Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

History

Austria

25 Marie Antoinette-Inspired Destinations

Destinations in Vienna, Paris and beyond for travelers interested in tracing the footsteps of the infamous French queen

Henri IV depicted as Hercules vanquishing a hydra. All in a day's work.

The Second Life of Henri IV’s Severed Head

Whether it’s lying in the grave or sitting in a Paris bank vault, the monarch’s cranium has been the subject of much debate since his untimely demise

Often called "military mascots," animals played pivotal roles during WWI. Pictured here is John Bull of the 77th Aero Force (sic). [165-WW-472A-49]

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Animals That Helped Win World War I

Newly digitized photos tell the story of animals that fought as soldiers during the Great War

The burial chamber containing the model looms

New Research

Model Looms Are Missing Link in China’s Textile History

Four miniature pattern looms found in a burial in Chengdu show how the Han Dynasty produced cloth to trade on the Silk Road

A slave fortress in Cape Coast, Ghana

A Digital Archive of Slave Voyages Details the Largest Forced Migration in History

An online database explores the nearly 36,000 slave voyages that occurred between 1514 and 1866

On the canal in Tongli.

Explore China’s Ancient Water Towns

The Venice of the East sits just 30 minutes by train from Shanghai

Maria Bochkareva

The Women Warriors of the Russian Revolution

Soldier Maria Bochkareva proposed all-female battalions, in part to shame men into continuing the fight

Ujala Baoli, Mandu, Madhya Pradesh. Late 15th/Early 16th century. Location: 22°21’29.87’’ N, 75°23’45.36’’ E.

Photos Capture India’s Ancient, Vanishing Stepwells

These intricate architectural marvels are in danger of disappearing

Homo floresiensis

New Research

The “Hobbits” Could Be Much Older Than Once Thought

The Flores hobbits’ ancestor may have ventured out of Africa much earlier than previously thought

A group of women in traditional dress stand beside a Thomas Cook boat on the Nile in 1904.

How an Alcohol-Hating English Preacher Founded Global Tourism

Thomas Cook’s tours set the stage for today’s tourism industry

The Unsavory History of Sugar, the Insatiable American Craving

How the nation got hooked on sweets

Later Stone Age paintings

New Research

New Technique Shows San Rock Art Is 5,000 Years Old

Using a highly refined form of carbon dating, researchers were able to date the pigments in art in Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa

Aromatic New Museum Celebrates the Art and History of Perfume

From the ancient Egyptians to Elizabeth Taylor, the Grand Musée du Parfum tells the story of fragrance

Part of the seized "Supergun," now at a museum in England.

The Bizarre Story of Saddam Hussein’s Failed “Supergun”

It was called “Big Babylon” and it was originally supposed to fire satellites into orbit

Kaboom.

Your Alaskan Cruise Is Possible Because Canada Blew Up an Underwater Mountain

People predicted tsunamis and an earthquake, but nothing particularly bad happened

Found: One of the Oldest North American Settlements

The discovery of the 14,000-year-old village in Canada lends credence to the theory that humans arrived in North America from the coast

Great War memorial

World War I: 100 Years Later

Why It Matters Whether Students Learn About World War I in American History or World History Class

Some of the most important lessons of the Great War get lost between the two approaches

12 Cafés Every History Buff Needs to Visit

The best historic coffee shops around the world, from Paris to Buenos Aires

What Did WWI Soldiers Leave Behind in Their Secret Bunkers?

The French-German border is littered with as many as 500 underground sites used during World War I. Researcher Jeff Gusky explores them

A Photographer Captures Papier-Mâché and Politics on Parade in Haiti’s Jacmel

Michael Magers photographs high art and cutting cultural critiques during the annual Kanaval celebration

Page 74 of 127