American History
Supreme Court Hands Big Loss to Big Pharma
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against big pharmaceutical companies, saying that the Federal Trade Commission could indeed sue companies who engaged in "pay to play" deals
Where Would You Put a 51st Star on the U.S. Flag?
If you wanted to make a 51-star American flag, or a 76-star American flag, how would you arrange the stars?
When the Union Ran Out of Ironclads, They Built Timberclads
A curious photograph caught one library specialist at the Library of Congress by surprise: a wooden ironclad
San Francisco From the Air, 1938 and Today
This amazing composite photo gives a scrollable, zoomable high-resolution view of 1938 San Francisco
400 Words to Get Up to Speed on Edward Snowden, the NSA And Government Surveillance
NSA's PRISM, monitoring the internet, and the recent history of domestic surveillance
Events June 11-13: Waste-to-energy, Teenage History Stars and the World’s Best Nature Photos
This week, learn about an alternative way to save energy, see the work of National History Day contestants and see nature like you've never seen it before
Today Is National Doughnut Day
Yes, this is a real holiday. Yes, it means free doughnuts
Swimming Champion and Actress Esther Williams Dies, Her Legacy Lives on at the Smithsonian
A 2008 donation to the National Museum of American History of the glamorous star's enormous scrapbooks are filled with mementos of her career
The Man Who Coined the Word ‘Sack’ in Football Dies at 74
For a long time, a quarterback's greatest fear was David "Deacon" Jones
Entertainment Curator Remembers ‘All in the Family’ star Jean Stapleton
Dwight Blocker Bowers discusses the show's iconic donation to the American History Museum and its place in television
Events June 4-6: The Middle Passage, the Battle of Vicksburg and Whales
This week, hear stories of the slave trade, learn about one of the Civil War's most pivotal battles and discover Smithsonian's whale collection
Ponce De Leon Never Searched for the Fountain of Youth
How did this myth about the Spanish explorer even get its start?
Unpack a Meal of Astronaut Space Food
Space-age spaghetti and meatballs, along with other tastes of home, gave Apollo astronaut crews a boost
How Two Retirees’ Amateur Archaeology Helped Throw Our View of Human History Into Turmoil
Through decades of excavation near their cottage Anton and Maria Chobot unearthed artifacts of the Clovis people
Events May 28-30: Sylvan Sounds, Trivia Night and Joseph Henry
This week, see the art that launched the Freer Gallery, test your knowledge of DC celebrities and meet the Smithsonian's first secretary
America’s Bridges Really Are Getting Old: One Just Collapsed Into the Skagit River
While there may not be money laying around to fix bridges, there are certainly bridges laying around that need fixing
Man Finds First-Edition Superman Comic Hidden in His Wall
A man finds a copy of "the most important comic book in the history of comic books" stuffed in the wall of his new fixer-upper
The FBI Investigated the Song ‘Louie Louie’ for Two Years
The question apparently had to do with the lyrics of the song - which many find either confusing or simply impossible to understand
Navy Dolphins Turn Up a Rare 19th-Century Torpedo
Called a Howell torpedo, the old military relic was a marvel in its day, and only 50 were ever made
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