History | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/history/RSS feed for HistoryenThu, 15 Aug 2024 11:15:00 +0000What the American Revolution Taught the United States' First Presidentshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-american-revolution-taught-united-states-first-presidents-180984842/A new book by historian William E. Leuchtenburg examines how the first six commanders in chief embodied the revolutionary spirit and set precedents that shaped their successors' tenuresThu, 15 Aug 2024 11:15:00 +0000How the Great Depression Fueled a Grassroots Movement to Create a New State Called Absarokahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-great-depression-fueled-grassroots-movement-to-create-a-new-state-called-absaroka-180984873/In the 1930s, disillusioned farmers and ranchers fought to carve a 49th state out of northern Wyoming, southeastern Montana and western South DakotaWed, 14 Aug 2024 11:15:00 +0000See the Historic Ruins Hidden Inside Everyday Buildings in Athenshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/see-the-historic-ruins-hidden-inside-everyday-buildings-in-athens-180984831/Houses and businesses across the Greek capital incorporate—or obscure—structures spanning the city’s ancient, Byzantine, medieval and Ottoman erasTue, 13 Aug 2024 12:18:57 +0000The Top-Secret World War II Mission That Killed Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the Heir Apparent to the Political Dynastyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-top-secret-world-war-ii-mission-that-killed-joseph-pkennedy-heir-apparent-political-dynasty-180984857/In August 1944, the older brother of Robert and John F. Kennedy died while piloting a drone aircraft over England, leaving his younger siblings to fulfill their father's dreamsMon, 12 Aug 2024 11:15:00 +0000Poetry Was an Official Olympic Event for Nearly 40 Years. What Happened?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/poetry-was-an-official-olympic-event-for-nearly-40-years-what-happened-180984838/Pierre de Coubertin hoped the modern Games would encourage the ancient Greek notion of harmony between "muscle and mind"Tue, 06 Aug 2024 20:07:02 +0000The Black Fugitive Who Inspired 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and Helped End Slavery in the U.S.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-black-fugitive-who-inspired-uncle-toms-cabin-and-helped-end-slavery-in-the-us-180984817/New research sheds light on John Andrew Jackson, who sought help from Harriet Beecher Stowe during his escape from bondageMon, 05 Aug 2024 11:15:00 +0000At the 1960 Olympics, American Athletes Recruited by the CIA Tried to Convince Their Soviet Peers to Defecthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/at-the-1960-olympics-american-athletes-recruited-by-the-cia-tried-to-convince-their-soviet-peers-to-defect-180984794/Al Cantello, a star of the U.S. track and field team, arranged a covert meeting between a government agent and a Ukrainian long jumperThu, 01 Aug 2024 11:15:00 +0000At the 1924 Paris Olympics, Tarzan Faced Off With the Ambassador of Alohahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/at-the-1924-paris-olympics-tarzan-faced-off-with-the-ambassador-of-aloha-180984793/The second Paris Games, exactly one century ago, hosted a 100-meter freestyle race that became an instant classicWed, 31 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000Who Were Cleopatra’s Rivals for Mark Antony's Love?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-were-cleopatras-rivals-for-mark-antonys-love-180984785/The Roman general’s third and fourth wives, Fulvia and Octavia, adopted varying strategies for luring their husband away from the queen of EgyptTue, 30 Jul 2024 12:45:00 +0000Six Innovative Ways Humans Have Kept Cool Throughout Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/six-innovative-ways-humans-have-kept-cool-throughout-history-180984749/From sleeping porches to coastal escapes, these tips and tricks helped people deal with extreme heat before the advent of air-conditioningFri, 26 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000Inside the Fight to Save the Indiana Dunes, One of America's Most Vulnerable National Parkshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/inside-the-fight-to-save-the-indiana-dunes-one-americas-most-vulnerable-national-parks-180984756/Caught between steel mills, suburbs and a hard place, the 15,000-acre site is a fantasia of biodiversity—and a case study for hard-fought conservationThu, 25 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000The Brothers Who Asserted Their Right to Free Speech in Tudor Englandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-brothers-who-asserted-their-right-to-free-speech-in-tudor-england-180984740/Peter and Paul Wentworth called on Elizabeth I to name an heir to the throne, wielding Parliament's free speech privileges to urge the queen to take actionWed, 24 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000The Real Story Behind Netflix's 'The Decameron'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-story-behind-netflixs-the-decameron-180984739/Loosely based on Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th-century collection of short stories, the series follows a group of Italian nobles and servants who flee to the countryside to escape the Black DeathTue, 23 Jul 2024 14:56:37 +0000This Little-Known Civil Rights Activist Refused to Give Up His Bus Seat Four Years Before Rosa Parks Didhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-little-known-civil-rights-activist-refused-to-give-up-his-bus-seat-four-years-before-rosa-parks-did-180984742/William "W.R." Saxon filed a lawsuit against the company that forced him to move to the back of the bus, seeking damages for the discrimination and mental anguish he’d facedTue, 23 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000Ten Surprising Public Figures Who Dreamed of Olympic Goldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ten-surprising-public-figures-who-dreamed-of-olympic-gold-180984716/The list includes European royals, Darth Vader's stunt double and an American World War II generalMon, 22 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000The Real Story Behind the Baltimore Deaths That Inspired 'Lady in the Lake'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-story-behind-the-baltimore-deaths-that-inspired-lady-in-the-lake-180984701/A new mini-series offers a fictionalized take on two unrelated 1969 cases: the mysterious disappearance of bartender Shirley Lee Parker and the murder of 11-year-old Esther LebowitzThu, 18 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000The History of Presidential Assassination Attempts, From Andrew Jackson to Teddy Roosevelthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-presidential-assassination-attempts-andrew-jackson-teddy-roosevelt-180984708/Before last weekend's attack on Donald Trump, would-be assassins unsuccessfully targeted Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and seven other sitting presidents or candidates for officeWed, 17 Jul 2024 11:00:00 +0000Nine Things You Didn't Know About the Ancient Olympic Gameshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/nine-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-ancient-olympic-games-180984672/With an intensive athletes’ boot camp and the threat of execution for unwelcome spectators, the Greek sporting event was a serious affairMon, 15 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000How 'Fly Me to the Moon' Pokes Fun at Moon Landing Conspiracy Theorieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-fly-me-to-the-moon-pokes-fun-at-moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-180984686/The new Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum film presents an alternative history in which government officials prepared to fake the moon landing before NASA pulled off the feat for realFri, 12 Jul 2024 14:57:44 +0000When a Debate Flop Raised Concerns About Ronald Reagan's Fitness to Run for Re-Electionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-debate-flop-raised-concerns-ronald-reagan-fitness-run-reelection-180984691/During the 1984 campaign, the 73-year-old president meandered his way through his first face-off against Walter Mondale, prompting questions about his mental acuityThu, 11 Jul 2024 19:19:08 +0000Why Descendants Are Returning to the Plantations Where Their Ancestors Were Enslavedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-descendants-are-returning-to-the-plantations-where-their-ancestors-were-enslaved-180984671/Some Black Americans are reclaiming antebellum estates as part of their family legacy, reflecting the power and possibility of these historic sitesThu, 11 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000Meet Vivian Maier, the Reclusive Nanny Who Secretly Became One of the Best Street Photographers of the 20th Centuryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-vivian-maier-reclusive-nanny-street-photographer-20th-century-180984665/The self-taught artist is getting her first museum exhibition in New York City, where she nurtured her nascent interest in photographyTue, 09 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000How All-Female 'Juries of Matrons' Shaped Legal Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-all-female-juries-of-matrons-shaped-legal-history-180984647/Courts called on these jurors to determine whether women sentenced to death were pregnant or faking it to avoid executionMon, 08 Jul 2024 11:15:00 +0000How the Rise of the Camera Launched a Fight to Protect Gilded Age Americans' Privacyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-rise-of-the-camera-launched-a-fight-to-protect-gilded-age-americans-privacy-180984656/Early photographers sold their snapshots to advertisers, who reused the individuals' likenesses without their permissionFri, 05 Jul 2024 13:20:59 +0000Why Ernest Hemingway's Younger Brother Established a Floating Republic in the Caribbeanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-ernest-hemingways-younger-brother-established-a-floating-republic-in-the-caribbean-180984635/On July 4, 1964, Leicester Hemingway founded New Atlantis, a raft-turned-micronation intended to support marine life in the regionWed, 03 Jul 2024 15:37:15 +0000From China to the Mediterranean and More, Here's How Different Cultures Envision Dragonshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/from-china-mediterannean-more-heres-how-different-cultures-envision-dragons-180984499/In some parts of the world, the mythical creatures are monsters. In others, they’re more benign beingsWed, 03 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000Tired of Diplomacy as Usual, This Congressman Flew Solo to Promote World Peacehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tired-diplomacy-usual-congressman-flew-solo-promote-world-peace-180984501/Representative Peter F. Mack’s soaring diplomatic ambitions made aviation history as he traveled through Europe, South Asia, Japan and then across the vast Pacific OceanTue, 02 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000The Forgotten Black Explorers Who Transformed Americans' Understanding of the Wildernesshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-forgotten-black-explorers-who-transformed-americans-understanding-of-the-wilderness-180984607/Esteban, York and James Beckwourth charted the American frontier between the 16th and 19th centuriesFri, 28 Jun 2024 11:15:00 +0000How Coffee Helped the Union Caffeinate Their Way to Victory in the Civil Warhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-coffee-helped-the-union-caffeinate-their-way-victory-civil-war-180984502/The North’s fruitful partnership with Liberian farmers fueled a steady supply of an essential beverageThu, 27 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0000'The Crime of the Century,' a Century Laterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-crime-of-the-century-a-century-later-180984586/In the summer of 1924, the Leopold and Loeb murder case triggered a media frenzy and a debate over whether anyone can truly know what’s inside the mind of a cold-blooded killerThu, 27 Jun 2024 11:00:00 +0000Who Was 'Lisa Ben,' the Woman Behind the U.S.'s First Lesbian Magazine?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-lisa-ben-the-woman-behind-the-uss-first-lesbian-magazine-180984596/Edythe Eyde published nine issues of "Vice Versa" between June 1947 and February 1948. She later adopted a pen name that doubled as an anagram for "lesbian"Wed, 26 Jun 2024 11:15:00 +0000Meet the Forgotten Woman Who Revolutionized Microbiology With a Simple Kitchen Staplehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-the-forgotten-woman-who-revolutionized-microbiology-with-a-simple-kitchen-staple-180984572/Fanny Angelina Hesse introduced agar to the life sciences in 1881. A trove of unpublished family papers sheds new light on her many accomplishmentsTue, 25 Jun 2024 11:15:00 +0000A Buried Ancient Egyptian Port Reveals the Hidden Connections Between Distant Civilizationshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hidden-ancient-egyptian-port-reveals-180984485/At the site of Berenike, in the desert sands along the Red Sea, archaeologists are uncovering wondrous new finds that challenge old ideas about the makings of the modern worldTue, 25 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000Why the 1924 Democratic National Convention Was the Longest and Most Chaotic of Its Kind in U.S. Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-the-1924-democratic-national-convention-was-the-longest-and-most-chaotic-of-its-kind-in-us-history-180984590/A century ago, the party took a record 103 ballots and 16 days of intense, violent debate to choose a presidential nomineeMon, 24 Jun 2024 19:02:29 +0000The Real Story Behind 'The Bikeriders' and the Danny Lyon Photography Book That Inspired Ithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/real-story-behind-bikeriders-danny-lyon-photography-book-inspired-it-180984579/A new film dramatizes the story of a motorcycle club chronicled by Lyon in the 1960s, offering a tribute to the outlaw spiritFri, 21 Jun 2024 13:35:22 +0000