American Presidents

The years when the teenage Lincoln was an accomplished prankster are retold in an old Smithsonian radio broadcast.

When Abraham Lincoln Played Prankster-in-Chief

Old is new again, as Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast revisits a radio drama from 1938

"The Young Lincoln" James Lee Hansen

‘Hot Lincoln’ Stands in Long Line of Attractive Presidential Sculpture

Before hot Lincoln, there was ripped Washington, nude Napoleon and muscular ancient Greek sculptures

George Washington, (Porthole type) by Rembrandt Peale, c. 1853

George Washington and I Go Way Back—Or So Goes the Tale of My Family's Cane

An heirloom is charged with both sentiment and purely speculative history

Muir and Roosevelt posed at Glacier Point in Yosemite.

Hike in the Footsteps of Teddy Roosevelt

Energetic Teddy was a hiking fanatic—follow his trail on these trips

The train carrying President George H. W. Bush, following in the tradition of Lincoln, Garfield and Eisenhower, will travel along a published 70-mile route so that mourners can gather along the way to witness the journey.

The Somber History of the Presidential Funeral Train

This grand tradition has allowed Americans across the country to pay their respects to the chief executive

George H.W. Bush (1924-2018). Photograph by William Coupon.

Looking Back at George H.W. Bush’s Lifelong Career of Public Service

The former President, dead at 94 years old, was noteworthy for his “humanity and decency,” says a Smithsonian historian

An engraving of James A. Garfield's assassination, published in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper

The Garfield Assassination Altered American History, But Is Woefully Forgotten Today

A newly installed historical marker recognizes the site where Charles Guiteau shot the president in 1881

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis

Why Museums Should Be Proud Polling Sites

The head of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site calls upon his colleagues to engage with their community by opening their doors to voting

Several young plaintiffs and their families had already planned to live in Eugene, Oregon, during the now-delayed trial—which was set to begin in a lower court in the state on Oct. 29—in order to stay on track in school.

Supreme Court Orders Pause in Landmark Climate Change Case Led By Youth

21 children and young people are suing the United States government over policies they say contribute to climate change

Gelatin silver print of Theodore Roosevelt. Dimensions: Mount: 9 × 17.9 cm (3 9/16 × 7 1/16")

Library of Congress Digitizes Its Huge Trove of Teddy Roosevelt Papers

Among the thousands of documents is a letter containing the first use of the president’s famed maxim: ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick’

This 1860 portrait of Abraham Lincoln, believed to be by John C. Wolfe, depicts the young presidential nominee without his signature beard

More Than 700 Lincoln Collectibles Are Set to Go on Auction

Historian Harold Holzer amassed his extraordinary collection of lithographs, prints and assorted Lincolniana over the course of half a century

The couch on which Freud’s patients lay became identified with psychoanalysis itself. He shipped it to London when he left Vienna.

What Drove Sigmund Freud to Write a Scandalous Biography of Woodrow Wilson?

The founder of psychoanalysis collaborated with a junior American diplomat to lambaste the former president

The Air Force's X-37B space plane.

The U.S. Military Has Been in Space From the Beginning

While the proposed branch of the armed forces may be controversial, the history of the so-called "Space Force" is longstanding

Roosevelt and LeHand.

Rare Home Movies Show the Private Lives of the Roosevelts

The 16mm film depicts the first couple picnicking, boating, and socializing with their friends, family and advisors

At a time when factional tensions on Earth were running rampant, Earthrise served to remind us of our cosmic insignificance.

These Images From 1968 Capture an America in Violent Flux

A one-room show at the National Portrait Gallery is a hauntingly relevant 50-year-old time capsule

Calvin Coolidge, stoic as ever, with his ebullient wife Grace.

For His Patriotic Birthday, Five Facts About Calvin Coolidge

On Coolidge’s would-be 146th birthday, celebrate with some little-known facts about our 30th President

A cartoon entitled "At the Polls," depicting an election day brawl, that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1857.

Why Are There Laws That Restrict What People Can Wear to the Polls?

A new Supreme Court ruling changes the course of a century-long debate over speech and conduct when voting

Monticello's main house and South Wing

Putting Enslaved Families' Stories Back in the Monticello Narrative

An oral history project deepens our understanding of U.S. history by sharing accounts of the community owned by Thomas Jefferson

Woodrow Wilson at his desk in the Oval Office c. 1913.

Woodrow Wilson's Papers Go Digital, Leaving Microfiche Behind

This increased accessibility of Wilson’s papers coincides with a new wave of interest in the 28th president

Stovepipe hat believed to have belonged to Abraham Lincoln, along with the bloodstained gloves he carried on the night of his assassination.

The Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation May Have to Auction Off Precious Artifacts

A bloodstained pair of gloves, which the president wore on the night of his assassination, is among the relics that could be sold to pay off a hefty loan

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