Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

History

In San Sebastián (where condos dot the beach), a real-estate boom reflects a region betting on long-term stability.

Peace at Last?

Though political tensions linger, terrorists agreed to a cease-fire this past March. Will it mean peace at last?

The Smithsonian Castle

Eminent Domain

The Institution’s Regents include the Vice President, the Chief Justice and other national leaders

A group of men dressed as the communist militia from 1980s walk in Warsaw during the 24th anniversary of martial law, in 2005.

Poland’s War

Remembering martial law 25 years later

None

What’s Up

Paper dolls, Josephine Baker and the Seven Years’ War

None

Iraq Beyond the Headlines

None

Tumult in the Philippines

A timeline of the country’s conflicts

None

Soft Power

Some promising endeavors on Pacific islands

None

December Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Though concerned about terrorism, Amirah Ali Lidasan (in Cotabato City) of the Moro-Christian People's Alliance, opposes U.S. aid, saying it undercuts Philippine sovereignty.

Waging Peace in the Philippines

With innovative tactics, U.S. forces make headway in the “war on terror”

These whale-oil lamps were found in the Arabia, along with bullwhips, doorknobs, pickles and more.

Time Capsule

A riverboat’s telltale contents included 133-year-old pickles. Want one?

After his son David located the Arabia under 30 feet of mud, Bob Hawley (pictured) dug in.

Pay Dirt

When self-taught archaeologists dug up an 1850s steamboat, they brought to light a slice of American life

Preservationists (including Allimam Achahi, far left, and Abdel Kader Haidara) are trying to rescue the city's rare manuscripts from centuries of neglect. "They must be protected," says Haidara.

The Treasures of Timbuktu

Scholars in the fabled African city, once a great center of learning and trade, are racing to save a still emerging cache of ancient manuscripts

Edward Savage painted this portrait of Mount Vernon in 1792.

Exploring Mount Vernon

George Washington’s historic Virginia plantation

Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

Discovering George Washington

Little-known facts about the nation’s first president

None

The Spirit of George Washington

After two centuries, Mount Vernon’s whiskey distillery returns

Election flyer/poster distributed on behalf of Richard Nixon's campaign for Congress, 1946

An Interview with William E. Leuchtenburg, author of “New Faces of 1946”

William E. Leuchtenburg discusses the 1946 elections and how politics have changed

John F. Kennedy on the campaign trail in 1960

Sharp Pencils Shape Elections

How three pioneering reporters reshaped the way the press covers elections-and politics itself

Federal wildlife biologists announce on November 6, 1981, that a black-footed ferret, a mammal feared extinct, has been discovered alive and well and living in Wyoming. The 2 1/4-pound male, found at home in a prairie dog burrow, is fitted with a radio collar and released. By 2006, captive breeding and reintroduction helps the wild population rebound to some 700 animals in five Western states.

November Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

The ship slipped beneath the waves in just 36 minutes.

R.I.P., Mighty O

A fabled aircraft carrier sunk deliberately off the coast of Florida is the world’s largest artificial reef

New Faces of 1946

An unpopular president. A war-weary people. In the midterm elections of 60 years ago, voters took aim at incumbents

Page 270 of 300