Articles tagged as Crime | Smithsonian Magazine

Tusks from an $8 million shipment intercepted in Singapore

There’s a New Tool in the Fight Against Elephant Poaching

An American biologist wields an innovative weapon against the illegal trade in African ivory

January 2017

After a 2011 version of this statue was installed outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul, they began to pop up around the world.

She’s a silent reminder of the plight of hundreds of thousands of women forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II

January 3, 2017

How Chemicals Left Behind on Your Phone Could Identify You

Mass spectrometry is finding a new role in forensic science

December 14, 2016

The gate stolen from Dachau concentration camp

The metal gate bearing the slogan Arbeit Macht Freiwas recently found outside the city of Bergen

December 6, 2016

An FBI photo of the airplane D.B. Cooper hijacked.

Cool Finds

You Can Help Try to Track Down D.B. Cooper’s True Identity by Digging Through FBI Files

A crowdsourced project is trying to identify the infamous skyjacker once and for all

November 30, 2016

Workers from the Kenya Wildlife Service carry elephant tusks from shipping containers full of ivory transported from around the country for a mass anti-poaching demonstration.

New Research

Most Ivory for Sale Comes From Recently Killed Elephants—Suggesting Poaching Is Taking Its Toll

Carbon dating finds that almost all trafficked ivory comes from animals killed less than three years before their tusks hit the market

November 7, 2016

As much as possible of the ad-hoc memorial that arose outside the headquarters of the Dallas Police after the shootings of five officers this year will be preserved in the city's public library.

A fundraising effort looks to make remnants of the city’s tragic shootings available for future generations

November 4, 2016

Chicago gangster Al Capone wearing a bathing suit at his Florida home. Ca. 1929-31

Seeking the Humanity of Al Capone

Through interviews with his descendants, one biographer sees the family man behind the infamous gangster

October 24, 2016

Christopher Isherwood and poet W.H. Auden (right) were romantic partners, but their sexual relationship in the 1930s was punishable by criminal prosecution in England.

The private member’s bill will not go ahead

Updated: October 21, 2016 | Originally Published: October 21, 2016

The creators of SurviVR consulted with members of the FBI and the NYPD, various intelligence analysts, Navy Seals and other security, terrorism and survival experts.

Face an Active Shooter in Virtual Reality, and You May Be Better Prepared to Survive a Real-Life Encounter

A new VR program called SurviVR aims to train employees how to deal with an active shooter situation in the workplace

October 20, 2016

Cool Finds

How Virtual Reality Is Helping Prosecute Nazi War Criminals

A new, detailed 3D simulation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp is helping prosecutors build stronger cases against these still-living Nazis

October 11, 2016

The historic apology to women in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police comes with steps to prevent future abuse

October 11, 2016

150 years ago today, the first-ever train robbery took place in Indiana, setting off decades of shoot outs and bloodshed

October 6, 2016

Al Capone's criminal record in 1932. Despite a litany of charges, he ended up being nabbed for tax evasion.

Cool Finds

This Letter Tells What Al Capone Was Up to in Alcatraz

Two words: prison band

September 26, 2016

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were all fun and games—until they felt wronged by their fellow gang members.

Cool Finds

Read a Chilling Letter From Bonnie and Clyde

Got $40,000? You could own an angry letter from the vengeful duo

August 29, 2016

It’s a hard case to crack

August 4, 2016

Convicted bank robber, Patty Hearst arrest photo

How the Abduction of Patty Hearst Made Her an Icon of the 1970s Counterculture

A new book places a much-needed modern-day lens on the kidnapping that captivated the nation

August 1, 2016

Fighting Fake Pharmaceuticals with Tiny, Edible Bar Codes

Researchers have created bar codes so small they can be embedded in medications, creating a tool to combat the global problem of drug fraud

July 29, 2016

No more guessing passwords

July 22, 2016

Artist sketches of D.B. Cooper, who vanished in 1971 with $200,000 in stolen cash.

The mysterious skyjacker got away clean

July 13, 2016