Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

History

Zygmunt Aksienow rescued a caged canary as a "sign of the normal life I was used to."

Capturing Warsaw at the Dawn of World War II

As German bombs began falling on Poland in 1939, an American photographer made a fateful decision

On the day of the battle, 6,000 to 7,000 Indians were camped on the flats beside the Little Bighorn River.

How the Battle of Little Bighorn Was Won

Accounts of the 1876 battle have focused on Custer’s ill-fated cavalry. But a new book offers a take from the Indian’s point of view

None

Reconsiderations

Botched battles and preconceptions overturned

John F. Kennedy, with cane in the Pacific, 1943, would later downplay his PT-109 role: "It was involuntary," he quipped. "They sank my boat."

Remembering PT-109

A carved walking stick evokes ship commander John F. Kennedy’s dramatic rescue at sea

Only twice has a president's party gained seats in his first midterm election.

Top 10 Historic Midterm Elections

While not as memorable or studied as presidential campaigns, the midterm elections also stand as pivotal moments in U.S. history

Ben Franklin was made a military commander during the French and Indian War because of his experience in the Pennsylvania Assembly.

When Ben Franklin Met the Battlefield

Most famous today as a founding father, inventor and diplomat, Franklin also commanded troops during the French and Indian War

Players' relationships with bats have inspired any number of myths and tales.

Baseball’s Bat Man

When stars like Derek Jeter ask to customize their baseball bat, Chuck Schupp makes sure they get what they want

Producer Lee Mendelson directs children who are recording the dialogue for the animated TV special "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."

This Month in History

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Philadelphia's Bible Riots of 1844 reflected a strain of anti-Catholic bias and hostility that coursed through 19th-century America.

America’s True History of Religious Tolerance

The idea that the United States has always been a bastion of religious freedom is reassuring—and utterly at odds with the historical record

None

Walks of Life

Brass bands and slow travel

In 1838, the capture of Osceola, in a 19th-century portrait, attracted national attention.

A Seminole Warrior Cloaked in Defiance

A pair of woven, beaded garters reflects the spirit of Seminole warrior Osceola

British archaeologists looking for evidence of prehistoric activity in the English county of Dorset discovered instead a mass grave holding 54 male skeletons.

A Viking Mystery

Beneath Oxford University, archaeologists have uncovered a medieval city that altered the course of English history

Invented in the late 19th century as a means to contain cattle in the American West, barbed wire soon found military applications.

Ten Inventions That Inadvertently Transformed Warfare

Some of the most pivotal battlefield innovations throughout history began as peacetime inventions

About 16 million people visited the Blue Ridge Parkway, making it the National Park Service's most popular attraction.

75 Years of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Winding its way through Appalachia, the scenic road is the result of workers and politicians who blazed the trail in the 1930s

Most of the 9.7 million soldiers who perished in WWI were killed by the conflict's unprecedented firepower. Many survivors experienced acute trauma.

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Shock of War

World War I troops were the first to be diagnosed with shell shock, an injury – by any name – still wreaking havoc

None

This Month in History

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Having lost their homes, many Haitians now live in precarious camps.

Aftershocks

Cataclysms and their consequences

In 1849, Harriet Tubman fled Maryland to Philadelphia. Soon after, Tubman began her exploits—acts of bravery that would make her a legend.

Breaking Ground

Harriet Tubman’s Hymnal Evokes a Life Devoted to Liberation

A hymnal owned by the brave leader of the Underground Railroad brings new insights into the life of the American heroine

In his new book, The Lost Cyclist, bike historian David V. Herlihy tells the story of Frank Lenz, an accountant turned long-distance cyclist.

The Unsolved Case of the “Lost Cyclist”

Author David V. Herlihy discusses his book about Frank Lenz’s tragic failed attempt to travel the world by bicycle

The recreational vehicle turn 100 years old this year. According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, about 8.2 million households now own RVs.

Commemorating 100 Years of the RV

For almost as long as there have been automobiles, recreational vehicles have been traversing America

Page 255 of 303