Smart News History & Archaeology

At New Orleans' National WWII Museum, visitors can chat with virtual versions of World War II veterans.

This Museum Lets Visitors Talk to A.I. Copies of World War II Veterans

Eighteen Americans who participated in the war effort each answered up to 1,000 questions on camera to create their interactive video likenesses

The marble statue likely depicts the Greek god Apollo and decorated a fountain in Philippi.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find Ancient Statue of Apollo That Probably Adorned a Magnificent Fountain

The marble bust sheds new light on the layered history of a 2,000-year-old Greek city

David Walker, 19, was a mess attendant aboard the USS California.

A Young Sailor's Remains Have Been Identified Eight Decades After He Died at Pearl Harbor

David Walker was a 19-year-old mess attendant aboard the USS "California" when Japan launched its surprise attack

The steamship Milwaukee was sailing across Lake Michigan to pick up another load of lumber when disaster struck.

Researchers Use Old Newspaper Reports to Identify 137-Year-Old Shipwreck in Lake Michigan

The steamship "Milwaukee" sank in a heavy fog off the coast of Holland, Michigan, after colliding with another vessel

The lead scrolls found onsite resemble Roman "curse tablets," used to write messages to higher powers.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find 'Remarkable' Roman Villa Full of Coins, Jewelry and 'Curse Tablets'

Discovered at a housing development in England, the complex's buildings may be nearly 2,000 years old

This staircase, part of an active construction site, has been preserved since the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Pompeii Find Ancient Construction Site, Undisturbed Since Vesuvius' Eruption

The discovery is cluing researchers into the techniques used to build Rome’s most remarkable structures

The castle's mill was integrated into the residential space and powered by a canal that flowed beneath the building.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Uncover Medieval Castle Hidden Beneath a French Hotel

Excavations revealed a moat, pipes, jewelry, coins and other artifacts amidst the structure's ruins

Since Titanic premiered in 1997, skeptics have been insisting that Jack and Rose could have both survived on their makeshift raft. 

Floating Board From 'Titanic' Sells for Over $700,000

The infamous prop has long been the source of heated debate: Did Jack really have to die?

In the lab, researchers tested soil samples dating to the first or early second century C.E.

New Research

Microplastics Are Contaminating Ancient Archaeological Sites

New research suggests plastic particles may pose a threat to the preservation of historic remains

Attributed to artist Pierre Eugène du Simitiére, the drawing depicts the Continental Army’s North Carolina Brigade marching through Philadelphia on August 25, 1777.

Cool Finds

Rare Eyewitness Sketch of American Revolutionaries Found Hanging in a Collector's Bedroom

The drawing, which the owner recently donated to a museum, depicts the North Carolina Brigade passing through Philadelphia in 1777

The digital reconstruction of Emperor Wu's face (left), alongside a painting made of him from the 'Thirteen Emperors Scroll' (right).

See The Face of Emperor Wu, a Sixth-Century Chinese Ruler Brought to Life with DNA Analysis

Genetic analysis of DNA from his skeleton offers not only a first glimpse at his face, but also insight into his mysterious death

The skate was discovered in Přerov, a city in the Czech Republic's eastern Olomouc region through which the Bečva river flows.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth 1,000-Year-Old Ice Skate Made of Animal Bone in Czech Republic

The artifact dates to a time when skates were used primarily for practical purposes

Richard Brock found the nugget using an old back-up metal detector.

Cool Finds

Man With Broken Metal Detector Unearths Largest Gold Nugget Ever Found in England

Richard Brock stumbled upon the treasure, valued at more than $38,000, about 20 minutes after starting his search

Liverpool artist William Lindsay Windus painted The Black Boy in 1844.

This Museum Needs Your Help Identifying the Subject of a 19th-Century Painting

Nobody knows the name of the child in "The Black Boy," but a museum in Liverpool is hoping someone will recognize him

The Mexican government has acquired three Aztec codices from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Mexican Government Acquires Rare Centuries-Old Aztec Manuscripts

The 16th- and 17th-century artifacts provide historical accounts of events such as the founding of Tenochtitlán

A diver documents one of the five cannons found during a recent archaeological survey of the wreck in Dry Tortugas National Park.

Cool Finds

Sunken British Warship That Left Crew Marooned for 66 Days Has Been Identified

Found off the coast of Florida, the HMS "Tyger" left some 300 crew members stranded on Garden Key in 1742

Waiters walked quickly through the streets of central Paris on Sunday while carefully balancing a tray on one hand.

Waiters Race Through the Streets of Paris While Balancing Trays of Coffee and Croissants

About 200 servers competed in the 1.2-mile race—a tradition that goes back to 1914

In recent years, three papal bulls have been found near the Polish village of Wysoka Kamieńska.

Cool Finds

The Broken Seal of a Pope's 14th-Century Decree Has Been Found in Poland

The metal fragment was once part of a papal bull, an official communication distributed by the Catholic Church

Indonesia's Lake Toba, formed by a volcanic eruption around 74,000 years ago. In the new study, researchers uncovered fragments of glass from the eruption at an archaeological site in northwest Ethiopia, pointing to the volcano's global impacts.

Stone Age People Survived a Supervolcano Eruption by Adapting to Dry Periods, Archaeologists Suggest

Humans living in northwest Ethiopia around 74,000 years ago switched to eating more fish following the eruption, a behavior that might have enabled migration out of Africa

The propeller blade was discovered wrapped in a potato sack in Coire a’Bhradain on the isle of Arran in Scotland.

Cool Finds

Mysterious World War II Plane Propeller Found in Scottish Peat Bog

The object likely broke off a doomed plane during a crash on the isle of Arran

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