Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

History / U.S. History

Document Deep Dive

Document Deep Dive: Richard Nixon’s Application to Join the FBI

Fresh out of law school, the future president first hoped he could be one of J. Edgar Hoover’s agents

Richard Halliburton in Hong Kong.

The Last Adventure of Richard Halliburton, the Forgotten Hero of 1930s America

Seventy-five years ago, the idol of America’s youth set out on what would be his final journey

For Twain, the “magnificent Mississippi, rolling its mile-wide tide” was the stuff of dreams (the St. Louis waterfront today).

American South

How the Mississippi River Made Mark Twain—and Vice Versa

No novelist captured the muddy waterway and its people like the creator of Huckleberry Finn, as a journey along the river makes clear

The Forum was among the many sights in Rome that amazed Copley, who said he was “feasting my eyes.”

When Colonial America’s Greatest Painter Took His Brush to Europe

John Singleton Copley left for Europe on the eve of the American Revolution. A historian and her teenage son made the trip to see why

Building a War of 1812 Warship

This summer, a ship named after naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry will set sail

The Beautiful, Streamlined Cars That Set the World’s First Land Speed Records

One hundred years ago, the Bonneville Salt Flats became a racing paradise

Chew-Een Lee was the first Chinese American Marine officer and served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Korean War Hero Kurt Chew-Een Lee, the First Chinese-American Marine, Dies at 88 Years Old

Lee overcame racism and saved upward of 8,000 men during one climactic battle

Solomon Northup, portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years A Slave.

Vintage Headlines

The New York Times’ 1853 Coverage of Solomon Northup, the Hero of “12 Years A Slave”

Northup’s story garnered heavy press coverage and spread widely in the weeks and months after he was rescued

On Oct. 30, 1964, a policeman dusts for fingerprints on case broken into by a cat burglar who made off with some $200,000 in jewels from the Museum of Natural History.

How Three Amateur Jewel Thieves Made Off With New York’s Most Precious Gems

The fascinating story of the hunt for Murf the Surf, a criminal who wasn’t quite the mastermind he made himself out to be

Invitees to the museum’s grand reopening in 2008 admire the newly restored flag.

Previewing the Smithsonian’s Plans for the 200th Anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner

And at the same time, the American History Museum celebrates its 50th birthday

The Beatles step onto the tarmac at JFK Airport on February 7, 1964, arriving for their first performance in the U.S.

Vintage Headlines

When the Beatles Arrived in America, Reporters Ignored the Music and Obsessed Over Hair

They’d go on to change American music forever, but the press focused on the moptops

It’s Not the Moon, It’s Nevada

Explore the history of Nevada’s Nuclear Test Site, and see how a half-century of tests transformed the desert into a cratered moonscape

Vintage Headlines

What Reviewers Said About the First Mac When It Debuted

They nitpicked the hardware, but reviewers appreciated the groundbreaking features that would redefine the personal computer

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

The History of How We Came to Revere Abraham Lincoln

The slain president’s two personal secretaries battled mudslingers for a quarter-century to shape his image

When Cassius Clay Signed His Gloves With a Prediction of His Future Greatness

In 1964, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay was largely untested as a pro. Then he stepped into the ring

The JFK Christmas Card That Was Never Sent

A rare White House card from 1963 evokes one of the nation’s darkest holiday seasons

The first ransom notes come from an 1874 kidnapping.

The Story Behind the First Ransom Note in American History

Last year, a school librarian was looking through family artifacts when she stumbled upon the first ransom note in American history

Different visuals paint different pictures of the AIDS epidemic in America.

The Confusing and At-Times Counterproductive 1980s Response to the AIDS Epidemic

A new exhibit looks at the posters sent out by non-profits and the government in response to the spread of AIDS

None

This Thanksgiving, Step Back in Time and into 17th-Century Plymouth Colony

Reenactors in this “living museum” bring the Pilgrim’s homestead back to life

None

Dear Sir, Ben Franklin Would Like to Add You to His Network

Historian Caroline Winterer’s analysis of Franklin’s letters applies big data to big history

Page 129 of 173