Crime | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/crime/RSS feed for CrimeenThu, 24 Jul 2025 16:05:00 +0000Los Angeles' 1936 'Bum Blockade' Targeted American Migrants Fleeing Poverty and Drought During the Great Depressionhttps://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 +0000This Woman Didn't Want to Return a Stolen 16th-Century Painting. Then She Changed Her Mindhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-woman-didnt-want-to-return-a-stolen-16th-century-painting-then-she-changed-her-mind-180987039/Despite her legal claim to ownership, Barbara de Dozsa has decided to return an artwork by Italian artist Antonio Solario that vanished more than 50 years agoThu, 24 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000Man Arrested for Trying to Break the Glass Protecting the Stone of Destiny in Scotlandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-arrested-for-trying-to-break-the-glass-protecting-the-scone-of-destiny-in-scotland-180986997/The symbolic artifact, which has been used for centuries during the coronations of Scottish and English monarchs, is on display at the Perth MuseumThu, 17 Jul 2025 19:33:49 +0000Archaeologists Find 300-Year-Old Shipwreck in What Used to Be 'One of the Baddest Pirate Lairs on Earth'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-300-year-old-shipwreck-in-what-used-to-be-one-of-the-baddest-pirate-lairs-on-earth-180986983/Pirates attacked the Portuguese warship, named the "Nossa Senhora do Cabo," and made off with many of the treasures the ship was transporting from India to PortugalThu, 17 Jul 2025 17:41:12 +0000Ancient Erotic Mosaic Stolen From Pompeii During World War II Finally Returns Homehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-erotic-mosaic-stolen-from-pompeii-during-world-war-ii-finally-returns-home-180986992/A Nazi captain gave artwork, which depicts an intimate Roman romance, to a civilian. When he died, his heirs decided to return the piece to ItalyThu, 17 Jul 2025 14:07:11 +0000Have Eagle-Eyed Experts Found This 316-Year-Old Stradivarius Violin That Was Looted During World War II?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/have-eagle-eyed-experts-found-this-316-year-old-stradivarius-violin-that-was-looted-during-world-war-ii-180986962/Eight decades after the 1709 violin known as the "Small Mendelssohn" disappeared, experts think they've located it in JapanMon, 14 Jul 2025 20:14:12 +0000The Largest Section of the Beloved Sycamore Gap Tree Is Going on Display in Englandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-largest-section-of-the-beloved-sycamore-gap-tree-is-going-on-display-in-england-180986969/The iconic tree was illegally chopped down in September 2023, but its memory will live on in the form of a new art installation that invites visitors to touch—and even embrace—a piece of its trunkMon, 14 Jul 2025 17:25:12 +0000Stolen Historic Documents Surface in Attic—Ten Years After an Employee Used Them as Collateral to Borrow Moneyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stolen-historic-documents-surface-in-attic-ten-years-after-an-employee-used-them-as-collateral-to-borrow-money-180986965/The thief likely took the trove when he worked for the Dutch National Archives in 2015. Recently, someone found them in storage and contacted art detective Arthur BrandFri, 11 Jul 2025 14:06:28 +0000How a Deadly Circus Fire on the 'Day the Clowns Cried' Traumatized a Community—and Led to Lasting Safety Reformshttps://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 +0000America Deported Her for Publishing a Book Titled 'Lesbian Love.' Years Later, She Was Murdered by the Nazis for Being Jewishhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/america-deported-her-for-publishing-a-book-titled-lesbian-love-years-later-she-was-murdered-by-the-nazis-for-being-jewish-180986864/Eve Adams, an immigrant and the proprietor of a 1920s lesbian tearoom, was imprisoned for disorderly conduct and obscenity, then sent back to Europe, where she became a target of the HolocaustThu, 26 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000Climate Activist Throws Bright Pink Paint on Glass Covering Picasso Painting in Montrealhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/climate-activist-throws-bright-pink-paint-on-glass-covering-picasso-painting-in-montreal-180986865/The stunt is part of an environmental organization's efforts to draw attention to the dangerous wildfires spreading through CanadaTue, 24 Jun 2025 21:28:18 +0000The World’s 'Most Trafficked Mammal' Might Soon Be Protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Acthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-most-trafficked-mammal-might-soon-be-protected-on-the-us-endangered-species-act-180986832/The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing seven species of pangolin, often poached for their scales and meat, as endangeredTue, 17 Jun 2025 20:34:39 +0000Stolen Paintings Linked to Retired Couple Who Supposedly Moonlighted as Art Thieves Returned to New Mexico Museum After 40 Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stolen-paintings-linked-to-retired-couple-who-supposedly-moonlighted-as-art-thieves-returned-to-new-mexico-after-40-years-180986765/Victor Higgins' "Aspens" and Joseph Henry Sharp’s "Oklahoma Cheyenne" had been missing since March 1985, when they were snatched in broad daylightTue, 10 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000Sea Horse Smuggling Is a Big Problem, Despite Global Efforts to Protect These Beloved Aquatic Creatureshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seahorse-smuggling-is-a-big-problem-despite-global-efforts-to-protect-these-beloved-aquatic-creatures-180986757/Between 2010 and 2021, authorities seized around five million individual sea horses worth more than $21 millionFri, 06 Jun 2025 17:47:55 +0000This 300-Pound Bust Was Stolen From Jim Morrison's Grave in 1988. French Police Just Recovered Ithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-300-pound-bust-was-stolen-from-jim-morrisons-grave-in-1988-french-police-just-recovered-it-180986702/Created for the tenth anniversary of the Doors frontman's death in 1971, the bust stood on his grave in the famous Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris for only seven yearsFri, 30 May 2025 14:15:20 +0000