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Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

Jackie Robinson circa 1945

New Museum Honors Jackie Robinson’s Many Legacies

Interactive exhibits will explore the baseball icon’s athletic career and civil rights work

Singer James Brown off stage near Memphis, Tennessee

‘Ebony’ and ‘Jet’ Magazines’ Iconic Photos Captured Black Life in America

Getty and the Smithsonian will now share ownership of the two magazines’ renowned photo archives

The Appalshop building during the floods

Kentucky Floods Damage Irreplaceable Appalachian Archives

Appalshop, a cultural center in Whitesburg, Kentucky, is still assessing damage from the historic floods

The Salem Witch Memorial in Salem, Massachusetts

Last Convicted Salem ‘Witch’ Is Finally Cleared

Elizabeth Johnson Jr. has been officially exonerated—thanks to a dogged band of middle schoolers

French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral on July 28

Notre-Dame Cathedral Will Reopen by 2024

Officials say that the iconic structure will be ready for visitors in time for the Olympics

Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura in “Star Trek”

Nichelle Nichols, Pioneering ‘Star Trek’ Actress, Dies at 89

She made history as one of the first Black women to appear in a leading role on television

The ceremony arrives amid a worldwide push to repatriate objects removed from their countries of origin under troubling circumstances.

Albuquerque Museum Returns Long-Forgotten Cache of Sculptures to Mexico

The objects, which date to between 300 and 600 B.C.E., sat in a storage box for 15 years

The coin depicts Luna, the goddess of the moon, and the zodiac sign for Cancer.

Cool Finds

Roman Coin Depicting Zodiac Symbol Discovered off Israel’s Coast

The rare bronze coin was minted during the reign of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius

Frida Kahlo painting a portrait in 1931

A Musical About Frida Kahlo Is Coming to Broadway

The production, expected to open in 2024, is a celebration of the painter’s resilience and passion

Don McLean’s 1971 hit “American Pie” is the subject of a new documentary.

Unraveling the Secrets of Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’

A new documentary explores the meaning of the catchy, enigmatic tune

A marine archaeologist examines one of the engraved Purbeck gravestones recovered from the 13th-century Mortar Wreck.

Cool Finds

England’s Oldest Surviving Shipwreck Is a 13th-Century Merchant Vessel

Carrying a cargo of locally sourced limestone, the so-called Mortar Wreck likely sank off the Dorset coast during the reign of Henry III

The U.S. government seized the Amadea, a yacht it says is owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov.

‘Alleged’ Fabergé Egg Found Aboard a Seized Russian Oligarch’s Yacht

The rare egg may not be authentic—but if it is, it could be worth millions

Only about a dozen first printings of the Constitution are known to exist.

After Selling for $43 Million, Rare Copy of the Constitution Goes on Display

The new exhibition explores diverse interpretations of the document’s founding values

Aldrin's Apollo 11 inflight coverall jacket

These Objects Tell the Story of Buzz Aldrin’s Career

The astronaut is auctioning off his moon-landing jacket and other space gear

A pair of rock reliefs found at Rabana-Merquly may depict Natounissar, an ancient Adiabene king linked to the lost city of Natounia.

Cool Finds

Why Archaeologists Think They’ve Found the Lost City of Natounia

New research draws on rock reliefs and ancient coins to link the Rabana-Merquly fortress in Iraq to a vassal state of the Parthian Empire

Archaeologists carefully brush away dirt from the skeleton.

Archaeologists Uncover Rare Human Skeleton at Waterloo

The bones were discovered in a ditch near a former field hospital

Jim Thorpe in 1912

Jim Thorpe’s 1912 Olympic Gold Medals Are Finally Reinstated

Officials removed the Native American athlete’s victories from Olympic records in 1913

Edmonia Lewis circa 1870, photographed by Henry Rocher

After More Than 150 Years, Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Finally Gets Her Degree

A historian is fighting to honor the legacy of the 19th-century artist

The memes place their subjects in situations ranging from historically significant to hilariously obscure, including the Battle of Lexington, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and more.

Trending Today

Why American Girl Dolls Are Starring in Viral History Memes

The popular posts call for characters who witnessed the Salem Witch Trials, JFK’s assassination and other historical events

Cavers found the perfectly preserved mine in the small town of Alderly Edge in England.

Cool Finds

Cavers Discover 200-Year Old Mine, Untouched Since the Moment It Was Abandoned

Found in northwest England, the cobalt mine is perfectly preserved due to a lack of oxygen

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