Smart News History & Archaeology

Not the meteorite that struck Ann Hodges, this five-inch-long chunk was recovered from Siberia.

For the Only Person Ever Hit by a Meteorite, the Real Trouble Began Later

The "Hodges meteorite" brought problems to the woman it struck, but good fortune to at least one neighbor

Cool Finds

Newly Uncovered Ruins Reveal 7,000-Year-Old City in Egypt

Ancient huts and tombs could be the final resting places of local elites

Gregory "Joey" Johnson, holds a flag sent to him by an unknown well-wisher in New York, Wednesday, June 28, 1989.

Trending Today

Five Things to Know About the Case That Made Burning the Flag Legal

It’s a grand old flag—here’s why the right to burn it was affirmed in 1989

Robert McNamara meeting with Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House.

How Robert McNamara Came to Regret the War He Escalated

The 'architect of the Vietnam war' never formally apologized, but struggled with its consequences for the rest of his life

The 45-foot Christmas tree is installed in Boston Common.

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A Century-Old Boston Christmas Tree Tradition Costs Canadians Big Money

Turns out that Boston’s city Christmas tree is a very valuable gift

A detail of a 17th century map found stuffed in a Scottish chimney.

Cool Finds

Rare 17th-Century Map Found Shoved Up a Chimney Is Restored

Nothing like an antique document to block a draft

J. Frank Duryea, left, and race umpire Arthur W. White, right, in the 1895 Duryea during the Chicago Times-Herald race, the first automobile race in the U.S.

The Forgotten Car That Won America's First Auto Race

The zippy roadster won America's first automobile race in 1895 with an average speed of 5 mph

Turkey eggshells and bones from an offering 1,500 years ago in Oaxaca, Mexico.

New Research

Researchers Dig Into the Juicy History of Taming the Turkey

Archaeologists talk turkey in two recent studies

The Bishop's lump

Cool Finds

Researchers Trace 300-Year-Old Lump of Poop to Danish Bishop

The upper class contents of the little nugget suggests it likely belonged to Bishop Jens Bircherod or his wife

A detailed image of the baby crocodiles inside the mummy.

Cool Finds

Crocodile Mummy Found Packed With Dozens of Smaller Crocodile Mummies

The little critters escaped notice until high-powered modern scanners tackled the mummified remains

Cool Finds

One Hundred Years Ago, the Titanic's Sister Ship Exploded While Transporting Injured WWI Soldiers

Bad luck seemed to follow the White Star Line’s infamous steam liners

Cool Finds

What Pilgrims Heard When They Arrived in America

They came to America seeking religious freedom, but what did their prayers, and those of the local Native Americans, sound like?

Cool Finds

New Dictionary Explains 45,000 English and Irish Surnames

Using sources dating back to the 11th century, researchers have put together the massive Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland

Stern of an Ottoman Wreck

Cool Finds

Over 40 Ancient Ships Discovered on the Bottom of the Black Sea

Researchers on a geology survey in Bulgarian waters ended up discovering vessels from the Ottoman, Byzantine and Venetian empires

Say hello to the West Bijou Site – the United States' newest National Natural Landmark

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The Newest National Landmark Is Chock-Full of Dinosaur History

The West Bijou Site is home to a snapshot of the dinosaurs’ extinction

A national museum of women's history would celebrate the accomplishment of women like these members of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, who went on strike against non-union shoulder pads in 1930.

Trending Today

Why a Congressional Commission Wants a National Women’s History Museum

Will the American Museum of Women’s History ever become reality?

James Welch is featured on today's Google home page in honor of his birthday.

Google Makes Ledger Art to Celebrate Legendary Native American Author James Welch

In an exclusive interview with Smithsonian.com, artist Sophie Diao talks about what inspired today's Google Doodle

Cool Finds

This 6,000-Year-Old Amulet Is an Ancient Metal Marvel

Lost-wax casting is still used in modern manufacturing

Wernher von Braun, one of the architects of the Apollo program, was a Nazi scientist brought to the U.S. in secret in 1945.

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Why the U.S. Government Brought Nazi Scientists to America After World War II

As the war came to a close, the U.S. government was itching to get ahold of the German wartime technology

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The Colosseum Waits on Funding for Critical Repairs in the Fight Over Rome’s Subway System

Caretakers fear the row over the metro's overspending could endanger the ancient arena

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