Smart News History & Archaeology

A page of a manuscript of Gregorian chants

Cool Finds

Inside the Effort to Digitize Medieval Monks' Chants

Scanning and interpreting centuries-old manuscripts is a challenge because musical notation wasn't formalized yet

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Five Landmarks Threatened by Climate Change

Will a warming planet destroy humankinds' most precious cultural treasures?

Ronald Reagan signing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 that apologized for the internment of Japanese American citizens and permanent residents during World War II.

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Five Times the United States Officially Apologized

These are a few instances where the U.S. admitted it had done wrong

This sad relic of ancient Rome is up for adoption.

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Rome Is Looking for People to Adopt Famous, Falling-Apart Sites

When in Rome, pony up some cash for cultural preservation

A close-up of Abraham Lincoln's signature on the Emancipation Proclamation.

Cool Finds

Dozens of Rare Documents From American History Just Sold at Auction

Original copies of the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation just sold for millions

The Next Pandemic

Research Reveals More Complete Picture of the Devastation Wrought by the Black Death

By examining pottery remains in over 50 rural settlements, archaeologists now better understand the extent that the population was wiped out by the plague

An ad looking for a woman named Fanny who escaped along with her daughter. The 7-year-old girl is described as a mulatto, which could suggest she is the daughter of the slaveowner seeking them out.

New Research

An Archive of Fugitive Slave Ads Sheds New Light on Lost Histories

Wanted ads posted by slave owners reveal details of life under slavery

A beer funnel, one of the pieces of equipment used to make beer in China 5,000 years ago

Cool Finds

Gan Bei! Chinese Brewed Beer 5,000 Years Ago

Researchers analyzed deposits on ancient pots and jugs to find out Chinese brewers made sophisticated barley beers 1,000 years earlier than thought

Sarah Josepha Hale was the 19th century's answer to Oprah.

Cool Finds

Five Fascinating Details About the Media Mogul Who May Have Written 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'

Everywhere that Sarah Josepha Hale went, success was sure to go

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Auschwitz Museum Finds Victim's Jewelry in False-Bottomed Mug

A women’s ring made of gold and a necklace was carefully wrapped in a piece of canvas

Cool Finds

How Forensic Scientists Once Tried to "See" a Dead Person's Last Sight

Scientists once believed that the dead's last sight could be resolved from their extracted eyeballs

Frances Green, Margaret (Peg) Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn leaving their plane, "Pistol Packin' Mama," at the four-engine school at Lockbourne AAF, Ohio, during WASP ferry training.

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Female WWII Pilots Can Now Be Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Seventy-five years later, WASPs have won one last battle

New Research

Geoarchaeologist Proposes There Was a "World War Zero"

Could an alliance among the "Luwians" have helped caused the collapse of eastern Mediterranean civilizations 3,200 years ago?

A family photo taken near Noatak, Alaska

Cool Finds

An Archive of Native Americans Portraits Taken a Century Ago Spurs Further Exploration

Edward S. Curtis' photography is famous, but contemporary Native American artists go beyond stereotypes

A sketch by Bert Brocklesby of his fiancée, Annie Wainwright. Annie's brother was killed at the front and Bert traveled to Vienna to do aid work after the war. Annie objected, and broke off their engagement

Cool Finds

Curators Are Preserving Graffiti Scrawled By WWI Conscientious Objectors

The cell walls at Richmond Castle are still covered in drawings and notes

Sikh passengers aboard the Komagata Maru in Vancouver's Burrard Inlet, 1914.

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The Story of the Komagata Maru Is a Sad Mark on Canada’s Past

Why Prime Minister Trudeau’s decision to formally apologize is so significant

Cool Finds

Amateur Divers Find Huge Cache of Bronze Artifacts in Israel National Park

Recreational divers discover a Roman shipwreck full of rare bronze statues, coins and other artifacts in Caesarea National Park

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British Barber Proposes Beard Tax

Inspired by historical examples, Antony Kent wants men to pay a 100-pound fee to rock a bushy beard

A set of the volumes published by 2010 of the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae

Cool Finds

This Latin Thesaurus Has Been in Progress Since 1894

Scholars are still working on the letter "N"

The Royal Oak in Witney, England

Cool Finds

Why "The Royal Oak" Is a Popular Pub Name in the U.K.

The story goes back to the English Civil Wars and a prince on the run

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