History & Archaeology

Revisiting the First Ladies’ Homes

The oft-overlooked lives of America's first ladies are on display in house museums across the country
By Robin T. Reid

Terra Cotta Soldiers on the March

A traveling exhibition of China's terra cotta warriors sheds new light on the ruler whose tomb they guarded
By Arthur Lubow

Nikita Khrushchev Goes to Hollywood

Lunch with the Soviet leader was Tinseltown's hottest ticket, with famous celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin
By Peter Carlson

John Nelson and Scott Elrick inspect a mine shaft

The World's Largest Fossil Wilderness

An Illinois coal mine holds a snapshot of life on earth 300 million years ago, when a massive earthquake "froze" a swamp in time
By Guy Gugliotta

Don Holcomb and Sandee Irwin Naval Academy

Up in Arms Over a Co-Ed Plebe Summer

The first women to attend the Naval Academy became seniors in 1979. Photographer Lucian Perkins was there as the old order changed
By Amanda Bensen

From the Editor: My Favorite Commie

Nikita Khrushchev Comes to America
By Carey Winfrey

In Damascus, Restoring Beit Farhi and the City’s Jewish Past

An architect works to restore the grand palace of Raphael Farhi, one of the most powerful men in the Ottoman world
By Stephen Glain

The Onrust being placed in the Hudson River

Setting Sail on the Hudson River 400 Years Later

Using 17th century techniques, volunteers built a replica of Henry Hudson's vessel in honor of the anniversary of his exploration
By Wayne A. Hall

Alice Ramsey's Historic Cross-Country Drive

In 1909, 22-year-old Alice Ramsey made history as the first woman to drive across the United States
By Marina Koestler Ruben

Before Rosie the Riveter, Farmerettes Went to Work

During World War I, the Woman’s Land Army of America mobilized women into action, sustaining American farms and building national pride
By Elaine F. Weiss

Via Aurelia: The Roman Empire's Lost Highway

French amateur archaeologist Bruno Tassan fights to preserve a neglected 2,000-year-old ancient interstate in southern Provence
By Joshua Hammer

The Triumph of Frank Lloyd Wright

The Guggenheim Museum, turning 50 this year, showcases the trailblazer's mission to elevate American society through architecture
By Arthur Lubow

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6th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest Winners

Out of more than 17,000 entries contributed from around the world, Smithsonian and its readers select the year's best

Photo Essay

Weegee's Day at the Beach

See more photos of bathers at Coney Island

Smithsonian Videos

	Counting Down for the Liftoff to the Moon Photographer David Burnett focused his camera on the many tourists who flocked to Florida in 1969 to watch the launch of Apollo 11
	A Navy Plebe Re-Meets His Match Photojournalist Lucian Perkins reunites Naval Academy graduates Sandee Irwin and Don Holcomb, 30 years after his photo captured the new gender dynamics at the school
	Deploying the Wave Energy Buoy See a prototype of a wave energy buoy bob up and down on the water’s surface as researchers from Oregon State University study its efficacy
	Nikita Khrushchev's Great American Tour As part of a diplomatic mission, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev traveled across the United States, meeting Americans from New York to Iowa to California
	Uncovering the Terra Cotta Soldiers A curator from the Houston Museum of Natural Science explains how the terra cotta warriors were discovered and what they reveal about China’s Qin dynasty

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The oft-overlooked lives of America's first ladies are on display in house museums across the country By Robin T. Reid

A traveling exhibition of China's terra cotta warriors sheds new light on the ruler whose tomb they guarded By Arthur Lubow

The launch 40 years ago of Apollo 11, which put a man on the moon, brought Americans together during a time of nationwide unrest By David Burnett

Lunch with the Soviet leader was Tinseltown's hottest ticket, with famous celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin By Peter Carlson

An Illinois coal mine holds a snapshot of life on earth 300 million years ago, when a massive earthquake "froze" a swamp in time By Guy Gugliotta

The first women to attend the Naval Academy became seniors in 1979. Photographer Lucian Perkins was there as the old order changed By Amanda Bensen

A trove of spectacular objects from the Kremlin’s collection highlights Ottoman opulence By Katy June-Friesen

Nikita Khrushchev Comes to America By Carey Winfrey

Momentous or Merely Memorable By Alison McLean

An architect works to restore the grand palace of Raphael Farhi, one of the most powerful men in the Ottoman world By Stephen Glain

Using 17th century techniques, volunteers built a replica of Henry Hudson's vessel in honor of the anniversary of his exploration By Wayne A. Hall

In 1909, 22-year-old Alice Ramsey made history as the first woman to drive across the United States By Marina Koestler Ruben

During World War I, the Woman’s Land Army of America mobilized women into action, sustaining American farms and building national pride By Elaine F. Weiss

French amateur archaeologist Bruno Tassan fights to preserve a neglected 2,000-year-old ancient interstate in southern Provence By Joshua Hammer

The Guggenheim Museum, turning 50 this year, showcases the trailblazer's mission to elevate American society through architecture By Arthur Lubow