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History / U.S. History

Theodore Roosevelt regularly employed executive orders to achieve his political goals.

History of Now

The Debate Over Executive Orders Began With Teddy Roosevelt’s Mad Passion for Conservation

Teddy used nearly 10 times as many executive orders as his predecessor. The repercussions are still felt today

Five celebrated clowns from Sands, Nathans Co's Circus

Reports on the Death of the Circus Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Celebrating the arts, business, history and culture of the circus, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival brings 400 performers to the National Mall this summer

Marking the centennial of the American patent system, participants gathered for a "Research Parade" in Washington, D.C., November 23, 1936.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

These 20th-Century Technologists Sure Knew How to Throw a Party

To mark the centennial of the American Patent System in 1936, a group of innovators gathered to throw a deliciously creative celebration

Women of the Salvation Army relied on ingenuity to serve up thousands of donuts to WWI soldiers.

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Women Who Fried Donuts and Dodged Bombs on the Front Lines of WWI

Even if they had to use shell casings as rolling pins, the donuts still got made

After extreme weather swept from the plains states to the Ohio River valley in fall 1926, levees began bursting in the Lower Mississippi Valley in March of ’27 and kept breaking through May.

The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 Laid Bare the Divide Between the North and the South

The 1927 disaster exposed a country divided by stereotypes and united by modernity

Ex-president Theodore Roosevelt speaks to crowds in Mineola, New York, in support of US entry into the First World War, 1917

World War I: 100 Years Later

Why Teddy Roosevelt Tried to Bully His Way Onto the WWI Battlefield

Tensions ran high when President Wilson quashed the return of the former president’s Rough Riders

Construction on the Pentagon was completed in January 1943. With about 6.4 million square feet, it is still today the world’s largest low-rise office building.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Why Is the Pentagon a Pentagon?

Planners battled to ensure the building kept its unique shape

The lost colony of Roanoke

The Mystery of Roanoke Endures Yet Another Cruel Twist

An artifact found 20 years ago turns out to not be what archaeologists thought

An American aid worker in France writes a letter back home for a wounded soldier in 1918.

World War I Letters From Generals to Doughboys Voice the Sorrow of Fighting a War

An exhibition at the National Postal Museum displays a rare letter from General John Pershing

A poster by artist Edward Penfield promotes The Woman’s Land Army of America, created to encourage women to step into agricultural jobs after men were called into military service.

These Powerful Posters Persuaded Americans It Was Time to Join the Fight

The Smithsonian offers a rare opportunity to see an original iconic Uncle Sam “I Want You” poster, among others, of the World War I era

Great War memorial

World War I: 100 Years Later

Why It Matters Whether Students Learn About World War I in American History or World History Class

Some of the most important lessons of the Great War get lost between the two approaches

The Carnes arm had a complicated mechanism that controlled the movement of wrist and fingers.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

How World War I Influenced the Evolution of Modern Medicine

Medical technology and roles during World War I are highlighted in a new display at the National Museum of American History

Women of the Signal Corps run General Pershing's switchboard at the First Army headquarters.

World War I: 100 Years Later

Women On the Frontlines of WWI Came to Operate Telephones

The “Hello Girls” risked their lives to run military communications—and were denied recognition when they returned home

President Woodrow Wilson addresses Congress

World War I: 100 Years Later

How Woodrow Wilson’s War Speech to Congress Changed Him – and the Nation

In 70 days in 1917, President Wilson converted from peace advocate to war president

“I am now a member of the 95th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group,” Quentin Roosevelt proudly announced to his mother on June 25, 1918. “I’m on the front—cheers, oh cheers—and I’m very happy.”

World War I Letters Show Theodore Roosevelt’s Unbearable Grief After the Death of his Son

A rich trove of letters in the new book “My Fellow Soldiers” tells the stories of generals, doughboys, doctors and nurses, and those on the home front

Albrecht Dittrich as a student, just a few years before he came to the U.S. under the name Jack Barsky as a KGB spy.

How a KGB Spy Defected and Became a U.S. Citizen

Jack Barsky wanted to stay in the country, so he let the Soviets think he was dead

Begging has a long, complicated history in England and the U.S. and professional beggars were often seen as people not deserving of aid.

The Myth of Professional Beggars Spawned Today’s Enduring Stereotypes

In England and the United States, the fear of beggars gave rise to a number of justifications for why they shouldn’t be helped

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