History | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/history/RSS feed for HistoryenTue, 07 Mar 2023 12:15:00 +0000How Edith Wilson Kept Herself—and Her Husband—in the White Househttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-edith-wilson-kept-herselfand-her-husbandin-the-white-house-180981712/A new book about the first lady reveals how she and the ailing President Woodrow Wilson silenced their criticsTue, 07 Mar 2023 12:15:00 +0000The Brief but Shining Life of Paul Laurence Dunbar, a Poet Who Gave Dignity to the Black Experiencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-brief-but-shining-life-of-paul-laurence-dunbar-a-poet-who-gave-dignity-to-the-black-experience-180981738/A prolific writer, he inspired such luminaries as Maya Angelou and Langston HughesMon, 06 Mar 2023 14:03:20 +0000Mina Miller Edison Was Much More Than the Wife of the 'Wizard of Menlo Park'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mina-miller-edison-was-more-than-the-wife-of-the-wizard-of-menlo-park-180981726/The second wife of Thomas Edison, she viewed domestic labor as a science, calling herself a "home executive"Fri, 03 Mar 2023 12:15:00 +0000The Timeless Draw of Decorating Cookieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-timeless-draw-of-decorating-cookies-180981699/Intricate designs painted by biscuit artist Ella Hawkins are part of a lengthy baking traditionTue, 28 Feb 2023 12:15:00 +0000The African Diplomats Who Protested Segregation in the U.S.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-african-diplomats-who-protested-segregation-in-the-us-180981682/Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy publicly apologized after restaurants refused to serve Black representatives of newly independent nationsFri, 24 Feb 2023 12:15:00 +0000The First Fossil Finders in North America Were Enslaved and Indigenous Peoplehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-first-fossil-finders-in-north-america-were-enslaved-and-indigenous-people-180981615/Decades before paleontology’s formal establishment, Black and Native Americans discovered—and correctly identified—millennia-old fossilsWed, 22 Feb 2023 12:15:00 +0000A Brief History of Pancakeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-pancakes-180981667/From ancient Greece to Shrove Tuesday celebrations, the sweet or savory flat cakes have long been a culinary stapleTue, 21 Feb 2023 13:15:00 +0000What You Should Know About the Mardi Gras Indianshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-you-should-know-mardi-gras-indians-new-orleans-180981663/For more than a century, New Orleans' Black residents have donned Native-inspired attire to celebrate CarnivalTue, 21 Feb 2023 12:15:00 +0000The Forgotten 1980s Battle to Preserve Africatownhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-forgotten-1980s-battle-to-preserve-africatown-180981641/A new book tells the definitive history of an Alabama community founded by survivors of the slave tradeMon, 20 Feb 2023 13:15:00 +0000How California Took Over the Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-california-took-over-the-world-180981660/A sweeping book offers a provocative new history arguing that today's inequality can be traced back to the state's foundingFri, 17 Feb 2023 17:48:46 +0000Hans and Sophie Scholl Were Once Hitler Youth Leaders. Why Did They Decide to Stand Up to the Nazis?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hans-and-sophie-scholl-were-once-hitler-youth-leaders-why-did-they-decide-to-stand-up-to-the-nazis-180981643/Archival evidence offers clues on the radicalization of the German siblings, who led a resistance movement known as the White RoseFri, 17 Feb 2023 13:15:00 +0000The Surprisingly Scientific Roots of Monkey Barshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-monkey-bars-180981556/A century ago, a Princeton mathematician created what would become a mainstay of the American playgroundFri, 17 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000What a Comb Can Tell Us About the History of the Written Wordhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-comb-tell-us-history-written-word-180981552/A curious new find yields clues to the origins of the alphabetThu, 16 Feb 2023 15:00:00 +0000The Making of Emily Brontëhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-making-of-emily-bronte-180981637/A new film imagines the events that inspired the notoriously private author to write "Wuthering Heights"Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:15:00 +0000The American Heiress Who Risked Everything to Resist the Nazishttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/american-heiress-risked-everything-resist-nazis-180981554/When the fascists took power in Austria, Muriel Gardiner helped refugees and others in need, and never stoppedWed, 15 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000A Brief History of the Erie Canalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/brief-history-erie-canal-180981546/The waterway opened up the heartland to trade, transforming small hamlets into industrial centersTue, 14 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +0000Spoken Latin Is Making a Comebackhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-spoken-latin-is-making-a-comeback-180981621/Proponents of the teaching method argue that it encourages engagement with the language and the ancient pastTue, 14 Feb 2023 13:20:00 +0000How an All-Black Female WWII Unit Saved Morale on the Battlefieldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-all-black-female-WWII-unit-saved-morale-battlefield-180981540/Glory goes to the Six Triple Eight, who overcame discrimination from fellow service members and are finally getting the recognition they earnedMon, 13 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000Code Breakers Discover—and Decipher—Long-Lost Letters by Mary, Queen of Scotshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/codebreakers-discoverand-decipherlong-lost-letters-by-mary-queen-of-scots-180981613/The deposed monarch wrote the 57 encrypted messages during her captivity in EnglandFri, 10 Feb 2023 20:06:38 +0000Inside JFK's Secret Doomsday Bunkerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/inside-jfks-secret-doomsday-bunker-180981574/The president's Nantucket nuclear fallout shelter could become a National Historic Landmark—but efforts to preserve its history have stalledMon, 06 Feb 2023 14:32:28 +0000In 1946, a Black Pilot Returned to the Cockpit After a Double Amputationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/neal-v-loving-black-pilot-smithsonian-books-180981559/Neal V. Loving, whose memoir will soon be released by Smithsonian Books, built his own planes, ran a flight school and conducted research for the Air ForceThu, 02 Feb 2023 13:15:00 +0000Colette Revolutionized French Literature With Her Depictions of Female Desirehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/colette-revolutionized-french-literature-with-her-frank-depictions-of-female-desire-180981513/Born 150 years ago this week, the author was known for her incisive portrayals of women's everyday livesFri, 27 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000The Indigenous Americans Who Visited Europehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-indigenous-americans-who-visited-europe-180981496/A new book reverses the narrative of the Age of Discovery, which has long evoked the ambitions of Europeans looking to the Americas rather than vice versaThu, 26 Jan 2023 12:15:00 +0000When Lyndon B. Johnson Chose the Middle Ground on Civil Rights—and Disappointed Everyonehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-fight-for-civil-rights-lyndon-b-johnson-settled-for-the-middle-ground-180981482/Always a dealmaker, then-senator LBJ negotiated with segregationists to pass a bill that cautiously advanced racial equalityMon, 23 Jan 2023 14:09:43 +0000Once a Floating Speakeasy, This Shipwreck Tells a Tale of Bullets and Boozehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/once-a-floating-speakeasy-this-shipwreck-tells-a-tale-of-bullets-and-booze-180981471/The "Keuka" sank in 1932, just three years after its grand opening as a dance hall, roller rink and illicit party boatFri, 20 Jan 2023 16:26:58 +0000Why the Union Army Had So Many Boy Soldiershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-the-union-army-had-so-many-boy-soldiers-180981458/A new book unearths the startling numbers behind underage enlistment during the Civil WarTue, 17 Jan 2023 16:33:09 +0000The Tudor Roots of Modern Billionaires' Philanthropyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tudor-roots-billionaires-philanthropy-charity-180981441/The debate over how to manage the wealthy's fortunes after their deaths traces its roots to Henry VIII and Elizabeth IFri, 13 Jan 2023 13:30:00 +0000How a New York Tabloid Captured the First Photo of an Execution by the Electric Chairhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-new-york-tabloid-captured-the-first-photograph-of-an-execution-by-the-electric-chair-180981432/In January 1928, Tom Howard of the "Daily News" smuggled a camera into Sing Sing, where he snapped a picture of Ruth Snyder’s final momentsThu, 12 Jan 2023 17:09:29 +0000Who Was Yasuke, Japan's First Black Samurai?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-yasuke-japans-first-black-samurai-180981416/In the late 16th century, the enigmatic warrior fought alongside a feudal lord dubbed the "Great Unifier"Tue, 10 Jan 2023 15:20:43 +0000The Doctor and the Confederatehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-doctor-and-the-confederate-180981303/A historian’s journey into the relationship between Alexander Darnes and Edmund Kirby Smith starts with a surprising eulogyTue, 10 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000A New Discovery Puts Panama as the Site of the First Successful Slave Rebellionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-discovery-puts-panama-site-first-successful-slave-rebellion-180981312/Deep in the archives, a historian rescues the tale of brave maroonsMon, 09 Jan 2023 14:00:00 +0000The Misunderstood Roman Empress Who Willed Her Way to the Tophttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/misunderstood-roman-empress-willed-way-to-top-180981294/A fresh view of Galla Placidia, who married a barbarian and ruled when the world power fell into chaosMon, 09 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000