Leaders
Historical and modern luminaries in business, politics, the military and exploration
The Vikings: A Memorable Visit to America
Exploring the New World a thousand years ago, a Viking woman gave birth to what is likely the first European-American baby. The discovery of the house the family built upon their return to Iceland has scholars rethinking the Norse sagas
December 2004 |
By Eugene Linden
Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr and the Election of 1800
For seven days, as the two presidential candidates maneuvered and schemed, the fate of the young republic hung in the ballots
November 01, 2004 |
By John Ferling
Digging for Jefferson's Lost Courthouse
Archaeologists in Virginia found the footprint of a red brick building lost in the mid-19th century
October 2004 |
By Clay Risen
Splendid Isolation
When the first astronauts to walk on the Moon returned from their July 1969 lunar expedition, they were confined to quarters
July 2004 |
By Owen Edwards
Off the Charts
Going where few cartographers have gone before, the expedition members hope to find a river that will carry them all the way to the Pacific Ocean
April 2004 |
By Smithsonian magazine
Osage Oranges Take a Bough
The first shipment of botanical specimens sent to President Jefferson contained the seeds of thousands of miles of fences
March 2004 |
By Smithsonian magazine
Lord Nelson: Hero and...Cad!
A cache of recently discovered letters darkens the British naval warrior's honor and enhances that of his long-suffering wife, Frances
February 2004 |
By Michael Ryan
Digging into a Historic Rivalry
As archaeologists unearth a secret slave passageway used by abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens, scholars reevaluate his reputation and that of his neighbors and nemesis, James Buchanan
February 2004 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
A Sumpcious Dinner
William Clark—a better explorer than speller—tells his older brother of the impending transfer of the Louisiana Territory to the United States
February 2004 |
By Smithsonian magazine
Looking For a Few Good Men
While the budding Corps of Discovery plans the expedition near St. Louis, William Clark grades the recruits
January 2004 |
By Smithsonian magazine
Meriwether Lewis Gets His Marching Orders
Jefferson spells out the mission
December 2003 |
By Smithsonian magazine
The President's Been Shot
Forty years ago, the assassination of JFK stunned Americans, who vividly recall the day even as they grapple with his complex legacy
November 01, 2003 |
By Dana Calvo
Tony Blair Goes to War
In a new book, a British journalist documents the day-by-day march into conflict in Iraq
October 2003 |
By Peter Stothard
Benjamin Franklin Joins the Revolution
Returning to Philadelphia from England in 1775, the "wisest American" kept his political leanings to himself. But not for long
August 01, 2003 |
By Walter Isaacson
Dream Assignment
Photographer Bob Adelman's picture of Martin Luther King, Jr., taken 40 years ago, captures one of the greatest speeches in American history
August 2003 |
By Lucinda Moore
Why Lewis and Clark Matter
Amid all the hoopla, it's easy to lose sight of the expedition's true significance
August 2003 |
By James P. Ronda
Making Sense of Robert E. Lee
"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it."
— Robert E. Lee, at Fredericksburg.
July 2003 |
By Roy Blount, Jr.
Reign On!
Four centuries after her death, Good Queen Bess still draws crowds. A regal rash of exhibitions and books examines her life anew.
June 2003 |
By Doug Stewart
Finally, the Top of the World
A witness to the first ascent of Mount Everest 50 years ago this month recalls Edmund Hillary's aplomb, Tenzing Norgay's grace and other glories of the "last earthly adventure"
May 2003 |
By Jan Morris
