History
Louis-Marie, Viscount de Noailles, Fought in Three Revolutions | Smithsonian
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 says Serena Jampel October 1, 2026 11:13 a.m. A close-up view of a...
Who Wrote Elizabeth I’s Most Scathing Letters? New Research Suggests the Tudor Queen’s Male Secretaries Revised Her Correspondence to Emphasize Her Temper | Smithsonian
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 Scotland Clodagh Murphy, The Conversation September 28, 2026...
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Served as the U.S. Capital for Just One Day | Smithsonian
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 York Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital Editor, History September 24, 2026...
Georgia Tann’s Black-Market Adoption Business | Smithsonian
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.S Jordan Friedman | History Correspondent September 23, 2026 7:45 a.m. A 1939 photo of Georgia Tann,...
The 175-Year History of the ‘New York Times’ | Smithsonian
Much has changed since the publication debuted on September 18, 1851. What hasn’t changed, staff members say, is the paper’s mission Kayla Randall | Digital Editor, Museums September 18, 2026 7:45 a.m. The New York Times building, with its newspaper logo sign...
Six Ways That People of the Past Used Magic to Protect Their Homes, From Witch Bottles to Mystical Symbols | Smithsonian
Throughout history, humans around the world have employed protective talismans such as special stones, herbs and plants, and decorative demon tiles Thomas Waters, The Conversation September 15, 2026 7:45 a.m. An illustration from the 1720 text The History of...
The Real Story Behind ‘The Uprising’ and the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt | Smithsonian
Paul Greengrass’ new film stars Andrew Garfield as a fictionalized, unnamed farmer who leads a rebellion against unfair taxes and the system of serfdom Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital Editor, History September 9, 2026 1:10 p.m. L to R: Thomas McKenzie...
How the United States of America Got Its Name | Smithsonian
America's 250th Anniversary A Smithsonian magazine special report 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” Greg...
David Bushnell’s ‘Turtle’ Was the World’s First Combat Submarine | Smithsonian
America's 250th Anniversary A Smithsonian magazine special report 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 later...
Some of the Earliest Automobile Enthusiasts Signed Up to Help the Allies in WWI. They Also Ushered in the Mechanization of War | Smithsonian
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 combatants By Joshua Hammer Photographs by Jooney Woodward September/October...
The Prehistoric Paintings on the Walls of Caves Have Always Been Moving. But With the Right Kind of Light, Some Actually Seem to Move | Smithsonian
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 torchlight Ben Crair September/October 2026 In Spain’s Cave of El Castillo,...
This American Commando Parachuted Behind Enemy Lines in Both the European and Pacific Theaters of World War II | Smithsonian
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 time Katie S. Sanders | Co-author, Ortiz’s War: The...
To Dismantle the Concept of Separate but Equal, Thurgood Marshall Methodically Devised a Winning Strategy: Divide and Conquer | Smithsonian
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 resolution Victor Luckerson Illustration by Hsiao-Ron Cheng September/October 2026...
This 18th-Century British Queen Turned King Arthur Into a P.R. Strategy, Drawing on Myth to Promote Her Dynasty’s Claim to the Throne | Smithsonian
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 success Amy Louise Blaney, The Conversation August 24, 2026 7:45 a.m. An...
When a Carpenter in California Found a Nugget of Gold, It Started a Rush Toward Nothing Less Than the Modern World | Smithsonian
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 Valley Lydia Kiesling September/October 2026 The Smithsonian holds a nugget, above, thought to have...
The 1944 Freckleton Air Disaster Was Britain’s Deadliest WWII Aviation Accident | Smithsonian
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 6 Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital Editor, History August...
This Connecticut Teenager Spied on the British During the American Revolution, Succeeding Where Nathan Hale Failed | Smithsonian
America's 250th Anniversary A Smithsonian magazine special report Newly uncovered documents reveal the story of David Maltbie, who relayed intelligence to the patriots in 1776, narrowly avoiding execution as a spy Claire Bellerjeau and Tiffany Yecke Brooks...
The Hessians Were Supposed to Quickly End the American Revolution. Instead, They Endured Years of Battles and Suffered Thousands of Casualties | Smithsonian
America's 250th Anniversary A Smithsonian magazine special report 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 Hessians Greg Daugherty | History Correspondent...