World History
Playing Video Games At Home Turns 40
The Magnavox Odyssey went on sale 40 years ago, sparking the home video game revolution
August 29, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
PHOTOS: Paraphernalia from the Political Campaigns of Yore
The great American pastime of politics and posturing has deep roots, but have we become more or less civil?
August 28, 2012 |
By Jeanie Riess
The Neverending Hunt for Utopia
Through centuries of human suffering, one vision has sustained: a belief in a terrestrial arcadia that offered justice and plenty to any explorer capable of finding it
August 28, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
Relive the 1940s Through These Old Color Photographs
The Library of Congress has more than 1600 color photos of WWII-era America
August 28, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Five Epic Patent Wars That Don’t Involve Apple
The recent Apple patent decision was a big one, but here are some historical patent wars you might not have heard of
August 27, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Cadillacs, 110 Years and Going…Biking?
A staple in the collections, Cadillac marks its 110-year anniversary today as the company looks to branch out and go biking
August 22, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
The Smoothest Con Man That Ever Lived
"Count" Victor Lustig once sold the Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting scrap-metal dealer. Then he started thinking really big
August 22, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Comic Phyllis Diller, the Betty Friedan of Comedy, Dies at 95
A collection of the standup comic's jokes, costumes and even her signature prop–the cigarette holder–reside at the American History Museum
August 20, 2012 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
Today We Celebrate the Short, Unhappy Life of H.P. Lovecraft
"Weird fiction" fans toast today to the birth of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, aka H.P. Lovecraft
August 20, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Better, Faster, Taller – How Big can Buildings Really Get?
The race for the tallest structure in the world has been with us since humans built structures, and today it is going strong. But where's the limit?
August 20, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
There Is No Such Thing As “The” United States Constitution
"There is no unique, tangible, singular, definitive Constitution," says information scientist Joe Janes
August 17, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Going Nuclear Over the Pacific
A half-century ago, a U.S. military test lit up the skies and upped the ante with the Soviets.
August 15, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Julia Child Loved Science but Would Hate Today’s Food
It's her 100th birthday today, and while the master chef loved science she would have hated today's laboratory produced food
August 15, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Happy 100th Birthday, Julia Child!
Child's kitchen is back at the American History Museum in time for what would have been her 100th birthday
August 15, 2012 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
Celebrate Julia Child’s 100th Birthday with the Smithsonian
The American History Museum has a full day of screenings, book signings and special events for the famous chef's birthday
August 13, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
How Lincoln’s Assassination Launched the Funeral Industry
The doctor who embalmed Abraham Lincoln changed the way Americans think about funerals.
August 13, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Events August 14-17: Green Jobs, Julia Child’s 100th Birthday and Live Jazz
This week at the Smithsonian, learn about emerging green jobs, celebrate Julia Child's birthday and unwind with a tribute to Thelonious Monk
August 13, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
The Demonization of Empress Wu
"She killed her sister, butchered her elder brothers, murdered the ruler, poisoned her mother," the chronicles say. But is the empress unfairly maligned?
August 10, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
Why People Won’t Leave the Town that Has Been On Fire for Fifty Years
For the residents of Centralia, Pennsylvania, the fire that has been burning beneath their town for fifty years is part of what makes it home.
August 10, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Meet the First Woman to Referee an NFL Game
Shannon Eastin, the first woman to ever referee an NFL game, got her stripes last night.
August 10, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
