World History

Aphra Behn made a name for herself in Restoration-era England, writing bawdy plays that were wildly popular.

The Spy Who Became England’s First Successful Female Writer

Aphra Behn made a name for herself in Restoration-era England, when most women still relied on their husbands

In this June 13, 1917 file photo, U.S. Army General John J. Pershing, center, inspects French troops at Boulogne, France

World War I: 100 Years Later

“I Hope It Is Not Too Late”: How the U.S. Decided to Send Millions of Troops Into World War I

The Allies were desperate for reinforcements, but the U.S. wasn’t quite ready to provide them

Where Does 'Beyond the Pale' Come From?

Trim Castle in County Meath, Ireland, is famous for two things: It was a location in 'Braveheart,' and it played a part in the phrase 'beyond the pale'

A Stunning & Dramatic Irish Island Once Inhabited by Monks

Over seven miles off the Irish coast, lie the sea crags of Skellig Michael, a breathtaking island once home to a community of reclusive monks

Israeli supplies are air dropped to troops in the Sinai, June 1967, during the Six-Day War.

What the Six-Day War Tells Us About the Cold War

In 1967, Israel launched a preemptive attack on Egypt. The fight was spurred in part by Soviet meddling

Mounted Normans attack the Anglo-Saxon infantry during the Battle of Hastings, as portrayed on the Bayeux Tapestry.

England’s Most Brutal King Was Its Best Peacemaker

William the Conqueror was ruthless, but he achieved something his predecessors couldn’t: peace

A View in Louisburg in North America

Canada

When Nova Scotia Almost Joined the American Revolution

New England expats felt a strong allegiance to the struggles felt by their American friends to the south

The Reason This South American Tribe Shrunk Their Enemies' Heads

The Shuar of South America is the only tribe to have never been conquered by the Spanish Empire

Joseph Goebbels viewing the 1937 Degenerate Art Exhibition.

Why It’s So Hard to Find the Original Owners of Nazi-Looted Art

International experts recently gathered at Smithsonian to discuss the state of international provenance research

Edith Wharton moved to Paris and stayed put during World War I, unlike many of her friends who fled.

Edith Wharton Recruited the World’s Greatest Artists to Raise Money for WWI Refugees

A century ago, the famous author took it upon herself to help those left behind by the war’s carnage

How a Downed U.S. Plane Almost Caused a Nuclear War

When the Cubans accidentally shoot down a U.S. U-2 aircraft, the threat of nuclear war becomes a serious possibility

The Real Culprit of an Ancient Egyptian Plague Was... Bread?

According to the Bible, the 10th plague to befall Ancient Egypt killed the first born child of every family

John Frankenheimer's classic The Manchurian Candidate built upon the idea of brainwashed GIs in Korea.

History of Now

The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America

Fears of Communism during the Cold War spurred psychological research, pop culture hits, and unethical experiments in the CIA

Draft of The Balfour Declaration with handwritten notes, 1917

World War I: 100 Years Later

How a Single Paragraph Paved the Way for a Jewish State

The Balfour Declaration changed the course of history with just one sentence

Footage of a Tense Aerial Battle During the Falklands War

It's 10 weeks into the Falklands War, and two British Harriers find themselves protecting a damaged ship, the HMS Hermes

World War I: 100 Years Later

How World War I Changed Weather Forecasting for Good

Prior to the Great War, weather forecasters had never considered using mathematical modeling

Chocolate, coffee and tea all played a role in overturning a medical theory that had dominated the Western world for more than a millennium.

How Coffee, Chocolate and Tea Overturned a 1,500-Year-Old Medical Mindset

The humoral system dominated medicine since the Ancient Greeks—but it was no match for these New World beverages

German infantrymen aim machine guns from a trench near the Vistula River in 1916.

How WWI Sparked the Gay Rights Movement

Soldiers came home from the Great War with a demand—full equality under the law

"This book was representative of an era during which colonialism and the associated conversion to Christianity oppressed the indigenous population in often violent ways,” says curator Gabriela Pérez-Báez.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

A Rare Public Display of a 17th-Century Mayan Manuscript

With the book newly digitized, scholars are reinterpreting a story of native resistance from within its pages

This illustration puts the blame of the murder of Edward on Elfrida.

Medieval Mothers Had to Marry and Murder to Get Their Way

The stories are below aren’t pulled from “Game of Thrones.” Promise

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