky machine dreamed up by a calculating genius named Charles Babbage

Smithsonian Perspectives

Thu, 01 Feb 1996 05:00:00 GMT

James Smithson's initial bequest to the United States led to a unique partnership between the public and private sectors for the benefit of all

Smithsonian Perspectives

Mon, 01 Jan 1996 05:00:00 GMT

It's our 150th anniversary, and we plan to celebrate all year long by bringing the Smithsonian home to you

Smithsonian Perspectives

Fri, 01 Dec 1995 05:00:00 GMT

Some reflections on the first year in office and a look at the likely changes and challenges facing us

Smithsonian Perspectives

Sun, 01 Oct 1995 04:00:00 GMT

The National Zoo and its branch, the CRC, pioneer conservation biology and seek new ways of support

Around the Mall Feb 95: Smithsonian digs up a 19th century neighbourhood

Wed, 01 Feb 1995 05:00:00 GMT

At the site of a new Smithsonian museum, a team of archaeologists dug up traces of a 19th-century neighborhood; bottles, chinaware and even a doll will help us learn more about how the people lived

Around the Mall Jul 95: The Smithsonian Associates have a 'national treasure' in their midst

Sat, 01 Jul 1995 04:00:00 GMT

The Smithsonian Associates have a 'national treasure' in their midst, but shhh, don't tell. It's already hard enough to get a seat on the bus for one of Ed Bearss' battle-site Study Tours

Smithsonian Perspectives

Fri, 01 Sep 1995 04:00:00 GMT

Exhibits at the National Museum of American History commemorate our diverse World War II experiences

Around the Mall Jun 95: Schoenberger's story

Thu, 01 Jun 1995 04:00:00 GMT

In 1939 Moritz Schoenberger, a Hungarian Jew living in Vienna, wanted to join his family in America. His ordeal as a refugee aboard the S.S. St. Louis is told at the National Postal Museum

Showdown on the Court

Sun, 01 May 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Buoyed by his reelection but dismayed by rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court, a president overreaches

What Price Glory?

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 04:00:00 GMT

On Morris Island, South Carolina, where the nation's legendary African-American fighting force proved its valor in the Civil War, a proposed housing development has ignited a debate over the uses of history

35 Who Made a Difference: Robert Moses

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT

A former civil rights activist revolutionizes the teaching of mathematics

Divided Loyalties

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 05:00:00 GMT

Descended from American Colonists who fled north rather than join the revolution, Canada's Tories still raise their tankards to King George

Lewis and Clark: The Journey Ends

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT

The triumphant return of the Lewis and Clark expedition

The Grand Union flag, free at last, and lighting up Broadway...

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT

December anniversariesmomentous or merely memorable

Tumult and Transition in "Little America"

Sat, 01 Nov 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Americans created Liberia as a homeland for freed slaves. But a quarter century of civil war over festering ethnic animosities has renewed questions about the U.S. role in the African nation

The epic of Rockefeller Center

Mon, 01 Mar 2004 05:00:00 GMT

Rockefeller Center symbolizes the heart of Manhattan

Lord Nelson: Hero and...Cad!

Sun, 01 Feb 2004 05:00:00 GMT

A cache of recently discovered letters darkens the British naval warrior's honor and enhances that of his long-suffering wife, Frances

Learning from the Missile Crisis

Tue, 01 Oct 2002 04:00:00 GMT

What Really Happened on Those Thirteen Fateful Days in October

Duel!

Mon, 01 Mar 2004 05:00:00 GMT

Defenders of honor or shoot-on-sight vigilantes? Even in 19th-century America, it was hard to tell

War, Honor and...Cats

Mon, 01 Mar 2004 05:00:00 GMT

After such knowledge, what forgiveness?

Stanley Meets Livingstone

Wed, 01 Oct 2003 04:00:00 GMT

The American journalist's harrowing 1871 quest to find England's most celebrated explorer is also a story of newfound fascination with Africa, the growing power of newspapers and the United States' emergence as a world power

Iron Will

Thu, 01 Aug 2002 04:00:00 GMT

While William Clark is best known for the expedition he made with Meriwether Lewis, his later life was as historic and more consequential

Reign On!

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 04:00:00 GMT

Four centuries after her death, Good Queen Bess still draws crowds. A regal rash of exhibitions and books examines her life anew.

Dividing the Spoils

Sun, 01 Dec 2002 05:00:00 GMT

In a new book, historian Michael Beschloss re-creates the 1945 Potsdam Conference at which Harry Truman found his presidential voice and determined the shape of postwar Europe

Westward Ho!

Tue, 01 Apr 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Two hundred years ago this month, Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, changing the shape of a nation and the course of history

Unearthing Athens' Underworld

Fri, 01 Nov 2002 05:00:00 GMT

Throughout the decade-long construction of the city's new metro, archaeologists have found a trove of treasures

Artemisia's Moment

Wed, 01 May 2002 04:00:00 GMT

After being eclipsed for centuries by her father, Orazio, Artemisia Gentileschi, the boldest female painter of her time, gets her due

Comet's Tale

Sat, 01 Jun 2002 04:00:00 GMT

A half century ago, the first jet airliner delighted passengers with swift, smooth flights until a fatal structural flaw doomed its glory

LBJ Goes for Broke

Sat, 01 Jun 2002 04:00:00 GMT

A half century ago, the first jet airliner delighted passengers with swift, smooth flights until a fatal structural flaw doomed its glory

Torpedoed!

Wed, 01 May 2002 04:00:00 GMT

In a new book on the 1915 sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania, historian Diana Preston presents fresh findings about the atrocity and draws on recently discovered interviews with survivors to bring the terrible human drama to life

Ping-Pong Diplomacy

Mon, 01 Apr 2002 05:00:00 GMT

Blending statecraft and sport, table tennis matches between American and Chinese athletes set the stage for Nixon's breakthrough with the People's Republic

$1,500,000,000!

Sat, 01 Dec 2001 05:00:00 GMT

Blending statecraft and sport, table tennis matches between American and Chinese athletes set the stage for Nixon's breakthrough with the People's Republic

Trouble in Paradise

Fri, 01 Feb 2002 05:00:00 GMT

The idyllic Mediterranean retreat of Corsica, where seaside villages and rugged scenery beckon, also harbors homegrown terrorists, bent on achieving the island's secession from France

Carrying On

Thu, 01 Nov 2001 05:00:00 GMT

After a cataclysm, The editors wrestled with how to respond

Star-Spangled Principles

Thu, 01 Nov 2001 05:00:00 GMT

After a cataclysm, The editors wrestled with how to respond

Hallowed Ground

Thu, 01 Nov 2001 05:00:00 GMT

An investigation of old grave sites in New England is unearthing hard truths about yankees and slavery

Bears and Rhinos

Mon, 01 Oct 2001 04:00:00 GMT

Never underestimate the role of sentimentality in the making of american myths and heroes

We Followed Odysseus

Sat, 01 Sep 2001 04:00:00 GMT

Never underestimate the role of sentimentality in the making of american myths and heroes

Gone Fishing

Mon, 01 Oct 2001 04:00:00 GMT

For 20 years, Don Moser hooked readers with great stories. Now that he's retiring, trout beware

Mamie's Purse

Sat, 01 Sep 2001 04:00:00 GMT

For an inaugural ball, a victim of war created an evening bag for the First Lady of a war hero

They Eat to Serve

Sat, 01 Sep 2001 04:00:00 GMT

For an inaugural ball, a victim of war created an evening bag for the First Lady of a war hero

A Gift to the Nation

Wed, 01 Aug 2001 04:00:00 GMT

For an inaugural ball, a victim of war created an evening bag for the First Lady of a war hero

Excerpt from George Orwell: A Life

Wed, 01 Aug 2001 04:00:00 GMT

For an inaugural ball, a victim of war created an evening bag for the First Lady of a war hero

Generosity and Standards

Sun, 01 Jul 2001 04:00:00 GMT

For an inaugural ball, a victim of war created an evening bag for the First Lady of a war hero

In Good Spirits

Fri, 01 Jun 2001 04:00:00 GMT

Lily dale, New York, is a curious little village where the still-quick commune with the once-quick

Aid in Small Boxes

Tue, 01 May 2001 04:00:00 GMT

In 1996, commemorating 50 years of relief work, CARE gave the Smithsonian its own package

The Liveliest Museum

Fri, 01 Dec 2000 05:00:00 GMT

In 1996, commemorating 50 years of relief work, CARE gave the Smithsonian its own package

An Uncommon Treasure-house

Tue, 01 May 2001 04:00:00 GMT

In 1996, commemorating 50 years of relief work, CARE gave the Smithsonian its own package

Executive Images

Tue, 01 May 2001 04:00:00 GMT

To assemble "The American Presidency" exhibition, experts scour a treasure trove of historic pictures

Smithson's Best Bet

Thu, 01 Mar 2001 05:00:00 GMT

To assemble "The American Presidency" exhibition, experts scour a treasure trove of historic pictures

The Hungry Years by T. H. Watkins

Thu, 01 Mar 2001 05:00:00 GMT

To assemble "The American Presidency" exhibition, experts scour a treasure trove of historic pictures

Attila the Hunk

Thu, 01 Mar 2001 05:00:00 GMT

To assemble "The American Presidency" exhibition, experts scour a treasure trove of historic pictures

The Impossible Job

Sun, 01 Oct 2000 04:00:00 GMT

To assemble "The American Presidency" exhibition, experts scour a treasure trove of historic pictures

The Jitterbug Met R&B

Fri, 01 Sep 2000 04:00:00 GMT

And the shag, a stylish Southern dance, was born and reborn along the Carolina coast

Evidence from the Skies

Sat, 01 Jul 2000 04:00:00 GMT

And the shag, a stylish Southern dance, was born and reborn along the Carolina coast

Object at Hand: The Flight Stuff

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Amelia Earhart brought her own special style—even to her outerwear

Titanic Sank This Morning

Thu, 01 Apr 2004 05:00:00 GMT

An artifact from the doomed ocean liner evokes that catastrophic night in April 1912

Inventive Abe

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 04:00:00 GMT

In 1849, a future president patented an ingenious addition to transportation technology.

Tray Bon!

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 05:00:00 GMT

Thanksgiving leftovers260 tons in allgave birth to an industry

The Object at Hand

Fri, 01 Nov 1996 05:00:00 GMT

A young war-horse helped Phil Sheridan win the day in the Shenandoah Valley and, made famous by a poem, helped Abraham Lincoln win re-election

Power Balls

Tue, 01 Apr 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Out of the park: signed balls soar into the stratosphere

The Vote That Failed

Sun, 01 Nov 1998 05:00:00 GMT

Old style ballots cast illegally in Indiana helped topple a president then he helped topple them

Here's Looking at You, Kids

Tue, 01 Jul 2003 04:00:00 GMT

For three decades, the fluoroscope was a shoe salesman's best friend

Othmar Ammann's Glory

Fri, 01 Oct 1999 04:00:00 GMT

Genius, willpower and thousands of miles of steel wire went into the George Washington Bridge

Cast in Bondage

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Copper neck tags evoke the experience of American slaves hired out as part-time laborers

Broad Shoulders

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

When union leader Cesar Chavez organized the nation's farmworkers, he launched a movement that changed history

The Object at Hand - The Soap Box Derby

Mon, 01 May 1995 04:00:00 GMT

The Soap Box Derby, a peculiarly American institution, thrives on the U.S. teenage passion for anything that has four wheels and goes fast-even if driven by gravity.

Hell's Bells

Wed, 01 May 2002 04:00:00 GMT

The 19th-century trolley bell may have ding-ding-dinged, but the factory bell clanged the workday

Antique Road Show

Sat, 01 Nov 2003 05:00:00 GMT

Before the Interstates passed the highway by, America got its kicks on Route 66

The Shirt Off His Back

Tue, 01 Mar 2005 05:00:00 GMT

Jerry Seinfeld's silly, frilly prop takes its place in television history

Langley's Feat--and Folly

Sat, 01 Nov 1997 05:00:00 GMT

The Smithsonian Secretary assembled a devoted team, a remarkable engine and a plane that wouldn't fly

Meet Me at the Automat

Wed, 01 Aug 2001 04:00:00 GMT

Horn & Hardart gave big city Americans a taste of good fast food in its chrome-and-glass restaurants

The Colors of Childhood

Mon, 01 Nov 1999 05:00:00 GMT

Crayola crayons take us all back with their fondly remembered look, scent and feel on paper

Special Delivery

Sun, 01 Feb 2004 05:00:00 GMT

In the 1900s, health officials believed that puncturing supposedly disease-infested mail and then fumigating it slowed the spread of illness

The Object at Hand

Sat, 01 Mar 1997 05:00:00 GMT

A bejeweled box from a sorely beset emperor leads to a Yankee dentist, and how he rescued the beautiful empress Eugénie from a Paris mob

The Object at Hand

Mon, 01 Jul 1996 04:00:00 GMT

How an upside-down biplane on a 24-cent stamp, now on display at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, seemed to jinx early attempts at carrying the mail by air

Airmail Letter

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Stale Mail: The nation's first hot-air balloon postal deliveries barely got off the ground.

It's a Wurlitzer

Mon, 01 Apr 2002 05:00:00 GMT

The giant of the musical instrument collection makes tunesrootin'tootin' or romantic

Old House, New Home

Sat, 01 Jun 2002 04:00:00 GMT

For 200 years in Ipswich, it sheltered all manner of Americans; now it informs and delights them

John Brown's Picture

Fri, 01 Aug 1997 04:00:00 GMT

A long-lost daguerrotype, made by a black artist in 1847, has lately come to rest at the Smithsonian

Christmas Cards

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT

When orbiting pranksters Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford launched into "Jingle Bells," Mission Control almost lost control

Hearing Aid

Fri, 01 Apr 2005 05:00:00 GMT

A trove of recorded sounds preserves everything from tree frog calls to murmurs of the heart

The Object at Hand - Howard Hughes

Wed, 01 Feb 1995 05:00:00 GMT

A silver speedster from the 1930s evokes the golden age of flight, a pair of world-class speed records and the early triumphs of Howard Hughes' ultimately tragic life

Macho in Miniature

Thu, 01 Aug 2002 04:00:00 GMT

For nearly 40 years, G.I. Joe has been on America's front lines in toy boxes from coast to coast

Tea and Sisterhood

Thu, 01 Oct 1998 04:00:00 GMT

In 1848 when it came time to declare the rights of women, this tilt-top table provided solid support

Romance And The Stone

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 05:00:00 GMT

A rare Burmese ruby memorializes a philanthropic woman

Our Flag Was Still There

Sat, 01 Jul 2000 04:00:00 GMT

It's the star-spangled banner; the anthem it inspired plays on as a musical salute to the stars and stripes

Kilroy Was Here

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:24:57 GMT

En route to Vietnam in the 1960s, American G.I.'s recorded their hopes and fears on the canvas undersides of troopship sleeping berths

The Object at Hand July 95: Tecumseh's Revenge

Sat, 01 Jul 1995 04:00:00 GMT

A great Shawnee warrior and statesman, Tecumseh united Western tribes in 1812 to fight the encroaching settlers. He lost the war and his life but is much honored in our history.

The Object at Hand

Wed, 01 May 1996 04:00:00 GMT

All but two of 104,960 sovereigns from a learned Englishman with no birthright were reminted here to fund the kind of institution he had in mind

Grand Inquisitor

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 04:00:00 GMT

White House diva Helen Thomas has grilled every president since JFK

People's Choice

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Almost from birth, Andrew Jackson was in training to become democracy's champion

Comedy Central

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:25:04 GMT

"Your Show of Shows," starring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, pioneered madcap TV humor in the 1950s.

Wild Thing

Fri, 01 Aug 2003 04:00:00 GMT

For 100 years, Harleys have fueled our road-warrior fantasies

Picturing Pocahontas

Fri, 01 Jan 1999 05:00:00 GMT

An image at the National Portrait Gallery may be the truest account we have of the Indian princess

Ring King

Sun, 01 Mar 1998 05:00:00 GMT

"Who made the doughnut with the hole in the middle? Just how it got there will be always a riddle"

Presidential Designs

Wed, 01 Nov 2000 05:00:00 GMT

Re-created at the Smithsonian, the White House's Cross Hall tells a tale of changing styles

Useful Gadget

Wed, 01 Oct 2003 04:00:00 GMT

The legendary explorers carried destiny on their expedition. But they could not have fulfilled is without this unprepossessing device

John Lennon's First Album

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT

A recently acquired stamp collection opens a new page on the teenage Beatle-to-be

Chilly Reception

Mon, 01 Jul 2002 04:00:00 GMT

Dr. John Gorrie found the competition all fired up when he tried to market his ice-making machine

Race for a Remedy

Fri, 01 Dec 2000 05:00:00 GMT