Cudjo Lewis, the last survivor transported to Alabama on the Clotilda

Cool Finds

Search Continues for Last American Slave Ship After Recent Wreck Ruled Out

The Clotilda illegally transported 110 enslaved people from present-day Benin to Alabama more than 50 years after the U.S. outlawed the slave trade

Making history

Trending Today

Five Things to Know About Roger Bannister, the First Person to Break the 4-Minute Mile

The Oxford medical student, who died on March 3 at age 88, broke what was believed to be an impossible record

The massive family tree includes 13 million people

This May Be the World’s Largest Family Tree

Using more than 86 million profiles from Geni.com, researchers created a database that links 13 million people

Tattoos on the Pre-dynastic female mummy from Gebelein.

Earliest Figural Tattoos Discovered on 5,000-Year-Old Mummies

The markings include a bull, a sheep and a mysterious ‘S’ motif

Scene from the 1967 Detroit riot.

Trending Today

Study Shows Little Change Since Kerner Commission Reported on Racism 50 Years Ago

An update to the landmark study finds there is now more poverty and segregation in America

Equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, VA

Charlottesville Must Remove Tarps from Confederate Statues, Judge Says

Two statues were covered in the wake of last year’s deadly rallies to mark a period of mourning

Cool Finds

One Man’s Search to Find the Families of the “Deportees” in the Famous Woody Guthrie Song

Seventy years after the 1948 crash, Tim Hernandez is bringing new recognition to the 28 unidentified “braceros” who died when the plane blew up

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See Rare Images Depicting Life, Work at the White House

A team of librarians at the White House Historical Association are digitizing 25,000 behind-the-scenes photographs from 1962 to 1987

Is This the Seal of the Prophet Isaiah?

One archaeologist believes the relic may have belonged to the biblical figure, but there are major problems with her interpretation

Cave art found in India

New Research

Did Cave Acoustics Play a Role in the Development of Language?

In a new paper, researchers hypothesize that the location of cave art and sounds early humans heard might be linked

In this April 10, 2015 photo, Brayan Lopez, 9, plays a Taino wood drum while students perform a ceremonial dance in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.

Ancient DNA Contradicts Historical Narrative of ‘Extinct’ Caribbean Taíno Population

Researchers create Caribbean’s first complete ancient human genome, find Taíno genes in living people

Roman mosaics date back to the Bronze Age, and a new one has just been discovered at the Roman Baths in Bath, England.

Oldest Mosaic at Roman Baths Found During Excavations

Mosaics have a long history, but this is considered the oldest at the site

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park gives a view of Neníisótoyóú’u (Longs Peak) in Colorado, left of center.

Cool Finds

This Account is Reclaiming the Indigenous Names for Mountains One Geotag at a Time

A Navajo climber is leading a social media campaign to spread awareness of the indigenous names of peaks

Ask Smithsonian

Is the Fall Equinox the Secret to the Pyramids’ Near-Perfect Alignment?

One engineer says yes

Markus Brunetti, Wells Cathedral Church of St. Andrews, 2015-2016 Archival Pigment Print

Thousands of Photographs Created These Hyper-Real Portraits of Historic Buildings

German artist Markus Brunetti brings a high-tech approach to capturing centuries-old cathedrals

Restored Stone Declaration of Independence.

Copy of Declaration of Independence, Hidden Behind Wall Paper During the Civil War, Resurfaces in Texas

The document, which belonged to James Madison, is one of 200 facsimiles commissioned in the 19th century

"Scenes From the Collection" emphasizes modern and contemporary art in its exploration of Jewish identity

The Evolution of Jewish Identity Takes Center Stage at Revamped Jewish Museum Exhibition

The redesigned permanent exhibition highlights a rotating selection of artifacts spanning 4,000 years of history

Colorado State University archeologist Chris Fisher has used the laser mapping technique in Mexico and Honduras.

Laser Mapping Shows Ancient City in Mexico Contained 40,000 Buildings

Researchers used LiDAR scanning to reveal the sprawling metropolis of Angamuco

The exhibition features a pair of 18th-century stork scissors, heavy tailors’ shears and calligraphy scissors

Exhibition Cuts Into the Fascinating History of Scissors

Fashion and Textile Museum traces scissors’ role in life and death, fairy tales, crime and punk

Tombs in the ancient city of Hierapolis, in modern-day Turkey.

New Research

How the Roman “Gates of Hell” Killed Animal Sacrifices but Let Human Priests Escape Unharmed

In ancient times, the gates seemed to respond to supernatural powers, but it’s actually all about science

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