https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/american-history/RSS feed for American HistoryenFri, 11 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/in-the-aftermath-of-911-milton-glaser-creator-of-the-i-love-ny-logo-declared-that-he-loved-new-york-city-more-than-ever-180989475/The graphic designer revamped his world-famous emblem in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The updated design underscored the city's resilience in the face of tragedyFri, 11 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/in-the-aftermath-of-911-milton-glaser-creator-of-the-i-love-ny-logo-declared-that-he-loved-new-york-city-more-than-ever-180989475/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/girl-scouts-of-america-announces-a-first-for-its-iconic-cookie-lineup-one-created-exclusively-for-dogs-180989479/For the first time in its 109-year history of cookie sales, the organization offers a custom-made sweet treat for four-legged friendsThu, 10 Sep 2026 19:28:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/girl-scouts-of-america-announces-a-first-for-its-iconic-cookie-lineup-one-created-exclusively-for-dogs-180989479/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-legendary-132-year-old-dime-recently-sold-for-more-than-12-million-at-auction-what-makes-it-so-extraordinary-180989476/Only 24 of the 1894-S Barber dimes were minted in San Francisco in June 1894, and just nine known specimens exist todayWed, 09 Sep 2026 19:33:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-legendary-132-year-old-dime-recently-sold-for-more-than-12-million-at-auction-what-makes-it-so-extraordinary-180989476/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/secretary-lonnie-bunch-announces-retirement-head-smithsonian-38-years-service-institution-180989460/With a storied career dating back to the 1970s, Bunch leaves a remarkable legacy, most notably the founding of the National Museum of African American History and CultureTue, 08 Sep 2026 16:18:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/secretary-lonnie-bunch-announces-retirement-head-smithsonian-38-years-service-institution-180989460/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-did-the-nation-get-its-name-other-suggestions-included-the-united-colonies-columbia-and-the-united-states-of-alleghania-180989435/The nascent country adopted its name 250 years ago, on September 9, 1776. Americans have debated the moniker ever since. One congressman even proposed the "United States of the Earth"Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-did-the-nation-get-its-name-other-suggestions-included-the-united-colonies-columbia-and-the-united-states-of-alleghania-180989435/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/before-vegas-hot-springs-americas-sin-city-arkansas-spa-town-embraces-colorful-seedy-history-180989288/A life-size statue of Al Capone greets downtown visitors, and you can stay in his hotel suite. The town where gangsters once vacationed with movie stars and athletes is still open for a getawayWed, 02 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/before-vegas-hot-springs-americas-sin-city-arkansas-spa-town-embraces-colorful-seedy-history-180989288/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-alabama-hotel-linked-civil-rights-movement-is-falling-apart-can-conservationists-fighting-to-save-it-turn-the-tide-180989407/Selma's Edistone Hotel has witnessed pivotal chapters in American history, from Reconstruction to "Bloody Sunday." Now, after years of neglect and a recent wall collapse, the Conservation Fund is working to secure its futureThu, 27 Aug 2026 18:35:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-alabama-hotel-linked-civil-rights-movement-is-falling-apart-can-conservationists-fighting-to-save-it-turn-the-tide-180989407/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-american-commando-parachuted-behind-enemy-lines-in-both-the-european-and-pacific-theaters-of-world-war-ii-180989396/A direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson, Francis Lowell Coolidge was an agent with the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the CIA. Read his goodbye letter to his wife, published here for the first timeThu, 27 Aug 2026 12:33:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-american-commando-parachuted-behind-enemy-lines-in-both-the-european-and-pacific-theaters-of-world-war-ii-180989396/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dolly-parton-was-one-of-the-biggest-stars-in-the-history-of-country-music-she-wanted-to-be-remembered-as-a-songwriter-180989405/After growing up in poverty, she became famous for her legendary songs, big heart and larger-than-life style. But the iconic musician insisted that "the songs lead to everything else"Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:58:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dolly-parton-was-one-of-the-biggest-stars-in-the-history-of-country-music-she-wanted-to-be-remembered-as-a-songwriter-180989405/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-carpenter-california-found-nugget-gold-started-rush-toward-nothing-less-modern-world-180989283/A new book by historian Nathaniel Philbrick makes the case that James Marshall’s 1848 discovery set in motion events from the Civil War to the rise of Silicon ValleyFri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-carpenter-california-found-nugget-gold-started-rush-toward-nothing-less-modern-world-180989283/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-american-airplane-crashed-into-school-1944-english-village-lost-almost-all-of-its-youngest-children-why-has-wwii-worst-civilian-aviation-accident-been-forgotten-180989341/On August 23, 1944, a test flight over the village of Freckleton, located in northwest England, ended in disaster, claiming the lives of 61 people, including 38 students between the ages of 4 and 6Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-american-airplane-crashed-into-school-1944-english-village-lost-almost-all-of-its-youngest-children-why-has-wwii-worst-civilian-aviation-accident-been-forgotten-180989341/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/inside-fight-to-save-300-year-old-tree-that-survived-revolutionary-war-battle-180989357/Arborists are working to preserve the 45-foot-tall live oak in South Carolina's Eutaw Springs Battlefield Park. The historic tree suffered damage during a lightning strike 50 years agoTue, 18 Aug 2026 15:50:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/inside-fight-to-save-300-year-old-tree-that-survived-revolutionary-war-battle-180989357/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-connecticut-teenager-spied-on-the-british-during-the-american-revolution-succeeding-where-nathan-hale-failed-180989309/Newly uncovered documents reveal the story of David Maltbie, who relayed intelligence to the patriots in 1776, narrowly avoiding execution as a spyMon, 17 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-connecticut-teenager-spied-on-the-british-during-the-american-revolution-succeeding-where-nathan-hale-failed-180989309/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-submarine-restoration-reveals-a-hidden-connection-to-a-lost-sister-ship-that-sank-during-world-war-ii-180989340/Experts working on the USS "Silversides" found a flood valve that appears to have been destined for its sister ship, the USS "Trigger." The vessel sank in the East China Sea on March 28, 1945Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:01:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-submarine-restoration-reveals-a-hidden-connection-to-a-lost-sister-ship-that-sank-during-world-war-ii-180989340/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/way-bandy-was-one-of-the-most-influential-makeup-artists-in-the-world-he-challenged-stigmas-in-the-1980s-by-making-sure-his-death-from-aids-was-widely-known-180989330/He instructed the executors of his will to make his specific cause of death from the disease public during a time when many others feared doing soThu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/way-bandy-was-one-of-the-most-influential-makeup-artists-in-the-world-he-challenged-stigmas-in-the-1980s-by-making-sure-his-death-from-aids-was-widely-known-180989330/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-hessians-were-supposed-to-quickly-end-the-american-revolution-instead-they-endured-years-of-battles-and-suffered-thousands-of-casualties-180989252/Some 30,000 German soldiers fought for the British during the war. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't mercenaries, and not all were actually HessiansThu, 13 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-hessians-were-supposed-to-quickly-end-the-american-revolution-instead-they-endured-years-of-battles-and-suffered-thousands-of-casualties-180989252/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-historian-at-mit-discovered-the-surprising-truth-about-this-chinese-label-long-thought-to-be-a-souvenir-of-the-boston-tea-party-180989328/The saga of the artifact displayed at Boston's Old South Meeting House demonstrates how the study of history evolvesWed, 12 Aug 2026 21:17:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-historian-at-mit-discovered-the-surprising-truth-about-this-chinese-label-long-thought-to-be-a-souvenir-of-the-boston-tea-party-180989328/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-box-of-300-love-letters-showed-up-out-of-the-blue-who-was-the-whimsical-world-war-ii-soldier-who-wrote-them-180989300/Nobody knows who dropped Speedy Weber's correspondence at a USO office in 2022. Researchers have finally tracked down two living relatives who remember himMon, 10 Aug 2026 15:02:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-box-of-300-love-letters-showed-up-out-of-the-blue-who-was-the-whimsical-world-war-ii-soldier-who-wrote-them-180989300/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-serpentine-sculpture-inspired-by-benjamin-franklins-join-or-die-call-for-unity-is-taking-shape-segment-by-segment-in-philadelphia-180989263/Created by John Collins, the 46-foot-long granite artwork inspired by an 18th-century political cartoon is slated to be unveiled on Independence Mall sometime this fallWed, 05 Aug 2026 14:16:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-serpentine-sculpture-inspired-by-benjamin-franklins-join-or-die-call-for-unity-is-taking-shape-segment-by-segment-in-philadelphia-180989263/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/this-fall-discover-williamsburgs-one-of-a-kind-haunted-history-180989117/With nearly 400 years of history, Williamsburg, Virginia, is brimming with ghostly talesWed, 05 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/this-fall-discover-williamsburgs-one-of-a-kind-haunted-history-180989117/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-early-biplanes-documented-the-arctic-captured-newsreel-footage-and-witnessed-lindberghs-historic-flight-now-a-rare-example-will-hang-in-a-museum-180989253/The Cradle of Aviation Museum recently acquired a Curtiss Oriole, three-seat biplane manufactured at a nearby Garden City factoryTue, 04 Aug 2026 15:17:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-early-biplanes-documented-the-arctic-captured-newsreel-footage-and-witnessed-lindberghs-historic-flight-now-a-rare-example-will-hang-in-a-museum-180989253/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-used-this-civil-war-artifact-as-a-paperweight-on-his-desk-the-bomb-squad-told-him-it-was-actually-a-live-explosive-180989245/The device turned out to be an artillery shell designed for a Parrott rifle in the mid-1800s. Experts safely detonated it at a firing range near San AntonioMon, 03 Aug 2026 19:40:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-used-this-civil-war-artifact-as-a-paperweight-on-his-desk-the-bomb-squad-told-him-it-was-actually-a-live-explosive-180989245/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-history-of-the-beach-read-from-19th-century-moral-debasement-to-booktok-180989238/The still-popular genre got its start 150 years ago, when publishers profited off the rise of travel in the United States during an otherwise slow publishing seasonMon, 03 Aug 2026 14:22:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-history-of-the-beach-read-from-19th-century-moral-debasement-to-booktok-180989238/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/stanford-universitys-founding-matriarch-was-a-travel-loving-philanthropist-who-met-a-tragic-end-a-new-exhibition-explores-her-life-grief-and-death-by-poison-180989211/Jane Stanford's legacy is the focus of a new showcase at the California university. The display features artifacts that have never previously been exhibitedThu, 30 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/stanford-universitys-founding-matriarch-was-a-travel-loving-philanthropist-who-met-a-tragic-end-a-new-exhibition-explores-her-life-grief-and-death-by-poison-180989211/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tsa-officers-found-five-cannonballs-stolen-from-a-civil-war-fort-in-a-checked-suitcase-at-an-alabama-airport-180989212/The inert artifacts gave security officers in Gulf Shores a good scare. Investigators say the weapons came from Fort Morgan, which guards Mobile BayTue, 28 Jul 2026 19:42:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tsa-officers-found-five-cannonballs-stolen-from-a-civil-war-fort-in-a-checked-suitcase-at-an-alabama-airport-180989212/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-1863-massacre-was-the-deadliest-slaughter-of-native-americans-in-us-history-now-the-shoshone-are-restoring-the-site-of-the-attack-180989200/Amid mounting tensions between white settlers and the Shoshone, Union soldiers killed an estimated 250 to 500 Shoshone. Today, the Indigenous nation is working to bring "nature back into balance"Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-1863-massacre-was-the-deadliest-slaughter-of-native-americans-in-us-history-now-the-shoshone-are-restoring-the-site-of-the-attack-180989200/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1950s-airplane-disaster-prompted-the-flight-safety-demonstrations-passengers-know-today-seachers-just-found-the-wreckage-in-the-atlantic-ocean-180989170/A team of explorers used an autonomous underwater vehicle to locate the remains of the Pan American ‘Clipper Endeavor’ about five miles off the coast of Puerto RicoWed, 22 Jul 2026 15:02:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1950s-airplane-disaster-prompted-the-flight-safety-demonstrations-passengers-know-today-seachers-just-found-the-wreckage-in-the-atlantic-ocean-180989170/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volunteer-stumbled-upon-a-strange-document-in-the-uk-national-archives-it-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-copy-of-the-declaration-of-independence-printed-in-july-1776-180989169/Michael Scurr, a retired insurance broker, found the text while cataloging boxes of 18th-century correspondence housed at the London archives. It's the only known copy of its kind outside the United StatesTue, 21 Jul 2026 19:23:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volunteer-stumbled-upon-a-strange-document-in-the-uk-national-archives-it-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-copy-of-the-declaration-of-independence-printed-in-july-1776-180989169/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-19th-century-diary-written-by-an-enslaved-maryland-man-is-a-crucial-record-of-his-life-and-family-historyand-the-only-one-of-its-kind-found-in-the-united-states-180989146/Adam Francis Plummer’s chronicle is believed to be the country’s sole known example of a multigenerational journal begun by an enslaved person. It’s now on view at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community MuseumFri, 17 Jul 2026 18:30:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-19th-century-diary-written-by-an-enslaved-maryland-man-is-a-crucial-record-of-his-life-and-family-historyand-the-only-one-of-its-kind-found-in-the-united-states-180989146/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thomas-jeffersons-original-rough-draft-of-the-declaration-of-independence-can-be-seen-at-library-of-congress-180989113/The new exhibition, which shows how the document was edited, also features an early copy of the Gettysburg AddressTue, 14 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thomas-jeffersons-original-rough-draft-of-the-declaration-of-independence-can-be-seen-at-library-of-congress-180989113/