Leaders
Historical and modern luminaries in business, politics, the military and exploration
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
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
Marie Antoinette
The teenage queen, now the subject of a new movie, was embraced by France in 1770. Twenty-three years later, she lost her head to the guillotine. (But she never said, "Let them eat cake")
November 2006 |
By Richard Covington
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
Inventive Abe
In 1849, a future president patented an ingenious addition to transportation technology.
October 2006 |
By Owen Edwards
Al Gore Discusses "An Inconvenient Truth"
Environmentalist Al Gore talks about his new movie.
July 01, 2006 |
By Amy Crawford
Ben Franklin Slept Here
The ingenious founding father's only surviving residence, in London, is reborn as a museum
March 2006 |
By Simon Worrall
"My Whole Soul Is In It"
As his army faltered and his cabinet bickered, Abraham Lincoln determined that "we must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued." In 1862, he finally got his chance
January 2006 |
By Doris Kearns Goodwin
Lewis and Clark: The Journey Ends
The triumphant return of the Lewis and Clark expedition
December 2005 |
By Smithsonian magazine
35 Who Made a Difference: Bill Gates
The king of software takes on his biggest challenge yet
November 2005 |
By Jimmy Carter
35 Who Made a Difference: Janis Carter
The primate who taught other primates how to survive in the wild
November 01, 2005 |
By Douglas Foster
35 Who Made a Difference: Daphne Sheldrick
When feelings of kinship transcend the species boundary
November 01, 2005 |
By Douglas Chadwick
35 Who Made a Difference: Sally Ride
A generation later, the first female astronaut is still on a mission
November 2005 |
By K.C. Cole
People's Choice
Almost from birth, Andrew Jackson was in training to become democracy's champion
October 2005 |
By H. W. Brands
Push to the Pacific
Guided by the Nez Percé, the men and women of the corps reach the Columbia amid threats for their lives
October 2005 |
By Smithsonian magazine
Cold and Hungry
When snow blankets the mountains, the expedition is once again imperiled
September 2005 |
By Smithsonian magazine
Ties That Bind
At last, all parties were ready to make peace in the Middle East. Whoops ... Not So Fast
September 2005 |
By John F. Harris
A Bittersweet Homecoming
As the corps finally makes contact with the Shoshone Indians, interpreter Sacagawea reunites with her family
August 2005 |
By Smithsonian magazine
