Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

History

Abraham Lincoln Rocks in Tijuana

Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico

As a young Congressman and later as the nation’s leader, the first Republican president proved to be a true friend to America’s neighbor to the south

Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton (1932)

When Hollywood Glamour Was Sold at the Local Department Store

During the 1930s, the world’s most fashionable looks came not from Paris, but from La-La Land

Seward paid $200,000 extra to get the territory “free and clear.”

The Everlasting, Awe-Inspiring Power of Alaska

For 150 years, Alaska has been a part of the United States, and it’s never ceased to amaze

David Monteleone’s self-portrait as Lenin in Trelleborg, Sweden, where the Russian revolutionary arrived by ferry from Germany.

Russian Revolution

Vladimir Lenin’s Return Journey to Russia Changed the World Forever

On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, our writer set out from Zurich to relive this epic travel

Misty Copeland sees dance as a “language and a culture that people from everywhere, all over the world, can relate to and understand and come together for.”

In the Footsteps of Three Modern American Prima Ballerinas

A new exhibition shows that classical ballet and the role of the ballerina are rapidly changing

Hitler used the Reichstag fire in 1933 to seize almost unlimited power.

History of Now

The True Story of the Reichstag Fire and the Nazi Rise to Power

When the German parliamentary building went up in flames, Hitler harnessed the incident to seize power

Andrew Jackson's sarcophagus

Andrew Jackson Was a Populist Even on His Deathbed

This lavishly decorated crypt was considered too ornate for the American president

A proposed museum in the former Jewish ghetto in Vilnius, Lithuania, features portraits of families who once lived there.

The Holocaust’s Great Escape

A remarkable discovery in Lithuania brings a legendary tale of survival back to life

The back of an ancient sundial reveals a cheat sheet of locations and latitude coordinates.

Early Tech Adopters in Ancient Rome Had Portable Sundials

A little gadget could make you look smart, rich, and tech-savvy—all without necessarily fulfilling its real function

World War I: 100 Years Later

Russia’s February Revolution Was Led by Women on the March

How the downfall of the Romanovs finally came about 100 years ago

Joshua Speed found his BFF in Abraham Lincoln.

The True Friendship That Saved Abraham Lincoln’s Life

Before he was president, Lincoln’s lasting relationship with Joshua Speed brought him out of the doldrums of despair

Benjamin Montgomery succeeded despite being refused a patent.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

With Patents or Without, Black Inventors Reshaped American Industry

American slaves couldn’t hold property, including patents on their own inventions. But that didn’t stop black Americans from innovating in our country

Abraham Lincoln photographed shortly after the presidential election in November 1860, by Alex Hesler of Chicago, at Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois.

When Lincoln Was More a Politician Than an “Honest Abe”

He resorted to a dirty trick to embarrass a rival

British statesman and author Winston Churchill reads correspondence at his desk in 1933.

Think Big

“Are We Alone in the Universe?” Winston Churchill’s Lost Extraterrestrial Essay Says No

The famed British statesman approached the question of alien life with a scientist’s mind

The Great Wall of China is a remarkable work of architecture—but there are plenty of myths surrounding it.

Sticky Rice Mortar, the View From Space, and More Fun Facts About China’s Great Wall

The not-so-effective wall was a lengthy, pricey project that stretched across thousands of years

At the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas, 20,000 women convened to debate the issues that affected them. Here, Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D-N.Y.), wearing her trademark hat, and Betty Friedan (left, in red coat).

The 1977 Conference on Women’s Rights That Split America in Two

Feminism and the conservative movement clashed over issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights

Page 164 of 300