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History / World History

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Ike at D-Day

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower’s defining moment comes to life in an excerpt from Michael Korda’s best-selling new biography

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Digging up Egypt’s Treasures

The ten most significant discoveries in the past 20 years

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Symbolically Speaking

A Q&A with hieroglyphs expert Janice Kamrin

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Understanding the Lasting Allure of the Rosetta Stone

An Egyptologist explains the importance of the artifact

Amenhotep III (a granite head from the temple complex is his best extant portrait) was succeeded by his son Akhenaten, who revolutionized Egypt's religion—temporarily.

Rebellious Son

Amenhotep III was succeeded by one of the first known monotheists

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Unearthing Egypt’s Greatest Temple

Discovering the grandeur of the monument built 3,400 years ago

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The Big Picture

Political historian Jeremi Suri has come up with a new way of looking at the links between the low and the mighty

After three months of battling the U.S. 7th cavalry—which is charged with moving his people to a distant reservation or killing them—and a 1,700-mile trek toward Canada, Nez Perce chief Joseph surrenders, October 5, 1877.

October Anniversaries

Momentous or merely memorable

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A Brief History of Scotland Yard

Investigating London’s famous police force and some of its most infamous cases

Because of Portugal's explorations, Europeans were also made aware of exotic animals ("The Rhinoceros," by Albrecht Dürer, 1515).

When Portugal Ruled the Seas

The country’s global adventurism in the 16th century linked continents and cultures as never before, as a new exhibition makes clear

Amber Room

A Brief History of the Amber Room

Dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the room that once symbolized peace was stolen by Nazis then disappeared for good

A field crew in Kenya excavates a Homo erectus skull.

Head Case

Two fossils found in Kenya raise evolutionary questions

Researchers collect core samples in 2001. During drilling operations, several anchors placed by divers secured the boat to the sea floor.

Underwater World

New evidence reveals a city beneath ancient Alexandria

Cubans had fought vehemently for independence from Spain from the 1860s to the 1890s, but by the 20th century, the country had become beholden economically to the United States (a Cuban street, with a classic American car, today).

Before the Revolution

Socialites and celebrities flocked to Cuba in the 1950s

"I think the most surprising thing was how Hemingway is still so alive [in Cuba]," says Valerie Hemingway.

Barefoot Hemingway

Valerie Hemingway, author of “Hemingway’s Cuba, Cuba’s Hemingway,” talks about pirated novels and Papa’s living legend

Saffron-robed monks enter the Bayon, which stands in the precise center of the King Jayavarman VII's temple city of Angkor Thom.

Jewel of the Jungle

Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor’s ancient temples

On March 15, 1781, American forces inflicted heavy losses on the British Army at Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina. The redcoats had seemed invincible only a few months before.

100 Days That Shook the World

The all-but-forgotten story of the unlikely hero who ensured victory in the American Revolution

Wimbledon has been more than a site for the greatest players to shine; often, it has shaped the entire sport.

A Brief History of Wimbledon

From a 19th century garden-party event to today’s international spectacle, the storied tournament has defined tennis

"Getting to the Pacific by ship, without having to go over land, was the biggest challenge of that period," says Helen Nadar. "[Magellan's] the one that solved it" (above, a color engraving).

The Man Who Sailed the World

Ferdinand Magellan’s global journey gave him fame, but took his life

One of the few entryways into Petra is a narrow passage, the Siq, at the end of which Petrans carved elaborate monuments into the soft rock.

Reconstructing Petra

Two thousand years ago, it was the capital of a powerful trading empire. Now archaeologists are piecing together a picture of Jordan’s compelling rock city

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