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History

Smithsonian magazine staff writer and author of "One Man's Korean War."

Abigail Tucker on “One Man’s Korean War”

Author of "Banner Days," Robert Poole.

Robert Poole on “Banner Days”

During the campaign, Lincoln confided he would have preferred a full term in the Senate "where there was more chance to make a reputation and less danger of losing it."

Election Day 1860

As soon as the returns were in, the burdens of the presidency weighed upon Abraham Lincoln

Now seen as early evidence of prehistoric worship, the hilltop site was previously shunned by researchers as nothing more than a medieval cemetery.

Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple?

Predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years, Turkey’s stunning Gobekli Tepe upends the conventional view of the rise of civilization

After almost two centuries, the flag's frail state became plain. The icon's new high-tech home will protect it from exposure to bright light, humidity and ambient pollution.

Star-Spangled Banner Back on Display

After a decade’s conservation, the flag that inspired the National Anthem returns to its place of honor on the National Mall

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November Anniversaries

"Montpelier, which lies a few miles south of Orange, Virginia, and about 90 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., is where James Madison grew up and where he retired after his days as president were over."

Montpelier and the Legacy of James Madison

The recently restored Virginia estate of James Madison was home to a founding father and the ideals that shaped a nation

Wall Street with Trinity Church in the distance.

The Financial Panic of 1907: Running from History

Robert F. Bruner discusses the panic of 1907 and the financial crisis of 2008

"The lost synagogue" at Eastern State Penitentiary.

The Synagogue at Eastern State Penitentiary

Meals were delivered to the inmates and they ate in their cells. Food carts ran on tracks along the catwalks in the two story cellblocks.

Eastern State Penitentiary: A Prison With a Past

Philadelphia set the stage for prison reform not only in Pennsylvania, but also the world over

"We, The Delaware Boat Veterans, take as our solemn duty before our Creator to make known the truth concerning the Presidential candidate who calls himself George Washington."

Swiftboating George Washington

For politicians, it’s the same olde, same olde story

An undated rendering of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Ted Sorensen on Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Words

Kennedy advisor Ted Sorensen found that of all the U.S. presidents, Lincoln had the best speechwriter—himself

At age 107, Frank Buckles proudly wears the French Legion of Honor medal, one of many honors to have come his way lately.

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Last Doughboy of World War I

Frank Buckles lied about his age to serve in World War I

Carved sarsens-enormous blocks of hard sandstone-were used to build the towering trilithons that dominate the landscape of Salisbury Plain in southern England. But archaeologists Timothy Darvill and Geoffrey Wainwright believe the smaller so-called bluestones hold the key to unraveling Stonehenge's mystery.

New Light on Stonehenge

The first dig in 44 years inside the stone circle changed our view of why—and even when—the monument was built

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October Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

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Puzzlers

Stonehenge’s purpose and a noble fish’s demise

The monastery from inside the ramparts at twilight.

In Iraq, a Monastery Rediscovered

Near Mosul, war has helped and hindered efforts to excavate the 1,400-year-old Dair Mar Elia monastery

George Washington

Digging Up George Washington

Archaeologists continue to uncover more about the nation’s first president

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debated in seven different locations in Illinois.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Negotiations

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas engaged in pre-debate negotiations in 1858

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Richard Covington on “Lost & Found”

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