Time
The past, present and future divided into geologic and historic eras, significant historic and cultural events, and centuries and decadesDiscover Smithsonian articles as they relate to the past, present and future.
Crockford’s Club: How a Fishmonger Built a Gambling Hall and Bankrupted the British Aristocracy
A working-class Londoner operated the most exclusive gambling club the world has ever seen
November 29, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
The U.S. Is About To Drop $10 Billion Retrofitting Its Nukes
The military wants to upgrade its 1960s-era nuclear workhorse
November 29, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Why Did Plant-Munching Theropods Get So Big?
Were these Late Cretaceous dinosaurs just the culmination of an evolutionary trend towards ever-larger body size or was something else at work?
November 29, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Getting the Prosthetic Is Easy, Compared to Getting It To Do What You Want
Prosthetic technology is getting better, and many of these amputees are learning to live with new arms and legs. But while getting the prosthetic might be costly, it's learning how to use it that's the real struggle
November 27, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Madame Restell: The Abortionist of Fifth Avenue
Without benefit of medical training, Madame Restell spent 40 years as a "female physician"
November 27, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
How Seriously Might Climate Negotiators Be Dooming The Rest of Us This Week?
The COP18 climate change conference is going on in Doha, Qatar until December 7th
November 27, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
What is Genyodectes?
A set of partial jaws hold an important place in the history of South American paleontology, but what sort of dinosaur do they represent?
November 27, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
World War II Code Writers Were So Good We Still Don’t Know What They Were Saying
Earlier this month, a pigeon with a secret code was found in a chimney in Surrey but no one has been able to crack the code
November 23, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
You Can’t Blow Somebody’s Brain Up With Sound
The sounds of nails on a chalkboard, the sound of someone vomiting, the sound of a baby screaming - all pretty unpleasant sounds. But not so unpleasant that you might, say, die
November 21, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The History of Pardoning Turkeys Began With Tad Lincoln
The rambunctious boy had free rein of the White House, and used it to divert a holiday bird from the butcher's block
November 21, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
To Adapt to Harsh Greenland Climate, Vikings Gorged on Seals
Despite their barbaric reputation, the Viking-era Norse typically worked as farmers rather than hunters - except on Greenland
November 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Here’s the Reality We’re Signing Up For By Letting Climate Change Happen
Say goodbye to winter, New Orleans, olive oil, rivers and world peace if climate change plays out as predicted
November 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
What’s the Secret of Hadrosaur Skin?
Were extra-thick hides the secret to why paleontologists have found so much fossilized hadrosaur skin?
November 21, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
People Have Been Using Stone-Tipped Spears For Way Longer Than We Thought
A new study adds 200,000 years to their run
November 20, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Different Wars Have Different Sounds
Changing weapons and technologies bring new sounds to the battlefield
November 20, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Paleontologists Puzzle Over Possible Dinosaur Bones
When did dinosaurs start to become giants? Enigmatic bone fragments found in England complicate the debate
November 20, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
These Communities Decided Not To Rebuild After Disaster
It seems that despite always asking the question, the answer is always the same: rebuild. Except in these cases - when entire communities just pick up and leave
November 19, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Cracking a German Secret Society’s Centuries-Old Encrypted Code
A secret society with ties to the Freemason's coded text has been cracked
November 19, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Early History of Faking War on Film
Early filmmakers faced a dilemma: how to capture the drama of war without getting themselves killed in the process. Their solution: fake the footage
November 19, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
F is for Futalognkosaurus
Though not as famous as other huge dinosaurs, Futalognkosaurus is the most complete giant sauropod ever found
November 19, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
