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History

The identity card of Johanna Koch with Marie Jalowicz's photo. The date of birth and the stamp over the photo were forged.

A Holocaust Survival Tale of Sex and Deceit

One Jewish woman’s personal story reveals what it took to elude capture in Nazi Germany

Obama’s move to rename the U.S.'s highest peak was supported by Native and non-Native Alaskans alike.

Commentary

Denali and America’s Long History of Using (or Not Using) Indian Names

In restoring the Athabaskan name to the country’s highest mountain, President Obama is among those who have wrestled with the issue

American South

The Oldest City in the United States

St. Augustine, Florida, was the first city founded by European settlers in North America

Emmett Till was murdered in Money, Mississippi, for allegedly flirting with a white woman.

Breaking Ground

Emmett Till’s Open Casket Funeral Reignited the Civil Rights Movement

Mamie Till Mobley’s decision for her slain son’s ceremony was a major moment in Civil Rights history.

Take a Historic Ride Along California’s Famous Route 1

Here are seven of the most interesting historic stops along California’s scenic highway

Ancient mummified bodies stand guard over windswept deserts near the Nazca and Ica mountain summits.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Inca Road

The Fascinating Afterlife of Peru’s Mummies

From inside stone palaces and atop sacred mountaintops, the Inca dead continued to wield incredible power over the living

"Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter." A soldier finds his final resting place, July 1863.

Why Can’t We Turn Our Eyes Away From the Grotesque and Macabre?

Alexander Gardner’s photographs of Civil War corpses were among the first to play to the uncomfortable attraction humans have for shocking images

The first edition of The Guinness Book of Records had a waterproof cover to protect it from pub spills.

The Guinness Book of World Records: A Promotional Stunt That Became an International Phenomenon

The book that makes us ooh and ahh, and squirm in our seats is more than 65 years old

Don Herbert was "Mr. Wizard," an educator who loved spectacle as much as he loved science.

Meet Mr. Wizard, Television’s Original Science Guy

In the 1950s and 1960s, Don Herbert broadcast some of the most mesmerizing, and kooky, science experiments from his garage

On August 29, 1985, Michael Drummond became the sixth person, and the youngest, to be implanted with an artificial heart.

The Innovative Spirit

Thirty Years Ago, an Artificial Heart Helped Save a Grocery Store Manager

The Smithsonian, home to the Jarvik 7 and a host of modern chest-pumping technologies, has a lot of (artificial) heart

The Castle and the Enchanted Forest Sign as they look today on Clark's Elioak Farm.

The Abandoned Theme Park That Finally Got a Storybook Ending

This Maryland amusement park was once an East Coast version of Disneyland and was left for dead until one woman rescued it

Three of the fifteen escaped Chibok girls have been integrated into a special American University of Nigeria program. They pose with their tutor-matron next to the library.

Escape From Boko Haram

In northern Nigeria, a fearless American educator has created a refuge for young women desperate to evade the terrorist group

Chicago schoolkids pledge allegiance in 1963.

How the Pledge of Allegiance Went From PR Gimmick to Patriotic Vow

Francis Bellamy had no idea how famous, and controversial, his quick ditty would become

The Broken Promise of the Levees That Failed New Orleans

A piece of concrete serves as a reminder of how Hurricane Katrina shattered a city’s faith

The True Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Never Truly Ate the South

A naturalist cuts through the myths surrounding the invasive plant

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The 21st Century Life List: 25 Great New Places to See

Something for the scientist, the history buff, the artist and the thrill-seeker

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Anthropocene

These Maps Show the Severe Impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans

Where does the city stand now, compared to where it was ten years ago when the storm hit

George Washington's bedpan

The Strange Saga of George Washington’s Bedpan

Even the most mundane of objects associated with the Founding Father have a story

Five of the World’s Most Fascinating Topiary Gardens

Whimsical gardens in surprising shapes decorate homes, churches and cemeteries around the world. We’ve rounded up five of the most extraordinary

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