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Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

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Vintage Summer Tips From the U.S. Government: “Overeating Is Overheating”

In the early 1940s, in the years after the country had entered World War II, American government had a particular interest in keeping workers on the job

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One of the First Maps to Include “America” Found in Old Geometry Book

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Timbuktu’s Ancient Relics Lay In Ruins At Hands of Militant Group

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London Had All-Electric Taxis in 1897

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What If the Founding Fathers Had Known About Voltron?

Olly Moss, a UK-based graphic designer, riffs on Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 political cartoon, “Join, or Die.”

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World’s Oldest Purse Adorned with Dog Teeth

The world’s oldest purse features a decoration that doesn’t look so different from modern beading. It’s just way more gruesome

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The Atlantic Revisits Sending Babies Through the Mail

A photograph from the early 20th century has striking similarities to the magazine’s latest cover story

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A Little Perspective: Congress First Mandated Health Care in 1798

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Obama Could Win 2012 Because the South Used to Be Underwater

The Peutinger Table maps the full historical extent of the Roman highway system.

Greek Subway Dig Uncovers Marble Road from Roman Empire

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How Easter Island Statues ‘Walked’ To Their Stations

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Pirate Vampire Dug Up in Bulgaria

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The Arc of History is Long, But it Bends Toward Asian Economic Dominance

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Today is Juneteenth, the Most Important Holiday No One Knows About

Artist: Deittrich von Lichtensteig, c. 1411

The Black Death Never Left – And It Might Defeat Our Best Defenses

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Things That Humans Did Not Invent (Including Art)

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