https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/history/RSS feed for HistoryenFri, 25 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/google-just-released-an-ai-tool-that-helps-historians-fill-in-missing-words-in-ancient-roman-inscriptions-180987046/Known as Aeneas, the tool was trained on an extensive dataset of Latin epigraphy. Experts hope it will help decipher segments of text that have been lost to historyFri, 25 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-mysterious-medieval-knight-buried-beneath-an-ice-cream-parlor-in-poland-180987021/The well-preserved skeleton was buried under a rare limestone tombstone, which suggests the individual may have been an important member of Gdańsk society during the Middle AgesThu, 24 Jul 2025 19:34:49 +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/underwater-archaeologists-capture-photos-of-japanese-warship-that-hasnt-been-seen-since-it-sank-during-world-war-ii-180987026/The “Teruzuki” was a Japanese Navy destroyer that sank near the Solomon Islands on December 12, 1942. Eight decades later, researchers have identified the wreckage in the PacificWed, 23 Jul 2025 14:57:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/athens-is-reviving-a-2000-year-old-roman-empire-era-aqueduct-to-deliver-water-amid-prolonged-droughts-180987013/With the capital's reservoirs approaching historic lows, officials are turning to ancient engineering to conserve potable waterTue, 22 Jul 2025 20:40:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/germanys-stunning-fairytale-castles-added-to-unescos-world-heritage-list-180987007/Built under the rule of Ludwig II, the grand palace complexes in Bavaria were among 26 new sites granted world heritage statusMon, 21 Jul 2025 14:40:04 +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/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 +0000https://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 +0000https://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 +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/smart-news/does-this-ancient-rock-carving-depict-one-of-egypts-earliest-rulers-180986980/New research suggests the engraving, which shows an elite individual sitting in a boat, may be up to 5,100 years oldTue, 15 Jul 2025 18:26:05 +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/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 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-treasure-filled-tomb-belonging-to-the-first-known-ruler-of-a-maya-city-in-belize-180986972/Te K'ab Chaak was a wealthy warrior king who rose to power in 331 C.E. His burial is the first royal tomb found in the ancient city of CaracolFri, 11 Jul 2025 20:16:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-may-have-been-running-a-sophisticated-fat-factory-in-germany-125000-years-ago-180986951/New research suggests that they smashed animal bones into tiny pieces before boiling them to extract the high-calorie grease insideFri, 11 Jul 2025 18:01:03 +0000https://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 +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/smart-news/archaeologists-unveil-a-3500-year-old-city-in-peru-that-sheds-light-on-the-caral-culture-180986944/Known as Peñico, the city is now open to tourists. It was once a vibrant urban center that connected coastal, mountain and jungle communitiesThu, 10 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-traces-of-an-iron-age-settlement-and-roman-villa-in-england-180986943/The excavation, which followed the discovery of two Roman swords in 2023, is providing historians with fresh insights into Britain’s ancient historyWed, 09 Jul 2025 14:56:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-getty-villa-reopens-six-months-after-the-devastating-palisades-fire-180986905/The iconic Los Angeles venue is welcoming visitors back with a new exhibition featuring artworks and artifacts from ancient GreeceTue, 08 Jul 2025 20:49:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-museum-is-asking-visitors-whether-it-should-continue-to-display-mummified-human-remains-180986942/The Manchester Museum in England is inviting guests to share feedback on Asru, an ancient Egyptian woman whose body was unwrapped 200 years agoTue, 08 Jul 2025 18:57:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-sequenced-an-ancient-egyptian-skeletons-entire-genome-for-the-very-first-time-heres-what-they-found-180986935/Dating back more than 4,500 years, the skeleton belonged to a middle-aged man who may have worked as a potter and likely descended from ancestors in North Africa and MesopotamiaMon, 07 Jul 2025 19:26:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-roman-army-camp-in-the-netherlands-15-miles-beyond-the-empires-northern-border-180986910/Researchers think the camp was built during the second century C.E. Stretching across 22 acres, it was identified using a computer model developed by an archaeology studentMon, 07 Jul 2025 15:49:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-bewildering-bronze-lions-heads-with-slightly-different-facial-expressions-found-in-ancient-roman-grave-in-israel-180986922/Similar examples of ancient lion artifacts appear to have been used as door knockers. But the newly discovered discs may have served a different purposeThu, 03 Jul 2025 17:47:45 +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/smart-news/gas-workers-digging-beneath-the-streets-of-lima-stumble-upon-1000-year-old-mummy-with-dark-brown-hair-180986924/The burial belonged to a child who may have lived among fishermen from the Chancay culture, which thrived in Peru before the rise of the Inca EmpireWed, 02 Jul 2025 19:29:18 +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/smart-news/a-new-memorial-will-honor-elizabeth-ii-with-a-bridge-inspired-by-her-diamond-studded-wedding-tiara-180986906/A British architecture firm has been selected to design the queen's memorial in London, which will include a translucent bridge that evokes her wedding tiara's delicate silhouetteTue, 01 Jul 2025 20:32:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-medieval-monks-scribbled-notes-in-the-margins-of-their-books-more-than-1000-years-ago-180986877/A new exhibition in Dublin showcases historic manuscripts written in Irish monasteries. The show also features medieval artifacts, such as a rare book shrine found in a river in the 1980sTue, 01 Jul 2025 18:51:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-young-woman-with-a-cone-shaped-skull-died-after-suffering-a-severe-head-wound-6000-years-ago-180986894/Found in the Chega Sofla cemetery in Iran, the skull appears to have been struck by a blunt object. Archaeologists don't know whether the incident was intentional or accidentalMon, 30 Jun 2025 20:49:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/divorce-papers-and-sauce-stained-sleeves-reveal-the-personal-side-of-napoleons-rise-and-fall-180986896/More than 100 objects connected to the French emperor just sold at auction. The collection sheds light on the man and the myth in stunningly intimate detailMon, 30 Jun 2025 18:44:49 +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/a-sinkhole-opened-up-on-a-street-in-england-revealing-the-remains-of-a-massive-medieval-hospital-180986890/Centuries ago, the site was home to St. Leonard's Hospital, a sprawling monastic facility that provided care to sick individuals and supplied meals for prisoners at nearby York CastleFri, 27 Jun 2025 15:47:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-face-of-a-10500-year-old-woman-reconstructed-by-archaeologists-and-artists-180986852/Using well-preserved ancient DNA, researchers have created a life-like facial reconstruction of a woman who lived in Belgium's Meuse Valley during the Mesolithic periodWed, 25 Jun 2025 18:53:36 +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/smart-news/archaeologists-say-theyve-pieced-together-the-ancient-fragments-of-theworlds-most-difficult-jigsaw-puzzle-180986855/More than 1,800 years ago, the thousands of pieces formed colorful frescoes that covered the walls of a luxurious villa in Londinium, the precursor to modern-day LondonWed, 25 Jun 2025 13:58:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/doctors-detected-a-mysterious-antibody-in-a-french-womans-body-it-turned-out-to-be-a-brand-new-blood-type-180986866/Called "Gwada negative," it marks the discovery of the 48th known blood group system in humansTue, 24 Jun 2025 21:00:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-london-museum-lets-you-order-items-from-its-vast-collections-and-maybe-even-touch-them-180986848/At the new V&A East Storehouse, visitors can get up close and personal with 250,000 historic and culturally significant items spanning 5,000 years of human creativityTue, 24 Jun 2025 19:13:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-2000-year-old-perfume-garden-in-the-ancient-city-of-pompeii-has-been-restored-to-its-former-glory-180986830/The small garden now features thousands of roses, violets, cherry trees and vines. Experts think a perfumer may have once used the plants to experiment with new scentsTue, 24 Jun 2025 15:37:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/explore-the-history-of-the-planet-with-david-attenborough-at-this-new-immersive-experience-in-london-180986836/"Our Story With David Attenborough" at the Natural History Museum is a 50-minute program that explores humankind's role in the planet's ongoing storyFri, 20 Jun 2025 20:52:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-16th-century-shipwreck-discovered-at-record-depth-in-french-waters-180986826/The 98-foot-long vessel was transporting ceramic jugs, ceramic plates and metal bars when it sank off southeastern France nearly 500 years agoWed, 18 Jun 2025 20:56:35 +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/smart-news/this-viking-woman-was-buried-with-a-small-dog-at-her-feet-1000-years-ago-180986792/Archaeologists unearthed the burial site during excavations in Norway. They say the discovery provides unique insights into the bonds humans form with their animalsTue, 17 Jun 2025 14:40:28 +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/smart-news/tutankhamuns-iconic-gold-death-mask-is-getting-a-new-home-180986801/Soon, the elaborately decorated artifact will be transferred to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum, joining more than 5,000 other items from the boy king's tombFri, 13 Jun 2025 20:03:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-are-recreating-the-long-lost-recipe-for-egyptian-blue-the-worlds-oldest-known-synthetic-pigment-180986778/Created 5,000 years ago, the mysterious color has been found on artworks and artifacts throughout the ancient world. But the pigment's recipe was eventually lost to historyThu, 12 Jun 2025 15:47:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historians-set-the-record-straight-on-this-misidentified-155-year-old-shipwreck-in-lake-michigan-180986752/For years, experts thought a wreck near Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, was the "Christina Nilsson." Recently, they realized it's actually the "Joseph Cochrane," which sank in 1870Wed, 11 Jun 2025 20:04:00 +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/smart-news/massive-field-where-native-american-farmers-grew-corn-beans-and-squash-1000-years-ago-discovered-in-michigan-180986758/The ancestors of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin built earthen mounds to grow crops. The site could be the largest preserved archaeological field system in the eastern United StatesTue, 10 Jun 2025 15:42:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-dead-sea-scrolls-changed-our-understanding-of-the-bible-could-some-of-them-be-even-older-than-we-thought-180986746/A new study combines A.I., radiocarbon dating and handwriting analysis to estimate new dates for some of the ancient scrolls, thought to be some of the earliest surviving fragments of the Old TestamentThu, 05 Jun 2025 20:00:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-half-of-the-protected-land-around-the-nazca-lines-of-peru-is-now-open-to-miners-180986738/Some environmentalists are concerned about mining operations drawing closer to the ancient landmarksThu, 05 Jun 2025 16:19:42 +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/smart-news/what-was-life-like-for-the-women-who-lived-in-ancient-pompeii-2000-years-ago-180986714/A new exhibition is spotlighting the women who have long been sidelined in histories of the Roman Empire—from mothers and weavers to entrepreneurs and influential tavern ownersTue, 03 Jun 2025 19:50:18 +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/smart-news/experts-think-the-hagia-sophia-is-in-danger-theyve-got-a-plan-to-protect-it-from-earthquakes-180986665/Turkey is located near two fault lines, leaving the 1,500-year-old structure vulnerable to damage. Architects and engineers will be investigating how to best preserve itThu, 29 May 2025 20:12:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-bewildering-byzantine-bucket-stumped-archaeologists-for-decades-now-theyve-finally-discovered-its-purpose-180986701/Fragments of the bucket were first found at England's Sutton Hoo burial site in 1986. New research has revealed that the 1,500-year-old artifact was probably used as a cremation vesselThu, 29 May 2025 18:20:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-did-vikings-view-pregnant-women-new-research-reveals-that-they-were-sometimes-depicted-with-weapons-180986674/Researchers studied Old Norse literature and archaeological evidence to shed new light on women's experiences of pregnancy during the Viking AgeWed, 28 May 2025 17:38:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-oldest-known-tools-made-from-whale-bones-crafted-in-western-europe-20000-years-ago-180986696/Stone Age humans scavenged the skeletons of several whale species along the Bay of Biscay in what is now southwestern France and northern Spain, according to a new studyWed, 28 May 2025 17:04:05 +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 +0000