Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

"Hamilton: The Exhibition" opened at Northerly Island in Chicago on April 26, 2019.

‘Hamilton: The Exhibition’ Opens in Chicago to Eager Fans

The sweeping show uses interactive visuals, games and sets to provide an in-depth look at the history behind the hit musical

The Bible is similar to one brought to North America by Pilgrims traveling aboard the Mayflower

17th-Century Bible Stolen From Pittsburgh Library Recovered in the Netherlands

The 404-year-old religious text was one of more than 300 artifacts stolen from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Library over a two-decade period

Elizabeth and Edward IV married in secret, attracting the ire of the king's advisors and most of the court

Did Elizabeth Woodville, England’s ‘White Queen,’ Die of the Plague?

A 500-year-old letter recently found in the National Archives suggests the queen was buried quickly and without ceremony due to fear of contagion

Wainright watches over Livingstone's body on the trip back to Britain.

Cool Finds

Diary of Livingstone’s Intrepid African Attendant Jacob Wainwright Digitized

He traveled with the Scottish missionary and explorer searching for the source of the Nile, and he’s responsible for bringing his remains to Britain

St. Anthony's Shrine photographed the day after multiple deadly explosions targeted churches and hotels across Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Government Pledges to Rebuild 175-Year-Old Church Damaged in Deadly Easter Bombings

St. Anthony’s Shrine has long served as a symbol of unity and religious tolerance

Yum?

Cool Finds

This 1,500-Year-Old Chunk of Fossilized Human Poop Contains Remains of a Whole Rattlesnake

Researchers believe an ancient hunter-gatherer consumed the reptile whole as part of a ceremonial or ritualistic event

Cool Finds

Salvagers Accidentally Found the Netherlands’ Oldest Shipwreck

Dated to around 1540, the ship carried a load of copper plate that was likely for the country’s earliest copper coins

A 19th-century illustration of 'Sleeping Beauty' by artist Gustave Doré

Barcelona School Commission Evaluates 600 Children’s Books for Sexist Content

One-third of the books were removed for promoting gender stereotypes at a critical point in childhood development

New Research

Beer Fueled Diplomacy in This Ancient Empire

Analysis shows a brewery at a Wari outpost in the mountains of southern Peru strengthened bonds with friends and neighbors

Flowers are laid on a bridge in front of the Notre-Dame-de Paris Cathedral in Paris.

Five Things We’ve Learned in the Aftermath of the Notre-Dame Fire

Here’s how France is rebuilding in the wake of the disaster

Entrance to the RioZoo

Trove of 30,000 Artifacts Found at RioZoo to Be Given to Fire-Ravaged National Museum

The artifacts date back to Brazil’s imperial period

The team's findings support the theory that agriculture emerged in multiple places simultaneously

Ancient Urine Reveals Timeline of Turkey’s Agricultural Revolution

Researchers studied urine salt deposits to map out the history of animal domestication at Turkey’s Aşıklı Höyük settlement

Faithfuls kneel on the new restored Holy Stair (Scala Santa) at San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome.

Trending Today

For the First Time in 300 Years, Pilgrims Can Climb These Holy Marble Steps

Worshippers can kneel up the 28 steps some believe Jesus ascended to receive his death sentence

Palestinians gather to perform the Friday prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem

A Small Fire Broke Out at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque as Flames Ravaged Notre-Dame

The blaze left the Islamic holy site largely untouched, damaging a single mobile guard booth

A Neolithic woman was buried with her arms bound behind her head and her amputated feet placed on either side of her body

Cool Finds

U.K. Construction Finds Neolithic Skeletons That May Have Been Victims of Human Sacrifice

Archaeologists have recovered 26 sets of human remains, as well as artifacts including pottery and a decorative comb

Roger Kiser, a member of the 'White House Boys', kneels in front of a cross while visiting the small graveyard at the former Florida School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, on October 29, 2008.

Twenty-Seven Possible Graves Found at Notorious Florida ‘Reform’ School

Following Hurricane Michael, a subcontractor picked up the anomalies while surveying the area, but investigations are still pending

Avebury stands some 25 miles north of Stonehenge and is large enough to fit two Stonehenge-sized circles.

Stone Circles at Avebury May Have Surrounded House for Neolithic ‘One Percent’

Researchers theorize that the monument, near Stonehenge, was erected to commemorate the site of later generations’ ancestral home

Young Thug wore a dress by designer Alessandro Trincone on the cover of his 2016 mixtape

Boston Museum Launches First Large-Scale Exhibition on Non-Binary Fashion

The show features a tuxedo worn by Marlene Dietrich, a suit worn by David Bowie and contemporary designs by Rei Kawakubo

The amethyst-studded hatpin may have been owned by Edward IV or a high-ranking member of his court

Cool Finds

Unearthed: Gold Hatpin Potentially Owned by Edward IV

Sweeping through a field with a metal detector, a woman uncovered the find, which features one of the Yorkist king’s heraldic badges, a “sun in splendor”

A firefighter is seen fighting the flames at Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019

Historic Notre-Dame Cathedral Salvaged From Blaze

After a tense few hours, firefighters announce they saved the landmark from ‘total destruction’

Page 198 of 346