Smart News History & Archaeology

Much more recent tea.

New Research

Archaeologists Find World’s Oldest Tea in the Tomb of a Han Dynasty Emperor

No word on how it tastes, though it probably made a good cup 2,150 years ago

A Chicago rally of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1920s

Cool Finds

The Ku Klux Klan Didn’t Always Wear Hoods

The white hood and robe is just the most popular of a variety of costumes used by the hate group

A rare English gold pound coin dating to 1594-1596, with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I.

Cool Finds

Queen Elizabeth I Held England’s First Official Lottery 450 Years Ago

The lucky winner took home a prize that included not just money, but also fancy dishware and tapestries

The Chateau d'Ussé has connections with Sleeping Beauty...and contains a slightly creepy surprise.

Cool Finds

The French Castle That May Have Inspired "Sleeping Beauty" Is Filled With Creepy Mannequins

In honor of Charles Perrault's birthday, explore the Chateau d'Usse

A blue bead uncovered at the Iron Age village archeological site in Norway.

Cool Finds

There’s a 1,500-Year-Old Farming Village Beneath a Norwegian Airport

An airport expansion gives archaeologists the chance to dig for historical treasures in a pre-Viking settlement

Turns out the discovery of the Palace of Knossos is just the beginning—the ancient city is three times the size archaeologists suspected.

Cool Finds

This Ancient City Was Three Times Bigger Than Archaeologists Suspected

Will Crete's tourist boom threaten the archaeological treasures of Knossos?

New Research

Thank Neanderthals for Your Immune System

Genes inherited from our ancient cousins may have helped fight off disease

A trial at the Destrehan Plantation sentenced 45 men from the uprising to death or to go to New Orleans for future trials.

Trending Today

How a Nearly Successful Slave Revolt Was Intentionally Lost to History

More than 500 slaves fought for their freedom in this oft-overlooked rebellion

Wrecking balls remain ubiquitous in popular culture today, despite their dwindling use at construction sites.

Cool Finds

The Rise and Fall of the Wrecking Ball

The instrument of destruction was popular in the 1950s and '60s but is now a rare creature on the demolition site

University of Colorado Denver researcher Martin Lockley (right) and Ken Cart pose beside large a dinosaur scrape they discovered in Western Colorado.

New Research

Dinosaurs May Have Dug Trenches to Woo Mates

Ancient grooves discovered in Colorado suggest dinos had bird-like mating rituals

Crews abandon their ships during the Great Whaling Disaster of 1871.

Cool Finds

Remnants of a Whaling Disaster Have Been Discovered off the Coast of Alaska

A catastrophe wiped out an entire whaling fleet 144 years ago, now researchers have found some of the wrecks' remains

Trending Today

Grab Your Fork and Travel Back in Time With These Old USDA Dietary Guidelines

Wheels, pyramids and plates—dietary recommendations have come a long way in the last century

"Take care of your book — it is the true companion in campaigns and in peaceful work," urges one poster found in the New York Public Library's Russian Civil War poster collection.

Cool Finds

The New York Public Library Just Made More Than 180,000 Items Available Online

Instant gratification for curious minds

A women harvests millet in Arunachal Pradesh, India

New Research

This Ancient Grain May Have Helped Humans Become Farmers

Millet's short growing season and low water needs might also benefit a modern world stressed by climate change

A gold-painted statue of Chairman Mao has been erected in a remote part of central China.

Cool Finds

Chinese Capitalists Built a Gigantic, Golden Statue of Chairman Mao

Like the Chairman's legacy, this 121-foot statue is hard to ignore

A fragment of a scuttled Revolutionary War-era ship discovered at a Virginia construction site.

Trending Today

Revolutionary War-Era Ship Found at Hotel Construction Site

The scuttled ship could reveal new details about how American colonists built their boats

The Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is tested the day before New Year's Eve atop the roof of One Times Square in New York, on Dec. 30, 2015.

Trending Today

Here’s Why New York Celebrates New Year’s Eve by Dropping a Ball

New Year’s Eve wasn’t always a riotous party

Romanian villagers dress up in real bearskins for ursul.

Cool Finds

Ring in the New Year by Dressing Up as a Bear

Romania's famed bear dance scares away winter

The Detroit Reservoir preserved this 19th-century utility wagon.

Cool Finds

West Coast Drought Uncovers Remnants of a Long-Sunken Oregon Town

Historic low water levels revealed remains of a town beneath Detroit Lake

Screenshot from "American Panorama" showing the origins of foreign-born Americans living in Washington, D.C. in 2000.

Cool Finds

Explore America’s History With These Richly Interactive Maps

“American Panorama” delves into the social, political and economic movements that define this country

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