American History

The cover of Captain America Comics #1, by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

Captain America Is Getting a Real-Life Statue, But Some Say It’s in the Wrong Place

Did Steve Rogers grow up in Brooklyn or the Lower East Side?

Tankard made in Westerwald, German , found along with lots of tanning debris in a privy associated with a small house on an alley that probably be longed to tanner.

Tens of Thousands of Artifacts Have Been Found in Colonial Philadelphia Toilets

Archaeologists excavating the site of the Museum of the American Revolution found a dozen privy pits full of pottery, printing supplies and animal bones

Four Explosive Advancements for Future Fireworks

From color to sound, the next-gen fireworks are sure to wow

Transgender People Can Now Serve Openly in the U.S. Military

One of the last restrictions on who can serve in the military has been removed

A side scan sonar image of the Royal Albert at the bottom of Lake Ontario.

19th-Century Sunken Schooner Uncovered in Lake Ontario

It’s the only two-masted ship known to have sunk in the area

A section of the Historic Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona.

A New Project Tells the Stories of the Women of Route 66

An oral history project with the National Park Service follows women on the iconic highway

The Masonic Lodge in Monrovia, Liberia. Before the civil war, the descents of American slaves who mainly controlled the government often made official decisions at the lodge, which did not allow native members.

These Abandoned Buildings Are the Last Remnants of Liberia's Founding History

The world created by former slaves in Liberia was a cruel paradox for more than 150 years

American Exiles: Leaving Home

A series of three photo essays explores how America has treated its own people in times of crisis

Some Native children were sent thousands of miles away. Others, like Oreos Eriacho, were housed closer to home, in now-decaying dorms like this one, in Ramah, N.M.

For More Than 100 Years, the U.S. Forced Navajo Students Into Western Schools. The Damage Is Still Felt Today

Photographer Daniella Zalcman explores how native populations had a new nation foisted upon them

"Water Windfall" Discovered Under California's Drought-Stricken Central Valley

Though the aquifer could help with the current and future droughts, researchers caution getting too greedy with the resource

Screwworm Fly larva

Researchers Studying "Teen Sex" and Flesh-Eating Maggots Win 2016 Golden Goose Awards

Both quirky and important, these studies went against the grain

Two canal workers pose in the cut

Commemorate the Panama Canal's Expansion With These Photos From Its Construction

The Panama Canal is opening a third lane to accommodate new mega cargo ships, a feat almost—but not quite—as impressive as building the original

By Augustus Koch (1840–?) - Amon Carter Museum Texas Bird's-Eye Views [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9140425

Solving a Neighborhood Mystery Reveals Forgotten African-American History

An abandoned lot in San Antonio turned out to be an important part of the city's story

After 52 Years, the "Mississippi Burning" Case Closes

The Department of Justice and State of Mississippi close the investigation of three civil rights workers killed by KKK members in 1964

The Marines Have Confirmed That One of the Men in the Iconic Iwo Jima Photo Has Been Misidentified for 71 Years

Pvt. 1st Class Harold Schultz never publicly spoke about his role during his life

Hal Rumel, Red Canyon, near Entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, ca. 1940

How Photography Shaped America's National Parks

Jamie M. Allen explores how conservation and consumerism have impacted America's natural heritage

Imagine a meta-memorial of the National Parks that projects high-definition video and recordings in metro stations, examining the role of wilderness in times of social inequality and ecological change.

What Will Future Monuments in the Nation's Capital Look Like?

Changing times and tastes leave little room for monolithic marble on the Mall

The 'Andrea Doria' in its last hours

New Footage Shows Rapid Breakdown of Shipwreck 'Andrea Doria'

Researchers visited the remains of the Italian luxury liner in a submersible to figure out how quickly wrecks deteriorate

An exterior rendering of the museum, set to open in April 2017.

A New Museum Is Bringing Relics of the Revolutionary War Into Public View for the First Time in Decades

Scheduled to open next year in Philadelphia, the museum will immerse visitors into the time when the American colonies became the United States

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon and the son of a Cuban refugee, was awarded the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal at a U.S. Naturalization Ceremony at the Smithsonian.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos Honored at Citizenship Ceremony

The Smithsonian awarded the internet mogul during a ceremony welcoming newly naturalized citizens

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