Articles tagged as History | Smithsonian Magazine

How a Soap Opera Virus Felled Hundreds of Students in Portugal

The “Strawberries With Sugar” outbreak is just one example of mass hysteria, which goes back centuries

March 6, 2017

The non-profit aims to preserve game code and the magazines, marketing materials and culture surrounding video games

March 1, 2017

How a Chinese Empress Built the Largest Palace in the World

Seeking to consolidate her grip on the Chinese throne, Empress Wu Zetian embarked on an audacious project: expanding the imperial palace

March 1, 2017

The last natural case of smallpox was recorded
in Somalia in 1977.

A Child From 17th-Century Europe Might Have Rewritten the History of Smallpox

The deadly scourge goes back for centuries, but how many?

March 2017

The remnants of a Viking barn still stand at what had been the settlement of Gardar.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Why Did Greenland’s Vikings Vanish?

Newly discovered evidence is upending our understanding of how early settlers made a life on the island — and why they suddenly disappeared

March 2017

Russian Revolution

Vladimir Lenin’s Return Journey to Russia Changed the World Forever

On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, our writer set out from Zurich to relive this epic travel

March 2017

Lithodomos VR creates immersive virtual recreations of iconic ruins.

Virtual Travel

See the Ancient World Through Virtual Reality

An archaeological VR company wants to show you what ruins looked like before they were, well, ruins

February 22, 2017

World War I: 100 Years Later

Russia’s February Revolution Was Led by Women on the March

How the downfall of the Romanovs finally came about 100 years ago

February 17, 2017

The Great Wall of China is a remarkable work of architecture—but there are plenty of myths surrounding it.

Sticky Rice Mortar, the View From Space, and More Fun Facts About China’s Great Wall

The not-so-effective wall was a lengthy, pricey project that stretched across thousands of years

February 16, 2017

After working city, county and state jobs in Buffalo, New York, Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” Mohamed was elected president earlier this week

February 10, 2017

It was a pivotal moment in computing history when a computer beat a human at chess for the first time, but that doesn't mean chess is "solved."

Computers Are Great at Chess, But That Doesn’t Mean the Game Is ‘Solved’

On this day in 1996, the computer Deep Blue made history when it beat Garry Kasparov

February 10, 2017

Because donkeys definitely belong on Valentine's Day cards.

Nothing Says ‘I Hate You’ Like a ‘Vinegar Valentine’

For at least a century, Valentine’s Day was used as an excuse to send mean, insulting cards

February 10, 2017

Archeologists found this piece of parchment rolled up in a jug in a cave on the cliffs west of Qumran.

Archaeologists Might Have Found Another Dead Sea Scroll Cave

It could be cave number 12

February 8, 2017

Mary Leakey and her husband Louis in 1962.

Mary Leakey’s Husband (Sort of) Took Credit For Her Groundbreaking Work On Humanity’s Origins

Leakey and her husband, Louis Leakey, were a paleoanthropology power couple

February 6, 2017

In the summer of 1946, Holocaust survivors lent their voices to the "Henonville Songs," which psychologist David Boder recorded on this wire spool.

Spool of “Holocaust Songs” Found in Mislabelled Container

The “Henonville Songs” are being heard for the first time in 70 years

February 3, 2017

Among other necessary items, the list includes "greenfish," a "fireshovel" and two dozen pewter spoons.

Seventeenth-Century Shopping List Discovered Under Floorboards of Historic English Home

Penned in 1633, the “beautifully written” list hints at household life 400 years ago

January 31, 2017

Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1917

Russian Revolution

On the Eve of the Russian Revolution, a Palace Coup Seemed Inevitable, But Where Would it Come From?

The elites were upset, but the working class was primed for insurrection

January 30, 2017

Thousands of Jews were murdered by Croatian Nazi collaborators at Jasenovac.

Why Croatian Jews Boycotted This Year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day

As neo-fascism grows in Croatia, the country is at a crossroads between denial and reality

January 27, 2017

Trapped between nationalism and documentation, a Polish museum grapples with how to tell its story

January 25, 2017

"Gung Haggis Fat Choy" may be the only celebration that combines both traditional Robert Burns Night festivities, including bagpiping, with a celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy: This Canadian Celebration Combines Robert Burns Night and Chinese New Year

Started by “Toddish McWong” in 1998, the annual dinner has grown and grown

January 25, 2017