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Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

Johan Danckerts, The Wreck of the Gloucester Off Yarmouth, 6 May 1682, circa 1682

Cool Finds

Wreck of Long-Lost Royal Battleship Discovered Off English Coast

Divers discovered the H.M.S. “Gloucester” in 2007, but authorities kept the news buried for 15 years as they waited to secure the site

Lena Horne performing in Stormy Weather

The First Broadway Theater to Bear a Black Woman’s Name Will Honor Lena Horne

The Brooks Atkinson Theater will be renamed for the award-winning actor, singer and civil rights activist

In 1951, mobster Frank Costello (seated, center) testified in front of the Kefauver Committee during a televised congressional hearing on organized crime that captivated the country.

History of Now

A Brief History of Televised Congressional Hearings

From a 1951 investigation into organized crime to the Watergate scandal, the ongoing January 6 hearings are part of a lengthy political tradition

This Renaissance painting was found in a 90-year-old woman's bedroom. It recently fetched around $320,000 at a London auction.

Cool Finds

Renaissance Masterpiece Found Hanging in a 90-Year-Old Woman’s London Bedroom

“The Depiction of the Madonna and Child,” by a follower of Filippino Lippi, sold for around $320,000

Kim Phuc Phan Thi, the girl depicted in the 1972 photograph The Terror of War, and photographer Nick Ut in 2022

Fifty Years Later, Kim Phuc Phan Thi Is More Than ‘Napalm Girl’

While the image freezes in time a moment of wartime horror, its subject has been moving forward

A new exhibition in Marseille recreates the famous cave and the art found within. 

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Tour a Submerged Cave Packed With Paleolithic Art—Without Ever Venturing Underwater

As sea levels rise, an immersive new exhibition in Marseille lets visitors explore an inaccessible cavern’s archaeological treasures

The ornate box was recently purchased by the National Museums of Scotland.

This Lavish Silver Box Tarnished Mary, Queen of Scots—and Contributed to Her Downfall

The controversial container played a role in the deposed monarch’s fall from favor

My Comrade documented the early careers of some of today’s most famous drag queens.

The Zine That Documented Drag’s Campy Coming of Age

The queer publication shone a joyous light on an underground culture during the darkest days of the HIV/AIDS crisis

The U.S.S.R. sent legions of “liquidators” to clean up in the aftermath of the meltdown. 

Past and Presence

Footage Shows How Daily Life Didn’t Change After Chernobyl—and the Cover-Up’s Toxic Aftermath

A new documentary shows how the disaster transformed—and endangered—those who lived near the nuclear plant

The depiction of a young Maya maize god is consistent with other portrayals of beheaded Maya deities. 

Cool Finds

1,300-Year-Old Corn God Statue Shows How the Maya Worshipped Maize

The deity was linked to renewal and creation in Mesoamerican culture

The marble tablet celebrates the achievement of about 30 Greek youths. 

Cool Finds

2,000-Year-Old ‘Yearbook’-Like Tablet Celebrates a Group of Ancient Greek Grads

Attikos and his friends were ready to become full Athenian citizens

Macintosh computers—and the company that created them—changed the PC world.

New Polish Museum Bytes Into the History of Apple Products

Over 1,000 artifacts get to the core of the iconic brand’s popularity

Archaeologists got brief access to the city during another drought in 2018, but this is the first time they managed a comprehensive site study.

Cool Finds

Drought in Iraq Reveals 3,400-Year-Old City

Archaeologists raced against time to map the once-submerged ancient metropolis

Rendering of the International African American Museum

A Museum Exploring the African American Experience Is Coming to Charleston

Slated to open early next year, the space will explore the legacy and contributions of enslaved people and their descendants

Giraffes may have evolved such long necks, in part, because of sexual competition.

An Extinct, Head-Butting Animal May Help Explain Giraffes’ Long Necks

The giraffe’s ancestor used its sturdy head and neck to fight for mates

The 21-year-old suspect, Brian Hernandez, broke into the Dallas Museum of Art around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.

Trending Today

Man Breaks Into Dallas Museum of Art and Damages Artworks Valued at Up to $5 Million

Brian Hernandez broke ancient Greek artifacts and a contemporary ceramic piece

Archaeologists inside Cueva de Ardales

Cool Finds

Artists Have Been Painting Inside This Spanish Cave for 58,000 Years

Archaeologists finally understand who decorated the Cueva de Ardales

Images from eight decades of the queen’s life were projected onto the megaliths this week.

Images of Elizabeth II Graced Stonehenge This Week—and Pagans Aren’t Happy

Projections on the Neolithic stones have proven controversial before

Archaeologists have located 134 ancient settlements north of Hadrian's Wall in what is now Scotland.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 134 Ancient Settlements North of Hadrian’s Wall

LiDAR helped researchers find sites once inhabited by those who lived outside Rome’s rule of Britain

Construction workers stumbled on this Maya city while building an industrial park. 

Cool Finds

Construction Crew Stumbles on 1,400-Year-Old Ruins of Maya City

Researchers say the pre-Hispanic metropolis they call Xiol was once home to some 4,000 people

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