Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News History & Archaeology

Readers were first introduced to Superman in June 1938.

The First Issue of Superman Just Became the Most Valuable Comic Book in the World

An original copy of 1938’s “Action Comics No. 1” sold for a record-breaking $6 million at auction

The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration has been open since 1990.

The Ellis Island Museum Is Revitalizing the Story of American Immigration

A $100 million renovation will help preserve the history of the millions of immigrants who passed through the island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

The cargo ship Dali ran into the Key Bridge after losing power on March 26.

History of Now

A Massive Crane Helping With the Baltimore Bridge Cleanup Was Built to Recover a Sunken Soviet Submarine

The Chesapeake 1000 was used to construct a ship for a top-secret CIA mission in the 1970s

An artistic representation of the Gotlant burial of a Viking-era woman with a modified skull

New Research

Vikings May Have Used Body Modification as a ‘Sign of Identification’

A recent study analyzes Scandinavian examples of filed teeth and elongated skulls dating to the Viking Age

A poster for Oppenheimer in Tokyo

‘Oppenheimer’ Opens in Japan Eight Months After Worldwide Release

The acclaimed biopic of the Manhattan Project’s leader has been met with mixed reviews by Japanese audiences

The symmetrical rock was found near Still Bay, a town located about 200 miles east of Cape Town.

New Research

Is This Stingray-Shaped Rock the Oldest Known Animal Art?

While they urge caution, researchers think an artist may have traced a stingray in the sand some 130,000 years ago

Reconstruction illustrating sliding cover as it opens, featuring Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of Giovanna de' Rossi (left) and Portrait Cover With an Allegory of Chastity (right), circa 1505

Why Were So Many Renaissance Portraits Multisided?

A new exhibition at the Met is the first to examine the tradition of covered 15th- and 16th-century portraits, which were designed to be interactive and often portable

Most of the combs found in Ipswich were made of deer antlers, but some were carved from animal bones.

Cool Finds

Trove of Viking Combs Sheds Light on English Town’s Medieval History

The hair care items are part of a sprawling collection of artifacts found in Ipswich between 1974 and 1994, which are now the subject of a new book

At New Orleans' National WWII Museum, visitors can chat with virtual versions of World War II veterans.

This Museum Lets Visitors Talk to A.I. Copies of World War II Veterans

Eighteen Americans who participated in the war effort each answered up to 1,000 questions on camera to create their interactive video likenesses

The marble statue likely depicts the Greek god Apollo and decorated a fountain in Philippi.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find Ancient Statue of Apollo That Probably Adorned a Magnificent Fountain

The marble bust sheds new light on the layered history of a 2,000-year-old Greek city

David Walker, 19, was a mess attendant aboard the USS California.

A Young Sailor’s Remains Have Been Identified Eight Decades After He Died at Pearl Harbor

David Walker was a 19-year-old mess attendant aboard the USS “California” when Japan launched its surprise attack

The steamship Milwaukee was sailing across Lake Michigan to pick up another load of lumber when disaster struck.

Researchers Use Old Newspaper Reports to Identify 137-Year-Old Shipwreck in Lake Michigan

The steamship “Milwaukee” sank in a heavy fog off the coast of Holland, Michigan, after colliding with another vessel

The lead scrolls found onsite resemble Roman "curse tablets," used to write messages to higher powers.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find ‘Remarkable’ Roman Villa Full of Coins, Jewelry and ‘Curse Tablets’

Discovered at a housing development in England, the complex’s buildings may be nearly 2,000 years old

This staircase, part of an active construction site, has been preserved since the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Pompeii Find Ancient Construction Site, Undisturbed Since Vesuvius’ Eruption

The discovery is cluing researchers into the techniques used to build Rome’s most remarkable structures

The castle's mill was integrated into the residential space and powered by a canal that flowed beneath the building.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Uncover Medieval Castle Hidden Beneath a French Hotel

Excavations revealed a moat, pipes, jewelry, coins and other artifacts amidst the structure’s ruins

Since Titanic premiered in 1997, skeptics have been insisting that Jack and Rose could have both survived on their makeshift raft. 

Floating Board From ‘Titanic’ Sells for Over $700,000

The infamous prop has long been the source of heated debate: Did Jack really have to die?

In the lab, researchers tested soil samples dating to the first or early second century C.E.

New Research

Microplastics Are Contaminating Ancient Archaeological Sites

New research suggests plastic particles may pose a threat to the preservation of historic remains

Attributed to artist Pierre Eugène du Simitiére, the drawing depicts the Continental Army’s North Carolina Brigade marching through Philadelphia on August 25, 1777.

Cool Finds

Rare Eyewitness Sketch of American Revolutionaries Found Hanging in a Collector’s Bedroom

The drawing, which the owner recently donated to a museum, depicts the North Carolina Brigade passing through Philadelphia in 1777

The digital reconstruction of Emperor Wu's face (left), alongside a painting made of him from the 'Thirteen Emperors Scroll' (right).

See The Face of Emperor Wu, a Sixth-Century Chinese Ruler Brought to Life with DNA Analysis

Genetic analysis of DNA from his skeleton offers not only a first glimpse at his face, but also insight into his mysterious death

The skate was discovered in Přerov, a city in the Czech Republic's eastern Olomouc region through which the Bečva river flows.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth 1,000-Year-Old Ice Skate Made of Animal Bone in Czech Republic

The artifact dates to a time when skates were used primarily for practical purposes

Page 69 of 341