History | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/history/RSS feed for HistoryenThu, 01 Oct 2026 15:13:09 +0000The 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/This American Commando Parachuted Behind Enemy Lines in Both the European and Pacific Theaters of World War IIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-american-commando-parachuted-behind-enemy-lines-in-both-the-european-and-pacific-theaters-of-world-war-ii-180989396/A direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson, Francis Lowell Coolidge was an agent with the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the CIA. Read his goodbye letter to his wife, published here for the first timeThu, 27 Aug 2026 12:33:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-american-commando-parachuted-behind-enemy-lines-in-both-the-european-and-pacific-theaters-of-world-war-ii-180989396/The Prehistoric Paintings on the Walls of Caves Have Always Been Moving. But With the Right Kind of Light, Some Actually Seem to Movehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/prehistoric-paintings-walls-caves-have-always-been-moving-with-right-light-some-seem-move-180989276/As archaeologists study the work of ancient artists, they notice that the images aren’t simply static; some are painted into the contours of the rock, and others are set in motion in torchlightThu, 27 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/prehistoric-paintings-walls-caves-have-always-been-moving-with-right-light-some-seem-move-180989276/To Dismantle the Concept of Separate but Equal, Thurgood Marshall Methodically Devised a Winning Strategy: Divide and Conquerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dismantle-concept-separate-equal-thurgood-marshall-methodically-devised-winning-strategy-divide-conquer-180989278/While other activists aimed to take down Jim Crow in one fell swoop, the future Supreme Court justice compiled a series of wins that ultimately added up to an undeniable resolutionWed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dismantle-concept-separate-equal-thurgood-marshall-methodically-devised-winning-strategy-divide-conquer-180989278/This 18th-Century British Queen Turned King Arthur Into a P.R. Strategy, Drawing on Myth to Promote Her Dynasty's Claim to the Thronehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-18th-century-british-queen-turned-king-arthur-into-a-pr-strategy-drawing-on-myth-to-promote-her-dynastys-claim-to-the-throne-180989367/In 1735, Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach commissioned a cottage called Merlin's Cave, which linked the German House of Hanover to both Britain’s ancient heritage and its future successMon, 24 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-18th-century-british-queen-turned-king-arthur-into-a-pr-strategy-drawing-on-myth-to-promote-her-dynastys-claim-to-the-throne-180989367/When a Carpenter in California Found a Nugget of Gold, It Started a Rush Toward Nothing Less Than the Modern Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-carpenter-california-found-nugget-gold-started-rush-toward-nothing-less-modern-world-180989283/A new book by historian Nathaniel Philbrick makes the case that James Marshall’s 1848 discovery set in motion events from the Civil War to the rise of Silicon ValleyFri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-carpenter-california-found-nugget-gold-started-rush-toward-nothing-less-modern-world-180989283/When an American Airplane Crashed Into a School in 1944, an English Village Lost Almost All of Its Youngest Children. Why Has WWII's Worst Civilian Aviation Accident Been Forgotten?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-american-airplane-crashed-into-school-1944-english-village-lost-almost-all-of-its-youngest-children-why-has-wwii-worst-civilian-aviation-accident-been-forgotten-180989341/On August 23, 1944, a test flight over the village of Freckleton, located in northwest England, ended in disaster, claiming the lives of 61 people, including 38 students between the ages of 4 and 6Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-american-airplane-crashed-into-school-1944-english-village-lost-almost-all-of-its-youngest-children-why-has-wwii-worst-civilian-aviation-accident-been-forgotten-180989341/This Connecticut Teenager Spied on the British During the American Revolution, Succeeding Where Nathan Hale Failedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-connecticut-teenager-spied-on-the-british-during-the-american-revolution-succeeding-where-nathan-hale-failed-180989309/Newly uncovered documents reveal the story of David Maltbie, who relayed intelligence to the patriots in 1776, narrowly avoiding execution as a spyMon, 17 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-connecticut-teenager-spied-on-the-british-during-the-american-revolution-succeeding-where-nathan-hale-failed-180989309/The Hessians Were Supposed to Quickly End the American Revolution. Instead, They Endured Years of Battles and Suffered Thousands of Casualtieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-hessians-were-supposed-to-quickly-end-the-american-revolution-instead-they-endured-years-of-battles-and-suffered-thousands-of-casualties-180989252/Some 30,000 German soldiers fought for the British during the war. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't mercenaries, and not all were actually HessiansThu, 13 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-hessians-were-supposed-to-quickly-end-the-american-revolution-instead-they-endured-years-of-battles-and-suffered-thousands-of-casualties-180989252/This Box of 300 Love Letters Showed Up Out of the Blue. Who Was the Whimsical World War II Soldier Who Wrote Them?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-box-of-300-love-letters-showed-up-out-of-the-blue-who-was-the-whimsical-world-war-ii-soldier-who-wrote-them-180989300/Nobody knows who dropped Speedy Weber's correspondence at a USO office in 2022. Researchers have finally tracked down two living relatives who remember himMon, 10 Aug 2026 15:02:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-box-of-300-love-letters-showed-up-out-of-the-blue-who-was-the-whimsical-world-war-ii-soldier-who-wrote-them-180989300/