https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/american-history/RSS feed for American HistoryenThu, 24 Jul 2025 16:05:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/los-angeles-1936-bum-blockade-targeted-american-migrants-fleeing-poverty-and-drought-during-the-great-depression-180987022/The two-month patrol stopped supposedly "suspicious" individuals from crossing into California from other states. But its execution was uneven, and the initiative proved controversialThu, 24 Jul 2025 16:05:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-us-is-withdrawing-from-unesco-for-the-third-time-in-the-agencys-80-year-history-180987038/The country previously left the agency for two brief stints—once from 1984 to 2003 and again from 2017 to 2023. The newly announced decision will take effect by the end of 2026Thu, 24 Jul 2025 13:48:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-the-rosebud-sleds-from-citizen-kane-just-became-the-second-most-expensive-piece-of-movie-memorabilia-ever-sold-180987012/The iconic prop, which went for $14.75 million at auction, is one of several sleds used in the production of Orson Welles' 1941 classicFri, 18 Jul 2025 21:21:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/christa-mcauliffes-life-ended-in-tragedy-on-the-challenger-shuttle-heres-how-the-high-school-teacher-was-chosen-for-the-ill-fated-flight-180987010/NASA’s “Teacher in Space” added joy to many Americans’ lives and increased excitement for the future of spaceflight, though she never reached her destinationFri, 18 Jul 2025 16:35:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-site-where-george-washington-stopped-a-friendly-fire-incident-by-blocking-muskets-with-his-sword-180987008/In 1758, during the French and Indian War, the future president saved lives by stepping into the middle of a deadly skirmish in PennsylvaniaFri, 18 Jul 2025 10:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-18th-century-americans-were-just-as-obsessed-with-their-genealogy-as-we-are-today-180986958/People living in British America and later the nascent United States recorded their family histories in needlework samplers, notebooks and newspapersThu, 17 Jul 2025 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/underwater-archaeologists-were-looking-for-a-lost-shipwreck-in-wisconsin-they-stumbled-upon-a-different-vessel-instead-180986990/Researchers think they have located the final resting place of the "L.W. Crane," a wooden side-wheel steam ship that caught fire and sank in the Fox River in 1880Wed, 16 Jul 2025 20:55:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-us-army-is-getting-rid-of-most-of-its-ceremonial-horse-units-180986976/Senior military leaders at five forts will have one year to transfer, adopt out or donate the horses under their commandTue, 15 Jul 2025 20:43:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-relentless-484-mile-march-from-virginia-to-massachusetts-fueled-the-legend-of-the-dashing-frontier-rifleman-180986953/In the early months of the American Revolution, Daniel Morgan and his soldiers raced north to join the Continental Army during the so-called Beeline MarchTue, 15 Jul 2025 19:35:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/to-combat-summer-reading-slumps-this-timeless-childrens-television-show-tried-to-bridge-the-literacy-gap-with-the-magic-of-stories-180986984/With a charismatic host and charming book readings and reviews, the hit series “Reading Rainbow” stands as a beacon of children’s literatureTue, 15 Jul 2025 14:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-grand-canyon-lodge-destroyed-by-wildfire-as-blaze-continues-across-national-parks-north-rim-180986978/Constructed in 1937, the lodge was one of dozens of buildings consumed by the fast-moving Dragon Bravo wildfire, which has raged across thousands of acresMon, 14 Jul 2025 19:18:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lost-bow-of-american-warship-found-eight-decades-after-it-was-blown-off-by-a-japanese-torpedo-in-world-war-ii-180986959/After the attack, crews sailed the USS "New Orleans" backwards for more than 1,000 miles across the Pacific. Since then, the location of the vessel's bow has been a mysteryThu, 10 Jul 2025 16:39:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-women-in-new-jersey-gained-and-lostthe-right-to-vote-more-than-a-century-before-the-19th-amendment-granted-suffrage-nationwide-180986930/Vague phrasing in the state’s Revolutionary-era Constitution enfranchised women who met specific property requirements. A 1790 law explicitly allowed female suffrage, but this privilege was revoked in 1807Tue, 08 Jul 2025 15:03:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/heres-how-supermans-iconic-motto-of-truth-justice-and-the-american-way-evolved-over-time-180986927/The quintessential superhero has always stood for truth and justice, but the final part of his catchphrase has morphed to match a more connected world—and his place in itThu, 03 Jul 2025 18:00:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-copy-of-the-13th-amendment-signed-by-abraham-lincoln-sells-for-a-record-13-7-million-180986917/Kenneth Griffin, the billionaire art collector and hedge fund founder, purchased the document that abolished slavery, as well as a copy of the Emancipation ProclamationThu, 03 Jul 2025 14:47:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-deadly-circus-fire-on-the-day-the-clowns-cried-traumatized-a-community-and-led-to-lasting-safety-reforms-180986888/On July 6, 1944, a blaze broke out at a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey show in Hartford, Connecticut. At least 167 people died, and hundreds were injuredThu, 03 Jul 2025 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-dugout-canoe-made-from-a-12-foot-long-log-was-found-bobbing-in-a-north-carolina-river-180986898/The newly discovered vessel is one of 79 known dugout canoes that have been unearthed throughout the stateWed, 02 Jul 2025 18:32:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-daring-revolutionary-era-artists-promoted-the-patriot-cause-from-the-heart-of-enemy-territory-180986876/A new book explores how painters, sculptors and writers, especially women and people of color, used their craft to advocate for American independence while living in George III's capital cityTue, 01 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-lost-treasures-emerge-from-lake-during-hurricane-helene-recovery-efforts-in-north-carolina-180986870/Officials are draining the water from Lake Lure to remove sediment and debris, revealing historic objects embedded in the dry lakebedMon, 30 Jun 2025 15:55:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bricks-from-a-historic-new-jersey-church-are-getting-a-second-life-at-the-smithsonian-castle-180986882/The First Presbyterian Church’s rare sandstone bricks will be transported to Washington, D.C., where they'll be used to restore a 170-year-old Smithsonian building on the National MallFri, 27 Jun 2025 17:45:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-artworks-that-explore-the-forgotten-history-of-harriet-tubmans-civil-war-triumphs-180986853/Tubman's 1863 raid, which destroyed seven plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina and freed 756 enslaved laborers, is now the subject of an exhibition in CharlestonWed, 25 Jun 2025 18:00:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-do-i-research-ancestors-who-sailed-to-america-in-the-1600s-and-more-questions-from-our-readers-180986823/You’ve got questions. We’ve got expertsTue, 24 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-artifacts-from-one-of-the-nations-oldest-schools-for-black-children-180986863/News of the discoveries comes amid the opening of the Williamsburg Bray School building, which educated hundreds of free and enslaved Black children between 1760 and 1774Mon, 23 Jun 2025 20:53:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-confederate-raider-fired-the-final-shots-of-the-civil-war-in-the-arctic-two-and-a-half-months-after-robert-e-lee-surrendered-180986847/The CSS "Shenandoah" only learned of the Confederacy's defeat in the summer of 1865. That June, the cruiser's crew sank 24 American merchant vessels, unaware that the conflict had already endedMon, 23 Jun 2025 12:48:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tattered-pages-discovered-in-storage-reveal-an-enslaved-mans-daring-bid-for-freedom-and-his-second-life-at-sea-180986838/Historians are investigating the haunting handwritten manuscript, which chronicles Thomas White's escape from slavery in Maryland and adventures around the world nearly 200 years agoWed, 18 Jun 2025 18:56:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/explore-art-and-design-in-1940s-america-through-these-250-paintings-photos-posters-and-artifacts-180986816/A new exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art examines how artistic expression evolved throughout the war years and the postwar periodWed, 18 Jun 2025 17:38:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/see-the-birthplace-of-juneteenth-in-these-atmospheric-photos-of-galveston-texas-180986837/A photographer's journey to the Gulf Coast city yields 16 images that reveal how its natural beauty melds with its momentous role in Black historyWed, 18 Jun 2025 13:45:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-forgotten-founding-father-hoped-to-die-up-to-my-knees-in-blood-in-the-fight-for-american-independence-he-got-his-wish-180986795/Joseph Warren was a key leader of the American Revolution, mobilizing troops and managing a circle of spies. But he's mainly remembered for his death at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775Tue, 17 Jun 2025 13:02:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-national-archives-museum-is-using-ai-to-take-visitors-on-an-immersive-journey-through-american-history-180986784/Called "The American Story," the new permanent exhibition will guide museumgoers through two million historic documents and artifactsMon, 16 Jun 2025 20:07:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/when-midcentury-new-york-spoke-this-sound-archivist-listened-and-recorded-every-word-180986817/Armed with a tape recorder and open ears, Tony Schwartz turned everyday noise into lasting art. Now, his recordings live on at Smithsonian Folkways, where they continue to inspire new ways of listening to, remembering and understanding the worldMon, 16 Jun 2025 18:00:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-new-immersive-experience-is-built-with-hundreds-of-photos-videos-and-magazine-covers-from-the-rolling-stone-archives-180986753/Narrated by Kevin Bacon, the 50-minute exhibition examines the history of rock music through media projected onto walls across a 4,000-square-foot galleryTue, 10 Jun 2025 20:02:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-15-best-small-towns-to-visit-in-2025-180986681/From a barbecue capital in Texas to the site of the first offensive victory for American forces in the Revolutionary War in New York, these spots are worthy of a visit this yearMon, 09 Jun 2025 19:05:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-americas-forgotten-second-national-park-lost-its-federal-statusand-gained-a-new-lease-on-life-as-a-state-park-180986751/Much of Mackinac Island was designated as a national park in 1875, but it proved to be too expensive for the government to maintain, so it was transferred to the State of Michigan in 1895Mon, 09 Jun 2025 13:13:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-david-lynchs-coffee-makers-behind-the-scenes-photographs-and-early-drafts-of-film-scripts-180986750/Nearly 450 objects are heading to auction this month. The collection reveals the "Twin Peaks" director's restless creativity across many decades and art formsFri, 06 Jun 2025 18:05:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pocket-watch-recovered-from-lake-michigans-deadliest-shipwreck-returns-to-owners-hometown-after-165-years-180986728/The timepiece belonged to Herbert Ingram, a British journalist and politician who died when the "Lady Elgin" sank in 1860. His watch was recovered from the bottom of the lake in 1992Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:04:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-the-defiant-loyalists-who-paid-dearly-for-choosing-the-wrong-side-in-the-american-revolution-180986716/American colonists who aligned with the British lost their lands, their reputations and sometimes even their livesWed, 04 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/last-surviving-grandson-of-president-john-tyler-who-took-office-in-1841-dies-at-96-180986724/When Harrison Ruffin Tyler's grandfather was born 235 years ago in 1790, George Washington had just become the nation's first presidentFri, 30 May 2025 21:20:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-eleven-marble-sculptures-of-iconic-artists-once-decorated-one-of-americas-first-art-museums-what-happened-to-them-180986706/The Corcoran Gallery of Art was adorned with the statues, commissioned in the late 1800s. But since then, they've changed hands many times and finally found their way back to each other in a botanical gardenThu, 29 May 2025 14:30:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/revolutionary-war-era-gunboat-found-at-ground-zero-finds-a-new-permanent-home-in-new-york-180986694/Researchers are reassembling the ship, which was likely built in the 1770s near PhiladelphiaWed, 28 May 2025 13:58:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/would-you-wear-a-wedding-dress-made-of-disposable-paper-these-1960s-brides-donned-them-to-save-moneyand-make-a-daring-fashion-statement-180986663/Created with synthetic textiles, the "nonwoven" gowns could be shortened for the reception or easily packed away for the honeymoonTue, 27 May 2025 13:19:16 +0000