For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II
In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taiga
January 28, 2013 |
By Mike Dash
Antigua’s Disputed Slave Conspiracy of 1736
Does the evidence against these 44 slaves really stack up?
January 02, 2013 |
By Mike Dash
Before Salem, There Was the Not-So-Wicked Witch of the Hamptons
Why was Goody Garlick, accused of witchcraft in 1658, spared the fate that would befall the women of Massachusetts decades later
October 26, 2012 |
By John Hanc
Sophie Blanchard – The High Flying Frenchwoman Who Revealed the Thrill and Danger of Ballooning
Blanchard was said to be afraid of riding in a carriage, but she became one of the great promoters of human flight
October 18, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
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
“Kipper und Wipper”: Rogue Traders, Rogue Princes, Rogue Bishops and the German Financial Meltdown of 1621-23
It is tempting to think of the German hyperinflation of 1923 as a uniquely awful event, but it pales in comparison to what happened in the 17th century.
March 29, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
The Ottoman Empire’s Life-or-Death Race
Custom in the Ottoman Empire mandated that a condemned grand vizier could save his neck if he won a sprint against his executioner
March 22, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
If There’s a Man Among Ye: The Tale of Pirate Queens Anne Bonny and Mary Read
Renowned for their ruthlessness, these two female pirates challenged the sailors’ adage that a woman’s presence on shipboard invites bad luck
August 09, 2011 |
By Karen Abbott
Food From the Age of Shakespeare
By using cookbooks from the 17th century, one intrepid writer attempts to recreate dishes the Bard himself would have eaten
April 22, 2011 |
By Amy Arden
Velázquez: Embodiment of a Golden Age
The magic of Velázquez has influenced artists from his contemporaries to Manet and Picasso
April 2011 |
By Jamie Katz
The Waterway That Brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth
Town Brook gave sustenance to the Plymouth’s early settlers, but years of dam building have endangered the struggling stream
November 22, 2010 |
By Abigail Tucker
On the Hunt for Jefferson's Lost Books
A Library of Congress curator is on a worldwide mission to find exact copies of the books that belonged to Thomas Jefferson
August 11, 2009 |
By Ashley Luthern
Czar Treasures From the East
A trove of spectacular objects from the Kremlin’s collection highlights Ottoman opulence
June 11, 2009 |
By Katy June-Friesen
Setting Sail on the Hudson River 400 Years Later
Using 17th century techniques, volunteers built a replica of Henry Hudson's vessel in honor of the anniversary of his exploration
June 08, 2009 |
By Wayne A. Hall
Isfahan: Iran's Hidden Jewel
Once the dazzling capital of ancient Persia,Isfahan fell victim to neglect, but a new generation hopes to restore its lost luster
April 2009 |
By Andrew Lawler
The Basques Were Here
In arctic Canada, a Smithsonian researcher discovers evidence of Basque trading with North America
February 2009 |
By Anika Gupta
Colombia Dispatch 4: Palenque: An Afro-Colombian Community
Four hundred years ago, escaped slaves formed Palenque. Today, the Colombian town celebrates its African roots
October 29, 2008 |
By Kenneth Fletcher
Bernini's Genius
The Baroque master animated 17th-century Rome with his astonishing sculpture and architecture
October 2008 |
By Arthur Lubow
A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials
One town's strange journey from paranoia to pardon
October 24, 2007 |
By Jess Blumberg
Global Empire
The curator of an ambitious new exhibition explains how Portugal brought the world together
June 01, 2007 |
By Amy Crawford
