American History

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Redskins Hall of Famers Say Team Name is Probably Offensive, But Shouldn’t Change

Many Native Americans have called for the team to change their name out of respect for their culture and history

The mushroom cloud produced by the “Fat Man” bomb from the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan.

Here’s What Nagasaki Would Have Looked Like If the Tsar Bomba Had Replaced ‘Fat Man’

A Google Earth add-on helps you understand the strength of the world's nuclear arsenal

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The Ten Most Controversial Articles on Wikipedia Might Surprise You

One researcher has quantified the most controversial Wikipedia entires of all time in ten different languages

Thomas, taking notes on Gerald Ford.

Helen Thomas, Trailblazing Female Journalist, Dies at 92

Many credit Thomas with breaking the glass ceiling for women in journalism

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Take a Ride on the New York Subway Circa 1905

Pioneering cinematographer Gottfried Wilhelm “Billy” Bitzer shot this silent film about a year after the subway's first line opened.

How Other Cities Avoided Detroit’s Fate

Many places manage to avoid actually filing for bankruptcy, despite being in dire straits

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This Town Has Spent 11 Years Planning a 60 Foot Lava Lamp

Everybody loves lava lamps. But perhaps nobody loves lava lamps quite as much as the town of Soap Lake, Washington

This gold and pearl hair ornament from the days of China’s Qing Dynasty shows the symbolic significance of the phoenix in Chinese culture. Come see an exhibit at the Sackler Gallery showcasing materials from the creation of Chinese artist Xu Bing’s Phoenix Project, on display until September 2.

Hurry In! These Smithsonian Exhibitions Won’t Be Here Much Longer

Spend your remaining summer days at the museums, and don't miss out on the Smithsonian's soon-to-be-closed exhibits

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The CIA May Have Taken Cues From 1960s-Era James Bond

CIA director Allen Dulles admired James Bond creator Ian Fleming, and the two struck up a mutually beneficial relationship

The original Smokey the Bear ad

It’s a Good Thing We Have Smokey: These 1940s Fire Prevention Ads Are Something Else

Replacing racially charged and aggressive World War II imagery, Smokey the Bear is an iconic character

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Tragic Duel + 209 Years = Comedy Gold

In the centuries since Burr shot Hamilton, the duel has inspired some truly funny pop culture references

Looking west from the Apollo 11 landing site.

Legislators Want to Put a National Park on the Moon

A bill in the House of Representatives wants to protect the Apollo landing sites. But can it?

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This Town Wants to Put Its Deer on Birth Control

In Westchester County, hunting with firearms is prohibited and deer have no predators

Alexander Calder’s ‘Gwenfritz’ will be reinstalled in its original location on the west side of the American History Museum in October. This mock-up shows the sculpture at its new and old home in a reflecting pool, part of Calder’s intended aesthetic.

How Do You Freshen Up an Alexander Calder? Bolt by Precious Bolt

Alexander Calder's 40-foot black steel sculpture is getting a makeover and then returning to its original location near the American History Museum

(Photo courtesy of the Sneden Collection at the Virginia Historical Society.)

Document Deep Dive: The Day the Confederates Attacked Washington

This map painstakingly created by a Union cartographer presents a snapshot of the nation’s capital during the war

Celebrate Nikola Tesla’s Birthday with an Excerpt from a New Biography of the Inventor

Scholar W. Bernard Carlson explores Tesla's experiments with automatons and radio controlled boats in this excerpt from his new book

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You’re Not Supposed to Mine the Grand Canyon, So Why Are These Miners Digging Up Uranium?

There are four mines still turning out ore near the Grand Canyon

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Today in 1948, the U.S. Air Force Accepted Its First Female Member

The first recruit to the Women in the Air Force (known as WAF) was Esther Blake who enlisted on the first day it was even possible for women to do so

2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL 9000 Was Originally a Female

Who knows, perhaps if HAL had been a lady, we'd all be scared of disembodied female voices and Siri would be a man's voice

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This July 4th, Celebrate Two Million Years of Grilling

The advent of open fire cooking began with Homo erectus

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