Editors' Picks
Where Was the Birthplace of the American Vacation?
First in rustic tents and later in elaborate resorts, city dwellers took to the Adirondacks to explore the joys of the wilderness
The True-Life Horror that Inspired Moby-Dick
The whaler Essex was indeed sunk by a whale—and that's only the beginning
The Shocking Savagery of America’s Early History
Bernard Bailyn, one of our greatest historians, shines his light on the nation’s Dark Ages
Page 2 of 12
Ida Wood, who lived for decades as a recluse in a New York City hotel, would have taken her secrets to the grave—if here sister hadn't gotten there first
January 23, 2013
| By Karen Abbott
What would otherwise be a local-interest story became a snapshot of history integral to the American experience
February 2013
| By Joseph Stromberg
The museum director and former film studies professor examines Quentin Tarantino's take on slavery
January 14, 2013
| By Guest Blogger
Ten quirky moments from inaugural history, including presidential lassoing
January 18, 2013
| By Leah Binkovitz
Another inauguration, another opportunity to learn more about the men whose presence shocked the country
January 16, 2013
| By Leah Binkovitz
On the eve of his first inauguration, President Lincoln snuck into Washington in the middle of the night, evading the would-be assassins who waited for him in Baltimore
February 2013
| By Daniel Stashower
With the help of his friend Mark Twain, Grant finished his memoirs—and saved his wife from an impoverished widowhood—just days before he died
January 16, 2013
| By Gilbert King
A woebegone tribute to the ending of an era
January 15, 2013
| By Matt Novak
Living paycheck to paycheck in the techno-utopian future
January 14, 2013
| By Matt Novak
What delicacies and confectionaries were found on the 250-foot-long buffet table?
January 15, 2013
| By Megan Gambino
Everything you've wanted to know about the upcoming Presidential Inauguration
The origin of Pabst's iconic blue ribbon dates back to one of the most important gatherings in American history
November 20, 2012
| By Jimmy Stamp
During the Civil War, two regiments faced off as spectators, possibly as many as 40,000, sat and watched
December 21, 2012
| By John Hanc
When freeing the slaves 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln traded in his famous lyricism for a dry, legal tone. Harold Holzer explains why
December 19, 2012
| By Megan Gambino
America’s first interracial casino helped end segregation on the Strip and proved that the only color that mattered was green
January 2013
| By Kevin Cook
The pen, inkwell and one copy of the document that freed the slaves are photographed together for the first time
December 2012
| By Louis P. Masur
Richard Paul Pavlick’s plan wasn’t very complicated, but it took an eagle-eyed postal worker to prevent a tragedy
December 06, 2012
| By Dan Lewis
Read between the lines of the police report drawn up when the seamstress refused to give up her seat 57 years ago
November 28, 2012
| By Megan Gambino
Anne Kelly Knowles, the winner of Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards, uses GIS technology to change our view of history
December 2012
| By Tony Horwitz
Visionary inventor
Preston Tucker risked everything when he saw his 1948 automobile as a vehicle for change
December 2012
| By Abigail Tucker
The author of a new book about Thomas Jefferson makes his case and defends his scholarship
November 14, 2012
| By Smithsonian.com
The 16th president has been a Hollywood star and box office attraction since the earliest days of Hollywood
November 2012
| By Jesse Rhodes
The era of color-coded political parties is more recent than you might think
November 01, 2012
| By Jodi Enda
Why was Goody Garlick, accused of witchcraft in 1658, spared the fate that would befall the women of Massachusetts decades later
October 26, 2012
| By John Hanc
Campaigning for president 100 years ago, Roosevelt was spared almost certain death when 50 pieces of paper slowed an assailant’s bullet headed for his chest
November 2012
| By Patricia O'Toole
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