History

Located in Noblesville, Indiana, on the outskirts of Indianapolis, Nickel Plate Express offers both train rides and railbike tours.

Railbiking Is Catching On Across the Nation—Here's Where to Try It Yourself

Sit back, relax and pedal your way along historic railroad tracks

Pottery fragments found onsite are lined in purple pigment, suggesting they were once containers for dye.

In This Ancient Workshop, Greeks Crushed Snail Glands to Make the Purple Dye Worn by Royalty

Archaeologists discovered remnants of the small factory on an island in Greece

After Shackleton's death, the ship was used for seal hunting, Arctic research and rescue missions.

Ernest Shackleton's Last Ship, Quest, Discovered Off the Coast of Canada

The famed explorer died of a heart attack aboard the ship near South Georgia Island in 1922, and it sank in the north Atlantic Ocean in 1962

Newly examined fossils suggest monotremes—egg-laying mammals—were once much more abundant in Australia than they are today.

Meet the 'Echidnapus,' an Extinct Creature That Resembles Both the Echidna and Platypus of Today

The species is among three newly identified monotremes, or egg-laying mammals, discovered from fossils in Australia that are shedding light on the odd animals' evolution

The smaller of the two grave slabs weighs around 154 pounds.

With the Recovery of Massive Grave Slabs, England's Oldest Shipwreck Continues to Reveal Its Secrets

Maritime archaeologists hoisted the heavy artifacts, made of a special type of limestone, from 23 feet below the surface of the English Channel

The stones were shot from catapults during one of the longest sieges in British history.

Catapult Shots Fired During 13th-Century Siege Unearthed at British Castle

Found on the grounds of Kenilworth Castle, the eight stones were used during a clash between rebels and royal forces in 1266

The 10-foot-deep well is located in Ostia Antica.

Trove of Rare Artifacts Unearthed Beneath an Ancient Roman Well

Dozens of items, including burnt bones and ceramics, provide new insights into ritual activity in the city of Ostia

Some of the newspaper articles describe the buying and selling of enslaved people, while others offer rewards for the return of runaways.

Ancestry Releases Records of 183,000 Enslaved Individuals in America

The genealogy company has digitized and published 38,000 newspaper articles from between 1788 and 1867—before Black Americans were counted as citizens in the U.S. census

Researchers are particularly excited about the newly discovered chess piece, which is about an inch and a half tall.

Medieval Game Pieces Unearthed Beneath a Castle in Germany

The "excellently preserved" chess knight, six-sided die and several other pieces are all about 1,000 years old

A reconstruction of the central grave in the burial mound of Eberdingen-Hochdorf, located in southwestern Germany

Ancient Celtic Elites Inherited Wealth From Their Mothers' Sides

A genetic analysis of opulent burial mounds in Germany sheds new light on how power passed through family lines

Archaeologists found amphorae, bronze jugs, bronze lamps and construction materials inside the room.

See the Stunning Shrine With Rare Blue-Painted Walls Unearthed at Pompeii

The 86-square-foot space is adorned with artworks depicting female figures and agricultural imagery

Flamingos were nearly hunted to extinction for their feathers by the early 1900s. But, thanks in part to conservation and habitat restoration efforts, they're making a comeback in Florida. This flamingo was spotted in Miami Beach in 2018.

More Than a Century Ago, Flamingos Disappeared From Florida. Now, They're Coming Home

Likely transported by Hurricane Idalia last August, more than 100 of the pink birds were counted in a February census in the Sunshine State, where they are considered a native species

Ozzie Smith, a 2002 Hall of Fame inductee and member of the show's advisory committee, previews "The Souls of the Game."

Hall of Fame Examines 150 Years of Black Baseball History

A new exhibition begins long before the creation of the Negro Leagues and ends with the triumphs and challenges of today's players

The 14.5-inch artifact was likely made between 900 and 1050 C.E.

Norwegian Farmer Stumbles Upon 1,000-Year-Old Viking Sword

The well-preserved artifact may belong to a special class of high-quality, engraved weapons

Components of Seahenge, or Holme I, were displayed at the British Museum in 2022.

England's Mysterious 'Seahenge' Monument May Have Been Built to Prolong Summer

One researcher thinks the structure was used for ancient rituals during a period of bitter cold

A 3,000-year-old canoe at the bottom of Lake Mendota

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Canoes Hidden Beneath a Wisconsin Lake

One of the vessels dates back around 4,500 years, making it the oldest ever found in the Great Lakes region

The graves were found in central France during an excavation of a site containing mostly fifth- and sixth-century development.

These 28 Horses Were Buried in an Ancient Mass Grave. How Did They Die?

Archaeologists are puzzled by the 2,000-year-old burial site uncovered in central France

Gilbert Stuart painted the famous Lansdowne portrait of George Washington. 

Before Andy Warhol Set His Eyes on Marilyn and Prince, There Was Gilbert Stuart and George Washington

Two court cases over 200 years apart reflect what happens when commercial and artistic interests meet

A couple of atypically colorful logbook pages from the Bengal of Salem, Massachusetts, housed at the Providence Public Library. The ship sailed around the Pacific Ocean from 1832 to 1835.

How a Trove of Whaling Logbooks Will Help Scientists Understand Our Changing Climate

Researchers are examining more than 4,200 New England documents to turn descriptions of the wind into data

The 311-foot-long vessel was built in Connecticut starting in 1941 and made six war patrols in search of Japanese warships.

Wreck of WWII Submarine Found After 80 Years

The USS Harder, known by the nickname "Hit ‘em HARDER," was led by a commander known for his 'particularly audacious attacks' on Japanese warships

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