History

A Daring Rescue-by-Submarine, Deep in Enemy Waters

When a WWII Australian spy operation in occupied Borneo is uncovered, its operatives go into hiding. Rescuing them involves sneaking a sub into enemy water

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

Joshua Speed found his BFF in Abraham Lincoln.

The True Friendship That Saved Abraham Lincoln's Life

Before he was president, Lincoln's lasting relationship with Joshua Speed brought him out of the doldrums of despair

Benjamin Montgomery succeeded despite being refused a patent.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

With Patents or Without, Black Inventors Reshaped American Industry

American slaves couldn't hold property, including patents on their own inventions. But that didn't stop black Americans from innovating in our country

Abraham Lincoln photographed shortly after the presidential election in November 1860, by Alex Hesler of Chicago, at Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois.

When Lincoln Was More a Politician Than an "Honest Abe"

He resorted to a dirty trick to embarrass a rival

British statesman and author Winston Churchill reads correspondence at his desk in 1933.

Think Big

“Are We Alone in the Universe?” Winston Churchill's Lost Extraterrestrial Essay Says No

The famed British statesman approached the question of alien life with a scientist's mind

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

At the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas, 20,000 women convened to debate the issues that affected them. Here, Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D-N.Y.), wearing her trademark hat, and Betty Friedan (left, in red coat).

The 1977 Conference on Women's Rights That Split America in Two

Feminism and the conservative movement clashed over issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights

A segregated bus stop in North Carolina.

The Complicated Racial Politics of Going “Undercover” to Report on the Jim Crow South

How one journalist became black to investigate segregation and what that means today

Asli Saghatelyan stands next to her father-in-law’s 240-gallon karas, a clay vessel traditionally used in Armenia, until recently, for storing and fermenting homemade wine.

Armenia: Smithsonian Guide

Unearthing Armenia’s Giant, Ancient Earthenware

These 240-gallon clay karases, crucial to the early development of winemaking, once held enormous value

An African-American cowboy sits saddled on his horse in Pocatello, Idaho in 1903.

The Lesser-Known History of African-American Cowboys

One in four cowboys was black. So why aren’t they more present in popular culture?

From left to right: Bernard Baruch, Norman H. Davis, Vance McCormick, Herbert Hoover

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Century-Long History of Tapping Wall Street to Run the Government

Looking to the one-percent to lead the country goes back to the era of World War I

After the defeat of Cleopatra's forces by Octavian (later Augustus, emperor of Rome), the Egyptian queen and her lover Marc Antony fled to Egypt. In Shakespeare's imagining, one of Cleopatra's greatest fears was the the horrid breath of the Romans. Shown here: "The Death of Cleopatra" by Reginald Arthur, 1892.

The History and Science Behind Your Terrible Breath

Persistent mouth-stink has been dousing the flames of passion for millennia. Why haven’t we come up with a cure?

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

When Charles Sumner spoke out against slavery in 1856, he incurred the violent wrath of congressman Preston Brooks.

History of Now

In the Congressional Fight Over Slavery, Decorum Went Out the Door

Amid today's dissent over proper Senate behavior, take a look back at when an assault in the Senate divided the nation

What a Broom Tied to a Periscope Means in the U.S. Navy

On February 7, 1943, the USS Wahoo sailed proudly into Pearl Harbor, a broom tied to her periscope. It was a wink to an old Naval tradition

A bicyclist rides by the destroyed old mosque and tomb of Nabi Jerjis, also known as Saint George, in central Mosul in July 2014.

Commentary

Why We Need to Fight to Save Mosul’s Cultural Heritage

As the battle to save Iraq from ISIS continues, Smithsonian experts are helping local people preserve their history

The “Scandalous” Quarter Protest That Wasn’t

Were Americans really so outraged by a semi-topless Lady Liberty that the U.S. Mint had to censor this coin?

Why the USS Wahoo and Its Skipper Were a Perfect Match

The new skipper of the Wahoo was the formidable Dudley Morton--a Kentucky Baptist with an aggressive philosophy on how submarine warfare should be waged

Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield

The Soprano Who Upended Americans' Racist Stereotypes About Who Could Sing Opera

Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield was in many ways the nation's first black pop star

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