Economics

A silver shilling recently found at the former site of St. Mary's Fort, one of the first colonial settlements in British North America

Rare 17th-Century Coin Featuring Charles I's Likeness Found in Maryland

Archaeologists found a telltale silver shilling at the likely site of St. Mary's Fort, a 1634 structure built by early English colonists

Some facets of the 1918 influenza pandemic echo today's crisis: There were mask mandates, campaigns against spitting and pleas for people to cover their mouths, and more than half a million Americans died. The decade that followed the pandemic, however, was marked by social change and economic prosperity—for some.

What Caused the Roaring Twenties? Not the End of a Pandemic (Probably)

As the U.S. anticipates a vaccinated summer, historians say measuring the impact of the 1918 influenza on the uproarious decade that followed is tricky

The cache of jewelry likely dates to around 950 A.D.

Amateur Treasure Hunter Finds Trove of 1,000-Year-Old Viking Jewelry

Buried on the Isle of Man around 950 A.D., the artifacts include a gold arm ring and a silver brooch

People may have eventually accepted the mixed alloys as legitimate currency.

Ancient Canaanites Added Arsenic to Copper to Create Counterfeit Currency

The toxic chemical gave the metal a luminous sheen, enabling forgers to pass off cheap alloys as silver

A family in southern England found the trove of 64 coins while gardening.

Gardeners Unearth Coins Inscribed With Initials of Henry VIII's First Three Wives

The find is one of more than 47,000 recorded by the U.K.'s Portable Antiquities Scheme in 2020

Volunteers with the Navajo & Hopi Families Covid-19 Relief Fund distribute food and other essential supplies to isolated communities and farmsteads on Navajo Nation and Hopi lands. As part of the Smithsonian's virtual program 24 Hours in a Time of Change, Shandiin Herrera (Diné)—seated on the left, wearing a Duke University sweatshirt—describes how this grassroots response to the COVID-19 pandemic came together last March and shares her experiences as the fund's volunteer coordinator in Monument Valley, Utah.

Smithsonian Wants Your 2020 Stories

This Friday, December 11, 2020, ten Smithsonian museums and cultural centers offer a moment for reflection and sharing

Henry Bergh (in top hat) stopping an overcrowded horsecar, from Harper’s Weekly, Sept. 21, 1872.

The Horse Flu Epidemic That Brought 19th-Century America to a Stop

An equine influenza in 1872 laid bare how essential horses were to the economy

A great blue heron seen wading in front of an oil refinery. Burning and producing fossil fuels are major sources of air pollution. A new study estimates that over the last four decades environmental regulations aimed at improving air quality have saved the lives of some 1.5 billion birds across the United States.

Study Estimates Clean Air Act Has Saved 1.5 Billion Birds

Over the last 40 years, bird populations across the U.S. did the best in places with the most stringent air pollution regulations

Pier 26 in Tribeca is the first revitalized pier to open to the public in the Hudson River Park in ten years.

How New York City Is Reclaiming Its Piers

A renaissance in pier developments is reconnecting people to the city's waterfront

Large homes in Maine, Wisconsin and Vermont, like this one, were found to have the largest carbon footprints due to use of heat in cold winters.

Rich Americans’ Homes Have 25% Larger Carbon Footprints Than Low-Income Households

The researchers calculated the carbon emissions of 93 million U.S. homes during the year 2015 and analyzed the results by income and location

Nash won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994

John Nash’s Nobel Prize Sells for $735,000

Best known as the subject of "A Beautiful Mind," Nash made pioneering advances in the study of game theory

The type of socialism that took root in Oklahoma was unique—it allowed private farms and invoked evangelical Christianity.

When the Socialist Revolution Came to Oklahoma—and Was Crushed

Inside the little-known story of the Green Corn Rebellion, which blazed through the Sooner State a century ago

Worn-Out Teeth Expand the Narrative of the Ancient Egyptian Career Woman

Wear patterns suggest a woman buried in the ancient city of Mendes processed papyrus reeds, a job women were not previously known to do

The Future of Helium Is Up in the Air

The world is experiencing a shortage of the gas, a byproduct of natural gas production, threatening MRIs, scientific research and birthday parties

Every additional $10,000 in total income makes a person two percent more likely to enter a creative field

Wealth Is a Strong Predictor of Whether an Individual Pursues a Creative Profession

Those from households with an annual income of $1 million are 10 times more likely to become artists than those from families with a $100,000 income

The Rich Get Richer Under Climate Change, 50 Years of Data Shows

According to a new study, rising temperatures have reduced the GDP of many poor nations and boosted economic output of wealthier countries

Adam Smith and William Shakespeare

How the Invisible Hand of William Shakespeare Influenced Adam Smith

Born more than 150 years apart, the two British luminaries each encountered rough receptions for their radical ideas

Over 150 Years of Data Sheds Light on Today's Illegal Tortoiseshell Trade

The analysis, which goes back to 1844, shows why the decline of the hawksbill sea turtle isn’t just a modern problem

Norman Wilfred Lewis, "Eye of the Storm (Seachange XV)," 1977

Study Finds Paintings Featuring Blue and Red Hues Sell for the Most Money at Auction

There's green to be found in shades of red and blue

What is happening to the history major?

Why Are Fewer People Majoring in History?

Since the Great Recession, the number of history majors at colleges and universities has dropped by more than 30 percent

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