Wars
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The Death of Colonel Ellsworth
The first Union officer killed in the Civil War was a friend of President Lincoln's
April 2011 |
By Owen Edwards
How Col. Ellsworth’s Death Shocked the Union
It took the killing of their first officer to jolt the North into wholeheartedly supporting the Union cause
March 31, 2011 |
By Adam Goodheart
The Destruction of Charleston in the Civil War
Photographs from the 1860s reveal how Union bombardment and a blazing fire devastated much of the South Carolina city
March 23, 2011 |
By Ray Gordon and Molly Roberts
Civil War Artifacts in the Smithsonian
The museum collections house many items from the Civil War, including photographs, uniforms and personal diaries
March 04, 2011 |
By Smithsonian.com
Warsaw on the Rise
A new crop of skyscrapers symbolizes the Polish capital's effort to rebuild its downtrodden image
February 2011 |
By Rudolph Chelminski
George Washington: The Reluctant President
It seemed as if everyone rejoiced at the election of our first chief executive except the man himself
February 2011 |
By Ron Chernow
Revisiting Samuel Eliot Morison's Landmark History
The famous historian's eyewitness accounts of the Navy during World War II—now being reissued—won't be surpassed
February 2011 |
By James D. Hornfischer
A New Look at Anne Frank
Two comic book veterans—who authored the graphic adaptation of the 9/11 Report—train their talents on the young diarist
January 25, 2011 |
By Jamie Katz
Danville, Virginia: Hallowed Ground
The town's Civil War cemeteries deepened Ernest Furguson's view of history as a young boy
January 2011 |
By Ernest B. Furgurson
From Election to Sumter: How the Union Fell Apart
Historian Adam Goodheart discusses the tumultuous period between Lincoln’s election and the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter
November 15, 2010 |
By Brian Wolly
Capturing Warsaw at the Dawn of World War II
As German bombs began falling on Poland in 1939, an American photographer made a fateful decision
November 2010 |
By Mike Edwards
Remembering PT-109
A carved walking stick evokes ship commander John F. Kennedy's dramatic rescue at sea
November 2010 |
By Owen Edwards
Ten Inventions That Inadvertently Transformed Warfare
Some of the most pivotal battlefield innovations throughout history began as peacetime inventions
September 19, 2010 |
By Mark Strauss
The Pathway Home Makes Inroads in Treating PTSD
An innovative California facility offers hope to combatants with post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries
September 2010 |
By Robert M. Poole
The Shock of War
World War I troops were the first to be diagnosed with shell shock, an injury – by any name – still wreaking havoc
September 2010 |
By Caroline Alexander
The Curious London Legacy of Benedict Arnold
More than 200 years after his death, the most notorious traitor of the Revolutionary War has an unlikely supporter
July 09, 2010 |
By John Hanc
How Dolley Madison Saved the Day
As invading British troops approached in August 1814, the first lady coolly took command of the White House
March 2010 |
By Thomas Fleming
Can Auschwitz Be Saved?
Liberated 65 years ago, the Nazi concentration camp is one of Eastern Europe's most visited sites—and most fragile
February 2010 |
By Andrew Curry
Myths of the American Revolution
A noted historian debunks the conventional wisdom about America's War of Independence
January 2010 |
By John Ferling
Remembering Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor continues to live through the artifacts on display throughout the Smithsonian Institution
December 07, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
