Smart News History & Archaeology

Moai on the slopes of the Rano Raraku volcano of Easter Island

New Research

Ancient Easter Islanders Likely Sailed Back And Forth to South America

The 4,600-mile roundtrip couldn't have been easy—even for people who had already migrated from Polynesia in wooden outrigger canoes

Nevado Coropuna, a volcano visible from the recently discovered Stone Age site in the Andes

New Research

Stone Age Shelter in Peru is the Oldest, Highest Human Settlement

Researchers found campfires and rock art at nearly 14,700 feet, suggesting ancient people lived high just 2,000 years after they reached South America

The German U-576 off the coast of France, around 1940 or 1941. It sunk near North Carolina in 1942.

Cool Finds

Wreckage of a Nazi U-Boat Was Found Off the Coast of North Carolina

A freighter lost in that skirmish was also discovered in the "graveyard of the Atlantic"

Cool Finds

Newest King Tut Theory: He Suffered Severe Disorders From Inbreeding

Problems included a club foot that prevented him from walking unaided

Nope nope nope.

New Research

You Don’t Even Want to Know About All the Stuff Living on Your Eyeball

Even eyes can't escape the microbiome

Cool Finds

Ex-Nazis Received Social Security Payments From America

Dozens of former Nazis are suspected of collecting millions in Social Security in return for exiting the country

New Research

“Arming the Rebels” Has Pretty Much Never Worked

Guns and training, but no on-the-ground support, doesn't amount to much

Cool Finds

"Vampire Grave" in Bulgaria Holds a Skeleton With a Stake Through Its Heart

The skeleton likely fell victim to vampire hysteria that gripped Eastern Europe until relatively recently

X-ray technology was invented in 1985 by Wilhelm Röntgen. This early image, along with others set to be on the block, were taken just a year later.

Cool Finds

Amazing Artifacts From the History of Science Are Going Up for Auction

Now if only we all had infinite money

Photograph of Robert E Lee's Arlington house taken in 1861

Cool Finds

Rare Photo of Robert E. Lee's Slave Acquired by National Park Service

The photograph of Selina Gray and her children sold on eBay for $700

One of the approximately 14,000 year old coprolites found at Paisley Caves

Cool Finds

Paisley Caves Added to National Register Of Historic Places

One of the earliest sites of evidence for human occupation of North America

Replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria sail Past Cape Canaveral in 1992

Cool Finds

Shipwreck Probably Not Santa Maria

Shipwreck found off the coast of Haiti is probably not Santa Maria

Anna S. Harrington portrayed Aunt Jemima during promotional events in the 1930s and '40s. Her great-grandsons say she helped develop the brand's self-rising pancake mix recipe.

Trending Today

In 2014, Descendants of Woman Who Played Aunt Jemima Sued Quaker Oats

The case, which was later dismissed by a judge, accused the company of failing to pay royalties to Anna S. Harrington

Jitterbugging in a juke joint, Saturday evening, outside Clarksdale, Mississippi, 1939

Cool Finds

See Depression-Era Photos from Your Hometown

Thousands of images collected to document rural life from 1934 to 1944 are available to peruse online through an interactive project

The ruins of Tokat Castle in northern Turkey.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Think They’ve Found the Dungeon Where Dracula Was Kept

Vlad the Impaler was likely held captive in Turkey's Tokat Castle

Part of a 600-year-old canoe was found in New Zealand, featuring this rare carving of a sea turtle.

New Research

One Very Old Canoe Could Help Explain How Polynesian Sailors Colonized New Zealand

New climate analysis and a very old canoe help researchers understand how the Polynesians got around

A different Wyandotte chicken, this one still with head firmly attached.

Cool Finds

Mike the Chicken Lived for 18 Months Without a Head

In 1945, a decapitation gone awry gave birth to Miracle Mike

Blood vessels of the neck and head

Cool Finds

Blood Vessels Left Imprint on 2,000 Year Old Mummy

An Egyptian mummy's skull contains the imprint of blood vessels surrounding its brain

New Research

More Women Have Reproduced Than Men

A new study shows that more women than men have contributed to the human gene pool

New Research

How Conversations Around Campfire Might Have Shaped Human Cognition And Culture

We can perhaps thank campfire story time for getting us where we are today

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