Government Leaders
Washington's Boyhood Home
Archaeologists have finally pinpointed the Virginia house where our first president came of age
September 2008 |
By David Zax
How Lincoln Bested Douglas in Their Famous Debates
The 1858 debates reframed America's argument about slavery and transformed Lincoln into a presidential contender
September 2008 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
Lincoln-Douglas Debate Negotiations
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas engaged in pre-debate negotiations in 1858.
September 01, 2008 |
By Smithsonian.com
Digging Up George Washington
Archaeologists continue to uncover more about the nation's first president
September 01, 2008 |
By Amanda Bensen
The First “Teflon” Hero
What July 4th, 1754 reveals about George Washington’s survival skills
June 2008 |
By Kenneth C. Davis
Betty Ford's Tabled Resolution
Betty Ford had a what-the-hell moment—and an accomplice in photographer David Hume Kennerly
June 2008 |
By William Booth
Comrades and Arms
When Fidel Castro asked for a show of hands in support of his new policies, an American journalist captured the response
April 2008 |
By Guy Gugliotta
The Unmaking of the President
Lyndon Johnson believed that his withdrawal from the 1968 presidential campaign would free him to solidify his legacy
April 2008 |
By Clay Risen
Portrait of the Kennedys
Never-before-published photographs reveal a personal side to the first family
October 26, 2007 |
By Nicole Wroten
The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family
An excerpt from the new book by Shannon Thomas Perich
October 26, 2007 |
By Shannon Thomas Perich
Washington & Lafayette
Almost inseparable in wartime, the two generals split over a vital question: Should revolutionary ideals be imposed on others?
September 2007 |
By James R. Gaines
War Correspondence
Letters between George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette
September 01, 2007 |
By Smithsonian magazine
The Ethiopia Campaign
After fighting neglected diseases in Africa for a quarter century, former president Jimmy Carter takes on one of the continent's biggest killers malaria
June 2007 |
By Robert M. Poole
Operatic Entrance
As Paris feted Queen Elizabeth II, photographer Bert Hardy found a circumstance to match her pomp
March 2007 |
By David J. Marcou
The Pardon
President Gerald R. Ford's priority was to unite a divided nation. The decision that defined his term proved how difficult that would be
February 2007 |
By Barry Werth
Second Time Around
Invented by Ben Franklin but lost to history, the glass harmonica has been resurrected by modern musicians
February 01, 2007 |
By Catherine Clarke Fox
New Faces of 1946
An unpopular president. A war-weary people. In the midterm elections of 60 years ago, voters took aim at incumbents
November 2006 |
By William E. Leuchtenburg
The Spirit of George Washington
After two centuries, Mount Vernon's whiskey distillery returns
November 01, 2006 |
By Cate Lineberry
Discovering George Washington
Little-known facts about the nation's first president
November 01, 2006 |
By Cate Lineberry
