Propaganda | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/propaganda/RSS feed for PropagandaenWed, 18 Feb 2026 11:30:00 +0000One of the Allies’ Secret Weapons Against the Nazis Was a 21-Year-Old Woman Armed With a Microphone and a Script of Lieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/allies-secret-weapons-against-nazis-woman-armed-microphone-script-lies-180988094/As “Vicky With Three Kisses,” she strategically sweet-talked and sang to German troops over the airwaves of Europe. But Agnes Bernauer didn’t mean anything she was sayingWed, 18 Feb 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/allies-secret-weapons-against-nazis-woman-armed-microphone-script-lies-180988094/These Daring Revolutionary-Era Artists Promoted the Patriot Cause From the Heart of Enemy Territoryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-daring-revolutionary-era-artists-promoted-the-patriot-cause-from-the-heart-of-enemy-territory-180986876/A new book explores how painters, sculptors and writers, especially women and people of color, used their craft to advocate for American independence while living in George III's capital cityTue, 01 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-daring-revolutionary-era-artists-promoted-the-patriot-cause-from-the-heart-of-enemy-territory-180986876/Boxes Full of Nazi Propaganda Discovered in the Basement of Argentina's Supreme Courthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/boxes-full-of-nazi-propaganda-discovered-in-the-basement-of-argentinas-supreme-court-180986628/Workers found crates packed with swastika-covered notebooks, postcards and photographs while preparing to move the court's archives to a new museumTue, 20 May 2025 14:11:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/boxes-full-of-nazi-propaganda-discovered-in-the-basement-of-argentinas-supreme-court-180986628/Carrots Can't Help You See in the Dark. Here's How a World War II Propaganda Campaign Popularized the Mythhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/carrots-cant-help-you-see-in-the-dark-heres-how-world-war-ii-propaganda-campaign-popularized-the-myth-28812484/The British government claimed that eating carrots helped its fighter pilots shoot down German planes at night. In truth, the Royal Air Force relied on top-secret radarTue, 13 Aug 2013 12:08:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/carrots-cant-help-you-see-in-the-dark-heres-how-world-war-ii-propaganda-campaign-popularized-the-myth-28812484/A Rare Coin Depicting Brutus, Caesar's Infamous Assassin, Sells for $2 Millionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-coin-depicting-brutus-caesars-infamous-assassin-sells-for-2-million-180985623/Following the murder in 44 B.C.E., Brutus minted the gold aureus to promote his own image and celebrate his military victoriesThu, 12 Dec 2024 20:00:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-coin-depicting-brutus-caesars-infamous-assassin-sells-for-2-million-180985623/World War II 'Rumor Clinics' Helped America Battle Wild Gossiphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/world-war-ii-rumor-clinics-helped-america-battle-wild-gossip-180983883/Newspapers and magazines across the United States published weekly columns debunking lurid claims that were detrimental to the war effortWed, 06 Mar 2024 14:35:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/world-war-ii-rumor-clinics-helped-america-battle-wild-gossip-180983883/As Empires Clashed During World War I, a Global Media Industry Brought the Conflict's Horrors to the Publichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/as-empires-clashed-during-world-war-i-a-global-media-industry-brought-the-conflicts-horrors-to-the-public-180983605/An exhibition at LACMA traces the roots of modern media to the Great War, when propaganda mobilized the masses, and questions whether the brutal truths of the battlefield can ever really be communicatedThu, 18 Jan 2024 15:45:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/as-empires-clashed-during-world-war-i-a-global-media-industry-brought-the-conflicts-horrors-to-the-public-180983605/The American Soldier Whose Fear of Fighting in Vietnam Led Him to Defect to North Korea. He Stayed There for 40 Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-american-soldier-whose-fear-of-fighting-in-vietnam-led-him-to-defect-to-north-korea-he-stayed-there-for-40-years-180983530/During his time in the repressive country, Charles Robert Jenkins married a Japanese abductee, taught English at a school and appeared in propaganda filmsThu, 04 Jan 2024 12:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-american-soldier-whose-fear-of-fighting-in-vietnam-led-him-to-defect-to-north-korea-he-stayed-there-for-40-years-180983530/Amid the Horrors of the Holocaust, Jewish Musicians Composed Songs of Survivalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/horrors-holocaust-jewish-musicians-composed-songs-survival-terezin-180982704/At the Terezin concentration camp, some of Europe's top artists found solace in creating new work. Today one musician is determined to give them an encoreTue, 29 Aug 2023 12:10:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/horrors-holocaust-jewish-musicians-composed-songs-survival-terezin-180982704/How Disney Propaganda Shaped Life on the Home Front During WWIIhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-disney-propaganda-shaped-life-on-the-home-front-during-wwii-180979057/A traveling exhibition traces how the animation studio mobilized to support the Allied war effortMon, 11 Jul 2022 10:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-disney-propaganda-shaped-life-on-the-home-front-during-wwii-180979057/