Articles tagged as Crime | Smithsonian Magazine

Earlier this month a researcher stabbed another individual at Bellinghausen Station after suffering an “emotional breakdown”

October 25, 2018

An 1887 illustration by British artist Hablot Knight Browne of “resurrectionists” stealing dead bodies from a graveyard.

In Need of Cadavers, 19th-Century Medical Students Raided Baltimore’s Graves

With a half-dozen medical schools and a shortage of bodies, grave robbing thrived—and with no consequences for the culprits

October 25, 2018

More than half of Americans of European descent could be matched to a third cousin or closer through anonymous DNA samples

You Could Be Identified Through a Genealogy Database—Even If Your DNA Hasn’t Been Tested

New study finds that approximately 60 percent of people of European-descent in the U.S. can be matched to a third cousin or closer

October 15, 2018

The street artist hid a built-in shredder in the frame of the artwork when he created it in 2006

October 8, 2018

A cartoon from a U.S. newspaper from 1880 reads: 'Terrorism in the South. Citizens beaten and shot at."

The Deadliest Massacre in Reconstruction-Era Louisiana Happened 150 Years Ago

In September 1868, Southern white Democrats hunted down around 200 African-Americans in an effort to suppress voter turnout

September 28, 2018

Did Murder Help Catalyze Thomas Gainsborough’s Early Career?

New documentary evidence suggests the famed artist’s uncle and cousin were victims of targeted killings

September 27, 2018

New genetic evidence confirms that ivory poaching in Africa involves only a few powerful players who consolidate the goods for illegal trade abroad.

How DNA Testing Could Bring Down Ivory Trade’s Biggest Criminals

Genetic testing exposes three major cartels illegally trafficking ivory out of several African countries

September 19, 2018

The shoes were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and were recently recovered in Minneapolis

September 4, 2018

Thousands of Creepy Crawlies Stolen From Philadelphia Insectarium

Police suspect three current or former employees swiped the animals

August 31, 2018

Ben Kingsley stars as Adolf Eichmann in Operation Finale

Based on a True Story

The True Story of “Operation Finale”

Director Chris Weitz explores the 1960 hunt for Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in the new feature film

August 28, 2018

A new system at Kenya’s port of Mombasa allows dogs to detect elephant tusk, rhino horn and other illegal goods with one quick sniff

August 28, 2018

LIDAR can detect changes in the ground over time.

Driverless Car Technology Could Help Find Unmarked Graves

The same LIDAR technology that lets driverless cars “see” their surroundings can be used to spot changes in a landscape indicative of grave sites

August 9, 2018

After Being Stolen in Baby Stroller, Miss Helen the Shark Is Back at San Antonio Aquarium

Two men and one woman are suspected of swiping Miss Helen in a planned heist

August 6, 2018

Elaine Defendants, Helena, Phillips County, Ark., ca. 1910,

The Massacre of Black Sharecroppers That Led the Supreme Court to Curb the Racial Disparities of the Justice System

White Arkansans, fearful of what would happen if African-Americans organized, took violent action, but it was the victims who ended up standing trial

August 2, 2018

Why Al Capone Wasn’t Your Typical Discreet Gangster

Al Capone wasn’t just one of the biggest distributers of bootleg alcohol during Prohibition, he also embraced his notoriety in some flamboyant ways

July 23, 2018

The Unexpected Afterlife of Ill-Gotten Wildlife Goods

Contraband pelts and scales can serve as educational tools, add to research collections and even offer clues back to smugglers

July 20, 2018

The monument to the nine black parishioners slain in Charleston in 2015 will include two wing-like benches that arc around a marble fountain

July 18, 2018

Black and white photographic print of Emmet Till and his mother, Mamie Till Mobley.

The Justice Department Has Reopened Its Investigation into the Murder of Emmett Till

A report states that the department received “new information” connected to the case

July 12, 2018

Queen Elizabeth examines the bones of Charles Byrne in 1962.

Activists want the bones of Charles Byrne to be buried according to his wishes

June 26, 2018

An authentic copy of a letter written by Christopher Columbus as displayed at the Vatican. The United States is returning to the Vatican Library a letter written by Christopher Columbus in 1493 announcing his discovery of the New World that was stolen and replaced with a forgery.

Stolen Christopher Columbus Letter Returned to Vatican, But Mystery Persists

The letter, which had been printed in 1493, was replaced with a convincing fake—and investigators still don’t know who committed the crime

June 19, 2018