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History / U.S. History

Clarke was an "admirer of beauty," said the folklorist Henry Shoemaker, and he "singled out many lovely mountain girls with his lens." This haunting idyllic interpretation of two girls, presumable sisters, is marred only by some damage to the glass plate negative.

Forgotten Forest

Photographic plates discovered in a dusty shed offer an astonishing look at life in the American woods more than a century ago

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January Letters

Readers respond to the November issue

Ben Franklin's "ditto" suit helped convey American values to the French

Dressed-Down Democracy

Franklin’s 300th birthday this month reminds us of common ideals and artifacts that reflect them—from a simple suit to an iconic lunch counter

A photo of the first Miss America winner, Margaret Gorman. This was the official photo of her as the winner.

American Idol

Once upon a time, Miss America reigned supreme

First reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln.

“My Whole Soul Is In It”

As his army faltered and his cabinet bickered, Lincoln determined that “we must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued.” In 1862, he got his chance

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Me and Meriwether

The secret diary of William Clark

The Astoria Column serves as a memorial for the explorers Lewis and Clark with President Jefferson.

Lewis and Clark: The Journey Ends

The triumphant return of the Lewis and Clark expedition

For Christmas in 1965, astronauts Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr and Thomas P. Stafford played "Jingle Bells" aboard Gemini 6.

The Day Two Astronauts Said They Saw a U.F.O. Wearing a Red Suit

When orbiting pranksters Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford launched into “Jingle Bells,” Mission Control almost lost control

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Native Intelligence

The Indians who first feasted with the English colonists were far more sophisticated than you were taught in school. But that wasn’t enough to save them

35 Who Made a Difference: Robert Moses

A former civil rights activist revolutionizes the teaching of mathematics

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November Anniversaries

Momentous or merely memorable

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One of a Kind

From the beginning, Smithsonian has looked beyond the Institution

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Noxious Bogs & Amorous Elephants

Smithsonian’s birth, 35 years ago, only hinted at the splendors to follow

The Arkansas River flooded Natural Steps, Arkansas in 1927

After the Deluge

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a writer looks back at the repercussions of another great disaster—, the Mississippi flood of 1927

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Innovators of Our Time

We mark Smithsonian’s 35th anniversary by revisiting scientists, artists and scholars who’ve enriched the magazine and our lives

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This Month in History

October anniversaries— momentous or merely memorable

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Push to the Pacific

Guided by the Nez Percé, the men and women of the corps reach the Columbia amid threats for their lives

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People’s Choice

Almost from birth, Andrew Jackson was in training to become democracy’s champion

Boeing-Wichita B-29 Assembly Line

Dive Bomber

Underwater archaeologists ready a crashed B-29 for visits by scuba-wearing tourists at the bottom of Lake Mead

The family of Cesar Chavez donated this jacket to the National Museum of American History shortly after the labor leader's death.

When Union Leader Cesar Chavez Organized the Nation’s Farmworkers, He Changed History

Cesar Chavez’ black nylon satin jacket with the eagle emblem of the United Farm Workers is held in the Smithsonian collections

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