Smart News History & Archaeology

Glencoe, Scotland

Archaeologists Trace ‘Lost Settlements’ of 1692 Glencoe Massacre

A team of researchers is in search of clues into the slaughter of members of the MacDonald clan

In 2003, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter Les Payne is pictured delivering the traditional charge to University of Connecticut undergraduates during commencement exercises at The Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.

Trending Today

Pioneering Black Journalist Les Payne Has Died at Age 76

The fearless Pulitzer Prize-winning <i>Newsday</i> reporter and editor, who was a founding member of NABJ, paved the way for journalists of color

Eldgjá, Iceland

A Violent Volcanic Eruption Immortalized in Medieval Poem May Have Spurred Iceland’s Adoption of Christianity

A new study looks for traces of the devastating volcanic event in a poem composed in approximately 961 A.D.

William Still and a recent street view image of the row house where conservationists believe he and his wife Letitia once lived.

Underground Railroad Safe House Discovered in Philadelphia

Preservationists say they have identified the home of famed black abolitionist William Still, who offered refuge to hundreds of freedom seekers

Cool Finds

Wreck of U.S.S. Juneau Discovered in the Solomon Islands

The ship was known as the grave of the five Sullivan Brothers who died aboard it during the Battle of Guadalcanal

The Temptations

Library of Congress Adds ‘The Sound of Music,’ ‘My Girl’ to National Recording Registry

Each year since 2002, 25 recordings that impacted American culture are chosen for inclusion in the growing database. Read about the class of 2017

Larry Kwong in the 1940s

Larry Kwong, Gifted Athlete Who Broke NHL's Color Barrier, Dies at 94

Kwong, the first athlete of Asian heritage to play in an NHL game, battled racism and discrimination as he made a name for himself on the ice

In this 12th century illuminated manuscript Mary Magdalene announces the resurrection to the apostles.

Cool Finds

New Exhibition Unfolds the "Bizarre" Stories Behind Centuries-Old Pigments

Cow urine is one of many strange ingredients included in the University of Manchester's new show exploring the history and chemistry of artists' palettes

Landmark Exhibition Takes You Inside the Exuberant, Diverse World of the Fatimid Dynasty

Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum brings together 87 pieces from collections across the globe

James K. Polk. Oil on canvas.

Trending Today

Tennessee Votes to Keep Polk's Grave Where It Is. For Now

A resolution to move the grave from the capitol grounds in Nashville to one of his boyhood homes failed by one vote

Excavation of Antioch-on-the-Orontes

2,000-Year-Old Mosaics Unearthed Under Florida Art Museum

The relics came from ancient Antioch and were buried by museum officials in 1989 for storage purposes

The Stephen Foster statue will be replaced with a monument in honor of an African American woman who made an outsized impact on Pittsburgh.

Monument to a Historic Black Woman Will Replace Racist Statue in Pittsburgh

A city task force is asking the public to help decide who should be honored

Trending Today

Artifacts Stolen in Massive Archaeological Theft Recovered in Canterbury

Police have recovered most of the 2,000 coins, bones, beads and other items lifted from the Canterbury Archaeological Trust in January

Europe

Casanova Is Getting a Museum

The womanizer and Enlightenment polymath will be memorialized with an interactive museum in Venice opening April 2

Black clay indicates that what is now a west London suburb was once a marsh near what was then the ocean.

Britain’s Prehistoric Coastline Uncovered in West London

Excavators found a black clay-like material that formed about 56 million years ago, marking the location of an ancient coastline

15th-Century Pot of Gold (and Silver) Found in the Netherlands

Archaeologists say the coins can shed light on a little-known period of Dutch history

Scientists are using high-powered X-rays to reveal a hidden text beneath a 10th century religious text.

High-Powered X-Rays Reveal What's Beneath 11th-Century Religious Text

The hidden text is a translation of ancient Greek medical philosopher Galen's writing

A Slave Cemetery May Have Been Discovered at a Plantation Near Annapolis

Archaeologists have found possible grave markers, and cadaver dogs have indicated the presence of human remains

An aerial view of Meggido, now called Tell el-Mutesellim, where researchers have recently discovered the burial chamber of a royal or elite family.

3,600-Year-Old Tomb Found Next to Canaanite Palace Might Contain Remains of Royal Family

Archaeologists have been searching the site of Megiddo for more than 100 years

New Research

Polls Are Still As Accurate As They Were 75 Years Ago

A new study shows polling is not undergoing a collapse despite what conventional wisdom might suggest

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