Smart News: History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine

This head protector was worn by Muhammad Ali—then known as Cassius Clay—while he trained to battle Sonny Liston in 1964.

The boxer may be dead, but physical traces of his audacious life remain

June 7, 2016

The cover to one of A-No.1's books about his life as a hobo.

Cool Finds

After a Century, an Anthropologist Picked up the Trail of the “Hobo King”

One hundred-year-old graffiti by “A-No.1” and others were found by the L.A. River

June 6, 2016

Cool Finds

X-Rays Reveal “Hidden Library” on the Spines of Early Books

Researchers are uncovering fragments of medieval texts used in early book binding

June 6, 2016

It's thought that JFK's heartfelt letter to his mistress, Mary Pinchot Meyer, was written just a month before his assassination.

Cool Finds

A Steamy Letter From JFK Is up for Auction

The president had a real way with the ladies—and with an em dash

June 3, 2016

King Tut may have had a thing for meteorites.

New Research

King Tut’s Dagger Was Made From a Meteorite

X-ray spectroscopy lays a decades-long metal mystery to rest

June 2, 2016

New Research

Neanderthals Built Mysterious Stalagmite Semicircles

But why?

May 27, 2016

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

May 27, 2016

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

May 27, 2016

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.

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

May 27, 2016

This sad relic of ancient Rome is up for adoption.

When in Rome, pony up some cash for cultural preservation

May 26, 2016

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

May 26, 2016

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

May 25, 2016

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

May 25, 2016

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

May 24, 2016

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

May 24, 2016

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

May 23, 2016

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

May 23, 2016

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.

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

May 23, 2016

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?

May 20, 2016

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

May 20, 2016

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