Naval Gazing: The Enigma of Étienne Bottineau
In 1782, an unknown French engineer offered an invention better than radar: the ability to detect ships hundreds of miles away
October 13, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
Dahomey’s Women Warriors
For the better part of 200 years, thousands of female soldiers fought and died to expand the borders of their West African kingdom. Even their conquerors, the French, acknowledged their "prodigious bravery."
September 23, 2011 |
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
America’s First Great Global Warming Debate
Thomas Jefferson and Noah Webster argue over conventional wisdom that lasted thousands of years
July 15, 2011 |
By Joshua Kendall
The Greatest Shakespeare Hoax
William-Henry Ireland committed a scheme so grand that he fooled even himself into believing he was William Shakespeare's true literary heir
June 2010 |
By Doug Stewart
The Story of Bartram's Garden
Outside of Philadelphia, America's first botanical garden once supplied seeds to Founding Fathers and continues to inspire plant-lovers today
April 13, 2010 |
By Robin T. Reid
Mammoths and Mastodons: All American Monsters
A mammoth discovery in 1705 sparked a fossil craze and gave the young United States a symbol of national might
April 2010 |
By Richard Conniff
250 Years of Wedgwood
Two new exhibitions celebrate the enduring wares of ceramics designer and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood
September 29, 2009 |
By Nancy Mann Jackson
Captain Bligh's Cursed Breadfruit
The biographer of William Bligh—he of the infamous mutiny on the Bounty—tracks him to Jamaica, still home to the versatile plant
September 2009 |
By Caroline Alexander
Ancient Cities Lost to the Seas
Dunwich, England, is one of several underwater sites where divers are discovering new information about historic cultures
July 29, 2009 |
By Robin T. Reid
The Basques Were Here
In arctic Canada, a Smithsonian researcher discovers evidence of Basque trading with North America
February 2009 |
By Anika Gupta
At Home with the Darwins
Recipes offer an intimate glimpse into the life of Charles Darwin and his family
January 23, 2009 |
By Kathleen M. Burke
A Capitol Vision From a Self-Taught Architect
In 1792, William Thornton designed America's defining monument, where a new visitor center opens in December
December 2008 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
Mark Catesby's New World
The artist sketched American wildlife for Europe's high society, educating them on the creatures living among the unexplored lands
December 01, 2008 |
By Megan Gambino
Montpelier and the Legacy of James Madison
The recently restored Virginia estate of James Madison was home to a founding father and the ideals that shaped a nation
October 20, 2008 |
By Kenneth R. Fletcher
The First “Teflon” Hero
What July 4th, 1754 reveals about George Washington’s survival skills
June 2008 |
By Kenneth C. Davis
A Brief History of Pierre L’Enfant and Washington, D.C.
How one Frenchman’s vision became our capital city
May 01, 2008 |
By Kenneth R. Fletcher
The Gentleman Pirate
How Stede Bonnet went from wealthy landowner to villain on the sea
August 01, 2007 |
By Amy Crawford
A Brief History of the Amber Room
Dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World," the room that once symbolized peace was stolen by Nazis then disappeared for good
August 01, 2007 |
By Jess Blumberg
100 Days That Shook the World
The all-but-forgotten story of the unlikely hero who ensured victory in the American Revolution
July 2007 |
By John Ferling
