/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/57/56/57563e02-29b6-41aa-869f-04e8ecaa8d1c/thatcher_and_bush_-_1990_-_p14935-18a.jpg)
The World Finally Knows How Leaders Reacted to Margaret Thatcher’s Resignation
The Iron Lady glistens in newly released papers about her last years as Prime Minister
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/5d/3c/5d3ceb07-91d2-4016-ab17-afe0ae9f9b88/6560488593_873dda19cc_o.jpg)
Why There’s A 30-Foot Menorah on the National Mall
The tradition of the National Menorah was begun under President Jimmy Carter in 1979
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/d9/2d/d92d90b6-3c0f-4a3e-b6f7-2e9e4621b6c1/31135998640_f70d01becd_k.jpg)
New Yorkers’ Post-Election Post-its Will Be Preserved
Subway Therapy captured a city’s outpouring of emotion. Now, the notes New Yorkers left behind will be archived
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/7b/85/7b852e71-cc98-4358-90ef-a867b8797b02/clinton.jpg)
Presidents Can Be Impeached Because Benjamin Franklin Thought It Was Better Than Assassination
The founding fathers struggled with the idea of whether the top leader should be impeachable
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/12/31/1231652b-8531-4350-9d5f-98093eb8edbe/bundesarchiv_bild_146-1969-065-24_munchener_abkommen_ankunft_mussolini-wr.jpg)
How Journalists Covered the Rise of Mussolini and Hitler
Reports on the rise of fascism in Europe were not the American media’s finest hour
:focal(510x385:511x386)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/87/5c/875c5999-a13a-4935-aa41-324deb5f24e4/rxnvl.png)
The Electoral College Has Been Divisive Since Day One
It has always had the potential for chaos—one that hasn’t been tapped…yet
:focal(449x321:450x322)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/3c/f8/3cf881ff-703e-4628-8f21-51f43d5387ed/btjr9x-wr.jpg)
Chief Justice, Not President, Was William Howard Taft’s Dream Job
The 27th president arguably left a more lasting mark on the nation as leader of the Supreme Court
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/be/0c/be0c98b6-1fe8-405f-9983-c5f80050ead3/15094450_1009053462550819_8725391730141177205_n.jpg)
Yasir Arafat Museum Opens in Ramallah
The three-story building tells the story of the controversial Palestinian leader and includes artifacts like his Nobel Prize and views of his bedroom
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/90/03/90033baf-b0cc-4c7d-8d46-881d8d2696f2/dy48aj.jpg)
How Colombia’s Failed Peace Treaty Could Wreak Havoc on Its Diversity-Rich Ecosystems
A potential influx of legal and illegal mining leaves the country’s megadiverse landscapes—and the communities who depend on them—in jeopardy
:focal(676x528:677x529)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/8d/c5/8dc5325e-a80b-4160-a857-d5af631d485b/jeannette_rankin_cph3b13863.jpg)
Today We Honor the Only Woman Who Ever Voted to Give U.S. Women the Right to Vote
100 years ago, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/93/73/9373c715-739f-4b2b-8a9a-98370f270638/gettyimages-540060038.jpg)
What’s Behind America’s Obsession With Presidential Masks?
From nose-picking Nixon to Trump-kissing-Clinton, Americans have long imitated their political candidates
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/c8/4c/c84cf0b8-742a-4b70-82e2-c0a8ec9649f5/ap_861859606081.jpg)
The History of Presidential Politics’ Most Important Dinner Date
For decades, the Al Smith Dinner has helped Catholic voters dine and decide
:focal(228x239:229x240)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/dc/f2/dcf23084-acac-432c-bfc4-247defdc5b8d/k22.jpg)
What to Know Now That the King of Thailand Has Died
Political uncertainty and potential unrest follows the death of the beloved Bhumibol Adulyadej
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/29/65/2965c803-c130-457b-9e3e-0c02f8c4e343/gettyimages-514875244.jpg)
The History of the October Surprise
From assiduous editorials to destructive superstorms, the last weeks of presidential elections have seen shocking campaign twists
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/48/a9/48a9b0fd-c734-490d-a784-16506375442e/grant_civil_service_reform.jpg)
The Only Time a Major Party Embraced a Third-Party Candidate for President
Horace Greeley was the choice of the splinter grip named the Liberal Republican Party and that of the Democrats
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/2e/92/2e92073e-c8c2-419f-935c-562de86effbf/march-book-one-two-were-gonna-march-2_lg.jpg)
Civil Rights Legend John Lewis Won a Prestigious Comic Book Award
With March, Lewis brings his life story to a whole new generation
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/1f/7f/1f7f9b98-d1af-4211-86c5-909e77155b56/1280px-white_house_1846.jpg)
The White House Was, in Fact, Built by Enslaved Labor
Along with the Capitol and other iconic buildings in Washington, D.C.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/47/43/474363fa-0836-45e1-9868-c8a8fdf0c1b3/slack-imgs.jpg)
Metaphorically Speaking, Your Nervous System is a Dictatorship
Except when it’s an oligarchy. Or a democracy. Or all three.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/75/41/7541e891-04d8-4d02-b3d5-61c00dbb1f45/campaign-logos_1024.jpg)
How to Avoid the Pitfalls in the Politics of Graphic Messaging
The director of the National Portrait Gallery offers a few pointers on how to acquire visual intelligence
:focal(1498x1712:1499x1713)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/72/d3/72d3d37f-8b91-4eaf-bc60-cdb005885134/-ill_paint_the_town_red-_political_cartoon_1885.jpg)
Lucifer Has Long Had His Hands in Politics
Since the earliest days of Christianity, people have accused their political rivals of being in league with the Devil
Page 11 of 15