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Smart News - Keeping You Current

Trending Today

A Bust of Richard III, 3D-Printed From a Scan of His Recently Exhumed Skull

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Mayan Pyramid Destroyed to Get Rocks for Road Project

Cool Finds

Scientists Map Britain’s Most Famous Underwater City

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Editors' Picks

Edinburgh’s Mysterious Miniature Coffins

In 1836, three Scottish boys discovered a strange cache of miniature coffins concealed on a hillside above Edinburgh. Who put them there—and why?

Document Deep Dive: The Heartfelt Friendship Between Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey

Baseball brought the two men together, but even when Rickey left the Brooklyn Dodgers, their relationship off the field would last for years

Pay No Attention to the Spies on the 23rd Floor

For years, the KGB secretly spied on visitors to the Hotel Viru in Estonia. A new museum reveals the fascinating time capsule and all the secrets within

History Beats


The History of the Frozen Banana Stand

The chocolate-covered dessert was the rock of the Bluth family empire. But where did the idea come from?
May 24, 2013 | By K. Annabelle Smith

Page 1 of 62
References to acts of cannibalism are sprinkled throughout many religious and historical documents, such as reports of cooked human flesh being sold in 11th-century English markets during times of famine. Here, an engraving by Theodor de Bry depicts hungry Spaniards cutting down the bodies of thieves hanged by Pedro de Mendoza in order to eat them.

Europe’s Hypocritical History of Cannibalism

From prehistory to the present with many episodes in between, the region has a surprisingly meaty history of humans eating humans
April 25, 2013 | By Sarah Everts

Space food

Unpack a Meal of Astronaut Space Food

Space-age spaghetti and meatballs, along with other tastes of home, gave Apollo astronaut crews a boost
June 2013 | By Brett Martin

Zahi Hawass

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Zahi Hawass

The long-reigning king of Egyptian antiquities has been forced into exile—but he’s plotting a return
June 2013 | By Joshua Hammer

Ponce de Leon

Ponce De Leon Never Searched for the Fountain of Youth

How did this myth about the Spanish explorer even get its start?
June 2013 | By Matthew Shaer

When an Army of Artists Fooled Hitler

A new documentary shares the story of the 23rd unit’s daring deceptions
May 21, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

How Edwin Hubble Became the 20th Century’s Greatest Astronomer

The young scientist demolished the old guard's ideas on the nature and size of the universe
May 20, 2013 | By Gilbert King

Where’d You Get Those Creepers?

The platform-soled, punk-style shoes have celebrated the 'Teddy Boy' spirit since the late 1940s
May 16, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

The National Automated Highway System That Almost Was

In 1991, Congress authorized $650 million to develop the technology that would make driverless cars a reality
May 16, 2013 | By Matt Novak

$18 for a Dozen Eggs by 2010? Inflation Fears in 1982

The Omni Future Almanac predicted that a gallon of gas would be cheaper than a quart of milk
May 10, 2013 | By Matt Novak

The History of Baseball Stadium Nachos

From a Mexican maitre 'd's mishap in 1943 to the gooey, orange stuff you put on your chips at the baseball game today.
May 07, 2013 | By K. Annabelle Smith

What to Really Eat on Cinco de Mayo

Put down the margarita and tacos and pick up a chalupa
May 03, 2013 | By Shaylyn Esposito

Lusitania

8 Famous People Who Missed the Lusitania

For one reason or another, these lucky souls never boarded the doomed ship whose sinking launched America's involvement in WWI
May 02, 2013 | By Greg Daugherty

For Perusing Pleasure, Zandra Rhodes’ New Online Fashion Archive

The honored Brit—50 years in the business—goes for the bold in her designer collections
May 02, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

Predictions for Privacy in the Age of Facebook (from 1985!)

Mark Zuckerberg wasn't even a year old when a graduate student foresaw the emergence of online personal profiles
May 02, 2013 | By Matt Novak

Look Ma, No Fuel! Flying Cross Country on Sun Power

This week one of the strangest flying machines you've ever seen will start its journey across America--without a drop of fuel
April 30, 2013 | By Randy Rieland

Jamestown remains

Starving Settlers in Jamestown Colony Resorted to Cannibalism

New archaeological evidence and forensic analysis reveals that a 14-year-old girl was cannibalized in desperation
May 01, 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

How the Ford Motor Company Won a Battle and Lost Ground

Corporate violence against union organizers might have gone unrecorded—if it not for an enterprising news photographer
April 30, 2013 | By Gilbert King

Decoding the Range: The Secret Language of Cattle Branding

Venture into the highly regulated and fascinating world of bovine pyroglyphics
April 30, 2013 | By Jimmy Stamp

Nobody Walks in L.A.: The Rise of Cars and the Monorails That Never Were

As strange as it may seem today, the automobile was seen by many as the progressive solution to the transportation problems of Los Angeles
April 26, 2013 | By Matt Novak

The Story of Elizabeth Keckley, Former-Slave-Turned-Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker

A talented seamstress and savvy businesswoman, she catered to Washington's socialites
April 24, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

Children of the 1980s Build Their Cities of Tomorrow

Kids tend to be pretty optimistic, but each generation betrays its own fears about the future
April 24, 2013 | By Matt Novak

Bell

We Had No Idea What Alexander Graham Bell Sounded Like. Until Now

Smithsonian researchers used optical technology to play back the unplayable records
May 2013 | By Charlotte Gray

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker

The True Story of the Battle of Bunker Hill

Nathaniel Philbrick takes on one of the Revolutionary War’s most famous and least understood battles
May 2013 | By Tony Horwitz

paperbacks

The Revolutionary Effect of the Paperback Book

This simple innovation transformed the reading habits of an entire nation
May 2013 | By Clive Thompson

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