History

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Interview with Andrew Lawler, Author of "A Mystery Fit for a Pharaoh"

Andrew Lawler discusses imperialism and the natural romance of studying ancient cultures.

The last piece of the building's makeover, a $50 million glass roof over the courtyard by British architect Norman Foster is scheduled for completion in late 2007.

Back To The Future

One of Washington's most exuberant monuments—the old Patent Office Building —gets the renovation it deserves

The entrance to the new found tomb was hidden for more than 3,000 years beneath the remains of ancient workmen's huts.

A Mystery Fit For A Pharaoh

The first tomb to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings since King Tut's is raising questions for archaeologists about ancient Egypt's burial practices

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For Studs Terkel, Chicago Was a City Called Heaven

Studs Terkel, America’s best-known oral historian, never wavered in his devotion to the Windy City

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What's Eating America

Corn is one of the plant kingdom's biggest successes. That's not necessarily good for the United States

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Patent Pending

After a glorious renovation the old Patent Office Building opens its doors anew

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Today In History

Daily anniversaries for the month of June

Vision of St Maria Magdalena di Pazzi from the Museo de Bellas Artes, Granada

Ask Smithsonian

Who Was Mary Magdalene?

From the writing of the New Testament to the filming of The Da Vinci Code, her image has been repeatedly conscripted, contorted and contradicted

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Ruins and Secrets

Probing the Grand Canyon's mysterious prehistory

The Shamans' Gallery, a rock art panel that stretches across 60 feet of sandstone in a side canyon, displays an array of humanlike figures. One expert dates it to 1000 B.C. and believes it embodies the visions of unknown religious seers.

Below the Rim

Humans have roamed the Grand Canyon for more than 8,000 years. But the chasm is only slowly yielding clues to the ancient peoples who lived below the rim

After the shooting at Ford's Theatre, sentiments ran high, both for the slain president and against the actor who had killed him (on whose likeness a War Department telegraph operator wrote out his thoughts).

An Assassin's Final Hours

John Wilkes Booth, cornered in a Virginia barn, wanted to go down fighting: "I have too great a soul to die like a criminal"

Allen Street in Tombstone, Arizona.

Tombstone

In this Arizona outpost, residents revere the Wild West—and live it

16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama

Fearing the Worst

A church is bombed. A daughter is missing. A rediscovered photograph recalls one of the most heart-wrenching episodes of the civil rights era

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May Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Nicolaus Copernicus

Copernicus Unearthed

Archaeologists believe they have found the remains of the 16th century astronomer who revolutionized our view of the universe

Soldiers at the siege of Yorktown

Dirty Little Secret

To see the Revolutionary war through the eyes of slaves is to better understand why so many of them fought for the crown

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The Maestro

A legendary test pilot celebrates his 95th birthday - and reminds us why we restore and preserve historic aircraft

Menachem Brody (shown here at Elon Moreh) leads tours to biblical sites on the West Bank.

Shifting Ground in the Holy Land

Archaeology is casting new light on the Old Testament

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Students of the Game

When the Aztec and Maya played it 500 to 1,000 years ago, the losers sometimes lost their heads—literally

Mint superintendent Frank Leach, who had no experience fighting fires, led the crew that saved the vaults—earning him promotion to director.

Grace Under Fire

As San Francisco burned, 100 years ago this month, a hardy band of men worked feverishly to save the city's mint—and with it, the U.S. economy

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