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History / World History

Guided only by phone GPS, Salar, left, and Saif crossed the Aegean. “I downloaded every possible map,” says Salar.

A Modern Odyssey: Two Iraqi Refugees Tell Their Harrowing Story

Fleeing violence in Iraq, two close friends embarked on an epic journey across Europe—and ended up worlds apart

Sefton Delmer reads in the radio booth in 1941.

Fighting the Nazis With Fake News

A new documentary rediscovers a World War II campaign that was stranger than nonfiction

Beginning as a religious feast day, Saint Patrick's Day has become an international celebration of Irish heritage.

The Origins of Chicago’s Green River, Shamrock Shakes and Other Surprising Trivia About St. Patrick’s Day

From colonial patriots to mass-marketed milkshakes, the Irish religious holiday has morphed into a worldwide celebration

Hitler used Mercedes cars as part of his stagecraft, presenting a foreboding image of Nazi Germany.

Why Americans Flocked to Catch a Glimpse of Hitler’s Car

At carnivals and state fairs across the country, curious onlookers were drawn to the Fuhrer’s chariot

Group with flags in the forest: Michael Walter, Miklos Roth, Szlama Weichselblatt, Avram Leder, Halina Bryks, Naftali Steinberg, Roman Kniker, Jakob Kahan

This Orphanage Did More Than Find Homes for Children of the Holocaust. It Helped Them Reclaim Their Humanity

Run by the United Nations, Kloster Indersdorf took a revolutionary approach in caring for its charges

Nicholas II with guards outside the imperial palace.

Russian Revolution

The Abdication of Nicholas II Left Russia Without a Czar for the First Time in 300 Years

Events in Saint Petersburg 100 years ago brought the end to the Romanov dynasty

How a Soap Opera Virus Felled Hundreds of Students in Portugal

The “Strawberries With Sugar” outbreak is just one example of mass hysteria, which goes back centuries

Einstein enjoyed a 20-year friendship with African-American civil rights leader and actor Paul Robeson (far right). Also shown are former vice president Henry Wallace (left) and Lewis L. Wallace of Princeton University (second from right).

How Albert Einstein Used His Fame to Denounce American Racism

The world-renowned physicist was never one to just stick to the science

A collage of the work distributed by the British propaganda effort.

History of Now

The Fake British Radio Show That Helped Defeat the Nazis

By spreading fake news and sensational rumors, intelligence officials leveraged “psychological judo” against the Nazis in World War II

Children have been crippled by land mines in Cambodia.

The Historic Innovation of Land Mines—And Why We’ve Struggled to Get Rid of Them

A number of researchers are developing tools to defuse or detonate land mines without harming civilians

The remnants of a Viking barn still stand at what had been the settlement of Gardar.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Why Did Greenland’s Vikings Vanish?

Newly discovered evidence is upending our understanding of how early settlers made a life on the island — and why they suddenly disappeared

Abraham Lincoln Rocks in Tijuana

Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico

As a young Congressman and later as the nation’s leader, the first Republican president proved to be a true friend to America’s neighbor to the south

David Monteleone’s self-portrait as Lenin in Trelleborg, Sweden, where the Russian revolutionary arrived by ferry from Germany.

Russian Revolution

Vladimir Lenin’s Return Journey to Russia Changed the World Forever

On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, our writer set out from Zurich to relive this epic travel

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