In 1866, Joseph A. Joel, a Jewish private in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, wrote a detailed account of an 1862 Passover Seder. (Public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

How Jewish Soldiers Celebrated Passover in the Midst of the Civil War

A group of Union men from Ohio held a makeshift Seder in the western Virginia woods in 1862

Kellie B. Gormly

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Scientists Uncover Bones of Massive Extinct Snake, Comparable in Size to the 43-Foot Titanoboa

Were Stonehenge's Builders Guided by the Moon?

SPONSOR: AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY

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Extensive Desert 'Lava Tubes' Sheltered Humans for 7,000 Years, Archaeologists Find

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Why Didn't the First Earth Day's Predictions Come True? It's Complicated

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Scientists Translate Sleeping Birds' Silent Songs Into Sound—and They May Have Recorded a Nightmare

Is Geothermal Power Heating Up as an Energy Source?

Call Oregon's Poetry Hotline to Hear a New Poem Every Day This Month

SMITHSONIAN VOICES

Meet the Smithsonian Fellow Alumni Helping to Save the Planet

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Angler Reels in 67-Pound Goldfish in France

You Can Now Visit Mussolini's Underground Bunker in Rome

How Breaking Went From a Street Dance to an Olympic Sport

On this day in 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated, marking the start of a mass environmental movement that highlights climate consciousness and advocacy. This year marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day.

Read more about what we've learned about our planet since the first Earth Day.

The View

© Karissa Rosen