U.S. History

Gibbs aboard the USS Bear, which made the voyage to Antarctica

George Washington Gibbs Jr. Defied Danger and Racism to Become the First African-American to Visit Antarctica

"He had bigger visions and would not be contained in a box," his daughter says

The First African-American to Hold a Patent Invented 'Dry Scouring'

In 1821, Thomas Jennings patented a method for removing dirt and grease from clothing that would lead to today's dry cleaning

A $3.5 million renovation at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum includes an outdoor multi-functional plaza and community garden. The museum will reopen in mid-October.

Anacostia Community Museum to Close for Renovations, but Will Tour Its Current Show With Pop Ups Across the City

D.C. Public Library will partner with the museum to bring you "A Right to the City," which takes a deep look at gentrification and its impact

Grand Canyon National Park

The Decades-Long Political Fight to Save the Grand Canyon

Americans had long known about the wonders of the southwestern landmark, but it wouldn't be until 1919 that it would gain full federal protection

The three-time winning Meryl Streep (above at the 2017 Academy Awards) with 21 nominations under her belt appears to be a rare exception to the Oscar Jinx.

A Smithsonian Folklorist Delves Into the Rituals and Rewards at the Academy Awards

Folk belief holds that if you have won one Oscar, your odds of ever winning a second are greatly diminished by the dreaded “Oscar Jinx”

Women have graced coinage since the third century B.C.

Who Was the First Woman Depicted on Currency and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Botanist George Washington Carver, seen here in a 1940 photo, donated $33,000 in cash to the Tuskegee Institute to establish a fund to carry on the agricultural and chemical work he began.

In Search of George Washington Carver’s True Legacy

The famed agriculturalist deserves to be known for much more than peanuts

Mary Mildred Williams again takes center stage in Jessie Morgan-Owens’ new book Girl in Black and White.

The Enslaved Girl Who Became America's First Poster Child

In 1855, Mary Mildred Williams energized the abolitionist movement

Young Yoshiko Hide Kishi moved with her family to the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center; "It's important to educated people about what happened," she recently told Smithsonian curators.

The Complex Role Faith Played for Incarcerated Japanese-Americans During World War II

Smithsonian curator of religion Peter Manseau weighs in on a history that must be told

American orator, editor, author, abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) edits a journal at his desk, late 1870s.

History of Now

‘The North Star’ Amplified Black Voices. How a 2019 Reboot of Frederick Douglass’ Paper Hopes to Do the Same

A new outfit sees inspiration from the 19th-century publication that pursued the cause of fighting injustice everywhere

A sculpture of Louise Arner Boyd alongside the subject herself. This bust is part of the Marin History Museum collection in Novata, California.

The Double Life of a California Socialite Who Became a Leading Arctic Explorer

In the early 20th century, Louise Arner Boyd lived as a philanthropist in the United States and a hero on the high seas

An American infantry camp in Siberia, Russia, December 1918

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Forgotten Story of the American Troops Who Got Caught Up in the Russian Civil War

Even after the armistice was signed ending World War I, the doughboys clashed with Russian forces 100 years ago

The Necco candy factory used to produce piles of Sweethearts.

The Pharmacist Who Launched America's Modern Candy Industry

Oliver Chase invented a lozenge-cutting machine that led to Necco wafers, Sweethearts and the mechanization of candy making

Names smoked into the ceiling date back to the 1800s

American South

Enslaved Tour Guide Stephen Bishop Made Mammoth Cave the Must-See Destination It Is Today

In the 1830s and '40s, the pioneering spelunker mapped out many of the underground system's most popular spots

The Grand Canyon became a National Park in 1919.

How the Grand Canyon Transformed From a 'Valueless' Place to a National Park

Before the advent of geology as a science, the canyon was avoided. Now the popular park is celebrating its centennial year

George Washington, (Porthole type) by Rembrandt Peale, c. 1853

George Washington and I Go Way Back—Or So Goes the Tale of My Family's Cane

An heirloom is charged with both sentiment and purely speculative history

The interior of a former Wanamaker's (now a Macy's location) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, complete with a 1911 World Fair pipe organ

What a Hundred-Year-Old Department Store Can Tell Us About the Overlap of Retail, Religion and Politics

The legacy left behind by the Philadelphia-based retail chain Wanamaker’s is still felt by shoppers today

“[My dad] was assigned this jacket [at a camp in Bismarck, North Dakota], and it’s like new because he refused to wear it,” says Satsuki Ina

What This Jacket Tells Us About the Degrading Treatment of Japanese-Americans During WWII

An exhibit in San Francisco explores the dark chapter in American history when the government imprisoned its own citizens

How First Lady Sarah Polk Set a Model for Conservative Female Power

The popular and pious wife to President James Polk had little use for the nascent suffrage movement

Amazing Grace captivates, says the Smithsonian's Christopher Wilson from the National Museum of American History. It is 90-minutes of "living the genius of Aretha and the passion of the tradition she embraced and represented."

Aretha Franklin’s Decades-Old Documentary Finally Comes to Theaters in 2019

The 2019 nationwide release, 47 years after it was made, means audiences at last will see the Queen of Soul’s transcendent masterpiece

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