A Century Ago, a Mob Brutally Attacked an American Diplomat in Persia. His Death Shaped U.S.-Iran Relations for Decades
The July 1924 killing of Robert Imbrie fueled the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty and set the stage for both a CIA-backed 1953 coup and the 1979 Iran hostage crisis
These 15 Dynamic Photos Will Make You Want to Dance
Get footloose with these Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest dance scenes
This Exiled Romanov Princess Fled the Bloodshed of the Russian Revolution and Reinvented Herself as a Fashion Icon
A new exhibition spotlights Natalia Pavlovna Paley, the granddaughter of a czar. She built a new life for herself in France and the U.S., appearing in films and on the pages of glossy magazines
From Peasant Fodder to Fine Dining, Feast on the Tasty History of How Snails and Oysters Became Luxury Foods
Humans have eaten mollusks for millennia, but they weren’t always viewed as elite treats
First Orbital Rocket Launched From Western Europe Crashes Into Sea After Roughly 30-Second Flight
Isar Aerospace, the company behind the rocket, is still heralding the launch as a success due to the data it provided
See the Breathtaking Landscape Paintings Inspired by the Boreal Forest, From Europe to North America
Titled “Northern Lights,” a new exhibition in Switzerland showcases artworks of the taiga made between 1888 and 1937
Ancient DNA Sheds Light on the Origins of Indo-European Languages
New research suggests that the first Indo-European speakers lived in southern Russia 6,500 years ago, challenging long-standing debates about the language family’s origins
Dozens of Artworks Rescued From War-Torn Ukraine Go on Display in Berlin
A new collaborative exhibition showcases 60 breathtaking pieces that were evacuated from the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art
The Breathtaking Hermitage Museum, Filled With Treasures Like the Kolyvan Vase and the Peacock Clock, First Opened to the Public on This Day in 1852
Russia’s palatial institution is now the second largest in the world, with an impressive collection of three million objects and 50 beloved house cats
Mammoth Bones Used to Build Mysterious 25,000-Year-Old Site in Russia Came From Different Herds
DNA and radiocarbon dating analyses of the bones are offering new insights into the ambitious Ice Age site constructed by hunter-gatherers
When Russian Radar Mistook a Norwegian Scientific Rocket for a U.S. Missile, the World Narrowly Avoided Nuclear War
The Norwegian rocket incident, which took place on this day in 1995, marked the only known activation of a nuclear briefcase in response to a possible attack
Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Is Shifting Toward Siberia and Raising Questions About Unusual Movement
Scientists released an update to a model that maps the ever-moving pole and has significant implications for navigation systems
Ivan the Terrible, the Czar and Grand Prince of Russia, Wouldn’t Earn His Violent Nickname Until Years After His Reign
We all know Ivan IV’s sobriquet, but the story is more complicated than it might seem
Scientists Find the Mysterious Source of the Massive 1831 Volcanic Eruption That Cooled Earth and Made the Sun Appear Blue
The climate-altering eruption came from the Zavaritskii volcano on an uninhabited island in the Pacific that once hosted a Soviet submarine base, according to a new study
On This Day in 1959, Alaska—One of America’s Riskiest Investments—Became the 49th State in the Union
Before Alaska became an American state, Russia invaded and subjugated its people for fur trading
Discover the Story Behind a Legendary Exposé of the Brutality of the Soviet Union
Published on this day in 1973, “The Gulag Archipelago” drew on Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s experiences as a political dissident in a prison camp, but it left him deported and stateless for the next two decades
Two Orphaned Siberian Tigers Reunite as Mates After a 120-Mile Trek Through Russian Wilderness
Conservationists hope the love story between Boris and Svetlaya might indicate a new, successful chapter in tiger repopulation efforts
On This Day in 1906, a Nobel Prize Was Awarded to an American for the First Time for Ending a War on the Other Side of the Globe
It was immediately controversial that President Theodore Roosevelt, famous for vigorous military interventions, was the first statesman to win the Peace Prize
A 35,000-Year-Old Saber-Toothed Cub Was Unearthed in Siberia—and It Still Had Its Whiskers and Claws
The frozen kitten, discovered in 2020, has stunned scientists with its remarkably well-preserved body
Polar Bears Are Exposed to More Parasites, Viruses and Bacteria as the Arctic Heats Up
Pathogens are more common in polar bears living in the Chukchi Sea now than they were three decades ago, a new study suggests—but it’s not yet clear what that means for the mammals’ health
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