History
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...
This Box of 300 Love Letters Showed Up Out of the Blue. Who Was the Whimsical World War II Soldier Who Wrote Them? | Smithsonian
Nobody knows who dropped Speedy Weber’s correspondence at a USO office in 2022. Researchers have finally tracked down two living relatives who remember him Ellen Wexler | Writer and Special Projects Editor August 10, 2026 11:02 a.m. Speedy called his wife,...
The Cowra Breakout and Japanese Prisoners of War | Smithsonian
During the 1944 Cowra breakout, over 900 prisoners attempted to escape from an Allied camp in Australia. The uprising resulted in the deaths of 234 Japanese men and 5 Australians Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital Editor, History August 5, 2026 7:45 a.m. A...
Who Was Jane Stanford, Co-Founder of Stanford University? | Smithsonian
Jane Stanford’s legacy is the focus of a new showcase at the California university. The display features artifacts that have never previously been exhibited Jess Daninhirsch | Reporting Intern, Museums July 30, 2026 7:45 a.m. The "Jane!" exhibition is on view...
What Was the 1863 Bear River Massacre? | Smithsonian
Amid mounting tensions between white settlers and the Shoshone, Union soldiers killed an estimated 250 to 500 Shoshone. Today, the Indigenous nation is working to bring “nature back into balance” Richard Schiffman July 28, 2026 The site of the Bear River...
The Real Story Behind ‘Pompeii: Out of Time With Tom Hiddleston’ | Smithsonian
A semi-fictionalized documentary series hosted by actor Tom Hiddleston follows three people in the ancient towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum who experienced the disaster in 79 C.E. Ellen Wexler | Writer and Special Projects Editor July 28, 2026 12:41 p.m....
This Ship Sank in the Baltic Sea With Presents Bound for a Romanov Czar. Its Cargo Included Champagne, Luxury Mineral Water and Rare Meteorites | Smithsonian
New research suggests that a shipwreck discovered off the coast of Sweden in 2024 may have been transporting gifts from the German Duchy of Nassau to Alexander II of Russia in the immediate aftermath of the Crimean War Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital...
This Indian Maharaja Saved Hundreds of Polish Orphans During World War II, Offering Them Refuge When No One Else Would | Smithsonian
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, ruler of the princely state of Nawanagar, opened his realm to young Poles who had been detained in Soviet labor camps as the children of the intelligentsia Peter Zablocki | History Correspondent July 22, 2026 7:45 a.m. A 1937...
Was There Ever an Original Version of ‘The Odyssey,’ and Do We Need to Worry About What Homer Would Think? | Smithsonian
The earliest surviving fragments of the epic poem—the subject of Christopher Nolan’s latest Hollywood blockbuster—date back more than 2,000 years. But oral storytelling about a hero named Odysseus is much older Ellen Wexler | Writer and Special Projects Editor...
Thousands of Intimate Photographs Reveal the Everyday Lives of the Romanovs, Russia’s Last Imperial Family | Smithsonian
The Bolsheviks executed the last czar, Nicholas II, and the rest of his family, including his famous daughter Anastasia, 108 years ago. Surviving snapshots open a portal into the royals’ private world Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital Editor, History July...
DNA Reveals the Identity of a Teenager Who Died in the Revolutionary War, Cracking a Nearly 250-Year-Old Cold Case | Smithsonian
John Pumphrey was still a boy when he enlisted in the Continental Army in 1777. After archaeologists discovered his remains, a genetic genealogy analysis identified 20,000 DNA matches for living relatives Ellen Wexler | Writer and Special Projects Editor July...