History

Puma skull from the Motmot burial.

The Maya Captured, Traded and Sacrificed Jaguars and Other Large Mammals

New archeological findings suggest the Maya city state Copan dealt in a robust jaguar trade

Blombos Cave drawing with ochre pencil on silcrete stone.

Stone Age Markings May Be the Oldest Drawing Ever Discovered

The crosshatch symbol was made with a red ochre utensil more than 70,000 years ago

A cross marks the death of the 340 murdered villagers of Lidice.

The Lost Children of the Lidice Massacre

The Nazis arbitrarily slaughtered the Czech villagers, angering the world, even as Europe's Jews faced similar fates in concentration camps

Soldiers supporting the coup led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet take cover as bombs are dropped on the Presidential Palace of La Moneda in Sept. 11, 1973.

An Eyewitness Account of Pinochet’s Coup 45 Years Ago

Smithsonian ethnomusicologist Dan Sheehy poignantly recalls the brutal outcome of a nation divided

Rare WWII Submarine Dog Fight Turns Deadly

On February 9, 1945, two submarines are poised to engage in a direct, underwater confrontation. It's the first - and only - underwater submarine dog fight

Causing trouble from the get-go

The First Academy Awards Had Its Own Version of the "Popular" Oscar

The ceremony itself was rooted in union-busting, laying the basis for the art vs. mass acclaim debate we see play out today

The First Submarine to Launch Rockets From Its Deck

It's June 1945 and the USS Barb has just launched an unprecedented attack on the factories of the Japanese island of Shari

This 1812 American Frigate Could Take a Direct Cannon Hit

A British frigate fires on the USS Constitution - but its shots either miss or rebound off its tough oak hull

Nervous about how southern television viewers would react, NBC executives closely monitored the filming of the kiss between Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner.

Fifty Years Ago, "Star Trek" Aired TV's First Interracial Kiss

For actress Nichelle Nichols, the first black woman to have a continuing co-starring role on TV, it was the beginning of a lifelong career in activism

This Tiny Island Was Key for Allied Forces to Secure North Africa

During WWII, Nazi forces were preparing to take the coastal city of Tobruk and tighten their grip on North Africa

A Brief History of the RV

In 1915, technology merged with the "back to nature" movement, leading to the invention of the motorhome

When the U.S. Government Tried to Make It Rain by Exploding Dynamite in the Sky

Inspired by weather patterns during the Civil War, the rainmakers of the 1890s headed to west Texas to test their theory

An artistic rendering of Edward Jenner vaccinating eight-year-old James Phipps in 1796.

The Mysterious Origins of the Smallpox Vaccine

Though the disease was declared eradicated in 1980, the era of smallpox is far from over

This U.S. Sub Launched an Attack on a Japanese Train

The USS Barb had an unusual target in its sights in 1945 - one that wasn't even in the water. It was a Japanese supply train on the island of Karafuto

Why Shipbuilders Were Forced to Stop Using British Oak

After the Napoleonic Wars caused a shortage of British Oak, frigate builders looked all over the empire for an alternative. They found one in India

The beauty and grace of the third century funerary bust, known as Haliphat, helped convey an important chapter of history as well as the significance of preserving her and what remains of Palmyra.

Two Sculptures of Ancient Women Give Voice to the Protection of Antiquities in War Zones

The Smithsonian's elegant Haliphat of Palmyra and the blue-eyed Miriam from Yemen raise awareness of the illegal trade in and destruction of antiquities

A Torpedo Malfunction Threatens to Destroy a U.S. Submarine

The USS Silversides is patrolling the Pacific during WWII when it finds itself in a terrifying situation: one of its torpedoes has jammed

How Napalm Bombs Intensified U.S. Attacks During WWII

Bombing ground targets from the air is tricky and not always accurate. But a new type of bomb creates an unimaginable level of destruction

How the British Navy Camouflaged Their Ships Using Art

The British Navy knew it couldn't completely disguise a ship to protect it from attack during WWI. So they turned to 'Dazzle Painting'

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

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