Smart News History & Archaeology

Tolkien relied on maps to write his books—and cared a lot about how his fans saw Middle-earth.

Cool Finds

One Day Only: A Chance to View One Map to Rule Them All

A rare Tolkien-annotated map goes on display June 23

Trending Today

The Complicated History Between the Press and the Presidency

Banning a newspaper like the 'Post' is a move that wouldn't fly even in the Nixon White House

Net Neutrality is safe...for now.

Trending Today

Net Neutrality Was Just Upheld in the U.S. Court of Appeals

It’s a victory for open internet activists—but will it stick?

Preah Khan of Kompong Svay as seen by Lidar

Cool Finds

Laser Scans Reveal Massive Khmer Cities Hidden in the Cambodian Jungle

Using Lidar technology, researchers are discovering the extent of the medieval Khmer empire

Cool Finds

A Brief History of Bog Butter

Turf cutters in Ireland regularly find chunks of butter deep in the nation's peat bogs. What is the stuff doing there?

New Research

Bronze Buckle Shows Ancient Trade Between Eurasia and North America

Metal objects found on Alaska's Seward Peninsula indicate that local people received trade goods from Asia almost 1,000 years ago

Domino tiles.

Trending Today

Thousands of Objects Taken From Holocaust Victims Have Been Rediscovered

Almost 16,000 items were forgotten for decades

The world's first ring designed for racing cars, built in 1907. It's one of 21 sites Historic England is asking more information on from the public

Cool Finds

Help England Crowdsource Its History

Historic England is asking the public for information and photos on 21 weird and wonderful sites on its list of historic places

Visitors sit in front of Petra's famous temple at night. Nearby, Google Earth and drones helped researchers find a previously undiscovered platform probably used for ceremonial purposes.

New Research

Archaeologists Find Gigantic Ancient Monument in Jordan

In the ancient city of Petra, Google Earth and drones helped uncover remnants of a platform the size of an Olympic swimming pool

A statue of the people present at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention can be seen at the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls.

Women Who Shaped History

Five Things to Know About the Declaration of Sentiments

From seating to suffrage, here’s why the document is relevant today

The Castle Bravo test at Bikini Atoll was more than 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima.

New Research

The Marshall Islands Are Becoming Less Nuclear

A new study finds that the abandoned nuclear test sites aren't much more radioactive than Central Park

This head protector was worn by Muhammad Ali—then known as Cassius Clay—while he trained to battle Sonny Liston in 1964.

Trending Today

Headgear Fit for a Champion: What Muhammad Ali Left Behind

The boxer may be dead, but physical traces of his audacious life remain

The cover to one of A-No.1's books about his life as a hobo.

Cool Finds

After a Century, an Anthropologist Picked up the Trail of the "Hobo King"

One hundred-year-old graffiti by “A-No.1” and others were found by the L.A. River

Cool Finds

X-Rays Reveal "Hidden Library" on the Spines of Early Books

Researchers are uncovering fragments of medieval texts used in early book binding

It's thought that JFK's heartfelt letter to his mistress, Mary Pinchot Meyer, was written just a month before his assassination.

Cool Finds

A Steamy Letter From JFK Is up for Auction

The president had a real way with the ladies—and with an em dash

King Tut may have had a thing for meteorites.

New Research

King Tut’s Dagger Was Made From a Meteorite

X-ray spectroscopy lays a decades-long metal mystery to rest

New Research

Neanderthals Built Mysterious Stalagmite Semicircles

But why?

A page of a manuscript of Gregorian chants

Cool Finds

Inside the Effort to Digitize Medieval Monks' Chants

Scanning and interpreting centuries-old manuscripts is a challenge because musical notation wasn't formalized yet

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Five Landmarks Threatened by Climate Change

Will a warming planet destroy humankinds' most precious cultural treasures?

Ronald Reagan signing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 that apologized for the internment of Japanese American citizens and permanent residents during World War II.

Trending Today

Five Times the United States Officially Apologized

These are a few instances where the U.S. admitted it had done wrong

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