History | Smithsonian Magazinehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/history/RSS feed for HistoryenTue, 11 Aug 2020 12:30:00 +0000How Geraldine Ferraro's 1984 Campaign Broke the Vice-Presidential Glass Ceilinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/geraldine-ferraro-unprecedented-1984-campaign-vice-president-180975491/The charismatic congresswoman from Queens forged a path for women in American politicsMon, 10 Aug 2020 15:55:59 +0000How America Became Obsessed With Horseshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-america-became-obsessed-horses-180975530/A new book explores the meaning the animal holds for people—from cowboys to elite show jumpers—in this countryTue, 11 Aug 2020 12:30:00 +0000The Forged Gospel of Jesus’s Wife, Hidden Castes and Other New Books to Readhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/forged-gospel-jesuss-wife-hidden-caste-systems-and-other-new-books-read-180975526/These five August releases may have been lost in the news cycleTue, 11 Aug 2020 12:00:00 +0000Celebrate the Smithsonian's 174th Birthday With a Look at Its First Collectionshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2020/08/10/how-scientists-still-use-smithsonians-first-collections-170-years-later/Historic museum specimens help us learn more about what a species once was like and what it could be like in the futureMon, 10 Aug 2020 19:39:10 +0000Why the Black National Anthem Is Lifting Every Voice to Singhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-black-national-anthem-lifting-every-voice-sing-180975519/Scholars agree the song, endowed with its deep history of black pride, speaks to the universal human conditionMon, 10 Aug 2020 13:42:49 +0000How a Choral Director and Her Students Found Joy in the Folkways Archiveshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-choral-director-and-her-students-found-community-and-meaning-folkways-archives-180975471/Watch this uplifting video giving voice to stalwarts of the American songbookFri, 07 Aug 2020 18:31:53 +0000Will Rogers Was One of a Kindhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/will-rogers-was-one-kind-180975472/The popular raconteur touched Americans with his humor, newspaper columns, movie star power, philanthropy and as political agitatorWed, 05 Aug 2020 18:13:06 +0000Nine Harrowing Eyewitness Accounts of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasakihttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/nine-harrowing-eyewitness-accounts-bombings-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-180975480/Seventy-five years ago, the atomic blasts killed an estimated 200,000 peopleWed, 05 Aug 2020 14:43:29 +0000This Drone Made the First Home Delivery in the United Stateshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-drone-made-first-home-delivery-united-states-180975463/Wing’s tether-toting drone delivered a winter vest to a retiree in Virginia and now its headed to the Air and Space MuseumTue, 04 Aug 2020 16:06:33 +0000The Air Force's First Female Fighter Pilothttps://www.smithsonianmag.comhttp://www.airspacemag.com/airspacemag/right-fly-and-fight-180975332/In 1993, before the Air Force permitted women to fly in combat, new pilot Jeannie Flynn requested the F-15Fri, 31 Jul 2020 17:12:49 +0000How the 1918 Pandemic Got Meme-ified in Jokes, Songs and Poemshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/memes-1918-pandemic-180975452/In newspapers across the country, the public dealt with the heartache of the moment by turning to humorFri, 31 Jul 2020 14:58:51 +000020th-Century Slavery in a California Sweatshop Was Hiding in Plain Sighthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/20th-century-slavery-california-sweatshop-was-hiding-plain-sight-180975441/The El Monte sweatshop case exposed a web of corruption—and the enslavement of more than 70 Los Angeles-area garment workersFri, 31 Jul 2020 14:00:34 +0000Exploring Underwater Caves and 22 Other Smithsonian Programs Streaming in August https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-associates/2020/07/26/exploring-underwater-caves-and-22-other-smithsonian-associates-programs-streaming-august/Exploring Underwater Caves, Battle of Midway, Economics + Harry Potter. Don't miss outThu, 30 Jul 2020 15:42:51 +0000What the First Women Voters Experienced When Registering for the 1920 Election https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-first-women-voters-experienced-when-registering-1920-election-180975435/The process varied by state, with some making accommodations for the new voting bloc and others creating additional obstaclesThu, 30 Jul 2020 15:12:20 +0000Why the Aircraft That Dropped the First Atomic Bomb Will Always Inspire Debatehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-aircraft-dropped-first-atomic-bomb-will-always-inspire-debate-180975421/The Enola Gay, fully restored and on view at the Smithsonian, left an indelible mark Thu, 30 Jul 2020 14:16:55 +0000A Champion in Accessible Design, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum Opens in Colorado Springshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/leader-accessible-design-us-olympic-paralympic-museum-opens-colorado-springs-180975412/The Games may be canceled this year, but you can still get a virtual taste of gloryThu, 30 Jul 2020 13:02:42 +0000How Hurricanes Have Shaped the Course of U.S. Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tracing-history-united-states-through-history-hurricanes-180975436/A new book examines the 500-year record of devastating storms affecting the nation's trajectoryWed, 29 Jul 2020 16:11:01 +0000A Native Remembrance on Korean Armistice Dayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2020/07/27/native-remembrance-korean-armistice/Some 10,000 Native Americans veterans served during the Korean conflictMon, 27 Jul 2020 21:51:37 +0000How a Public Health Campaign in the Warsaw Ghetto Stemmed the Spread of Typhushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-a-public-health-campaign-warsaw-ghetto-stemmed-spread-typhus-180975418/A new study shows how life-saving efforts by Jewish doctors helped curb an epidemic during World War IIMon, 27 Jul 2020 19:29:50 +0000Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the History of Protest in Americahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/history/smithsonian-secretary-lonnie-bunch-on-the-hi/Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III examines key movements in black history, from the Greensboro sit-in to Black Lives MatterMon, 27 Jul 2020 17:43:34 +0000The ADA Was a Monumental Achievement 30 Years Ago, but the Fight for Equal Rights Continueshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-30-years-since-signing-americans-disabilities-act-180975409/A look back at the fight for disability rights comes with the reckoning of the challenges left unsolvedFri, 24 Jul 2020 19:34:45 +0000Artist Bisa Butler Stitches Together the African American Experiencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/bisa-butler-stitches-together-quilts-african-american-experience-180975397/Her dynamic quilts that reimagine old portraits will be on display in New York in her first solo exhibitionFri, 24 Jul 2020 14:05:00 +0000How a Maverick Hip-Hop Legend Found Inspiration in a Titan of American Industryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-maverick-hip-hop-legend-found-inspiration-titan-american-industry-180975399/When LL COOL J sat for his portrait, he found common ground with the life-long philanthropical endeavors of John D. Rockefeller Fri, 24 Jul 2020 13:43:02 +0000The Notorious 'Yellow House' That Made Washington, D.C. a Slavery Capitalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-yellow-house-helped-make-washington-dc-slavery-capital-180975378/Located right off the National Mall, the jail lent institutional support to slavery throughout the SouthWed, 22 Jul 2020 14:38:42 +0000100 Years of Women at the Ballot Boxhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/100-years-women-ballot-box-180975366/How women have fought for and wielded the right to vote in the century since the 19th Amendment was ratifiedTue, 21 Jul 2020 17:18:28 +0000John Lewis' Storied History of Causing 'Good Trouble'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/john-lewis-storied-history-causing-good-trouble-180975368/The activist and congressman, who died Friday at age 80, viewed protest as crucial in American societyTue, 21 Jul 2020 13:00:00 +0000Twelve Must-Sees When the Smithsonian Reopens Udvar-Hazy Center July 24https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/twelve-must-sees-when-smithsonian-reopens-udvar-hazy-center-july-24-180975293/The massive showcase facility offers plenty of space for social distance along with plenty of air and space travel historyMon, 20 Jul 2020 16:36:44 +0000Why Bigfoot and the 'Abominable Snowman' Loom Large in the Human Imaginationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-bigfoot-and-abominable-snowman-loom-large-human-imagination-180975365/In cultures around the world, folklore of a 'Wild Man' share a common narrativeMon, 20 Jul 2020 11:00:00 +0000Smithsonian Leaders Reflect on the Legacy of Civil Rights Icon John Lewishttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/smithsonian-scholars-reflect-legacy-civil-rights-icon-john-lewis-180975320/The congressman and civil rights activist died on Friday at age 80Sat, 18 Jul 2020 15:13:25 +0000One of the Last Living Manhattan Project Scientists Looks Back at the Atomic Bomb Testshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/peter-lax-manhattan-project-last-living-scientists-180975317/Peter Lax was just a teenager when he went to Los Alamos to join the team that developed the deadly weaponWed, 15 Jul 2020 17:30:40 +0000Help Transcribe Field Notes Penned by S. Ann Dunham, a Pioneering Anthropologist and Barack Obama's Motherhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/help-transcribe-field-notes-penned-ann-dunham-pioneering-anthropologist-barack-obama-mother-180975310/Newly digitized, Dunham’s papers reflect her work as a scholar and as a scientist and as a woman doing anthropology in her own right Wed, 15 Jul 2020 15:51:59 +0000The Coal Strike That Defined Theodore Roosevelt's Presidencyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-roosevelt-and-jp-morgan-fixed-coal-mine-strike-180975311/To put an end to the standoff, the future progressive champion sought the help of a titan of business: J.P. MorganWed, 15 Jul 2020 12:00:00 +0000How Navy Blimps Beat Back German U-Boats During the Battle of the Atlantichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/air-space-museum/2020/07/13/k-ships-vs-u-boats/The destruction to convoys caused by marauding U-boats diminished dramatically once K-ships started keeping a constant vigilTue, 14 Jul 2020 17:02:28 +0000In This Historical Moment, Here’s How to Collect Your Thoughtshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/historical-moment-heres-how-collect-your-thoughts-180975282/The Anacostia Community Museum wants your story for its new archive #Moments of ResilienceMon, 13 Jul 2020 14:27:57 +0000An Uncrowned Tudor Queen, the Science of Skin and Other New Books to Readhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/uncrowned-tudor-queen-science-skin-and-other-new-books-read-180975264/These five July releases may have been lost in the news cycleFri, 10 Jul 2020 13:00:00 +0000Ending the Use of Racist Mascots and Imageshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2020/07/08/ending-racist-mascots-and-images/The appropriation of Native language and imagery perpetuates racism and legitimizes racist acts, says the director of the American Indian MuseumThu, 09 Jul 2020 14:05:32 +0000In St. Louis, History and Nostalgia Battle It Outhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-statue-st-louis-namesake-underscores-battle-between-nostalgia-and-history-180975273/The city's Catholic community faces off against protesters over a statue honoring the city's namesakeThu, 09 Jul 2020 12:00:00 +0000Why Is Ivory So Precious? And More Questions From Our Readershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-ivory-precious-more-questions-readers-180975209/You’ve got questions. We’ve got expertsWed, 08 Jul 2020 14:30:00 +0000How a Black Fireman Brought a Pole Into the Firehousehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/invention-firemans-pole-180975206/More than a century ago, David Kenyon, a firefighter in Chicago, discovered the fastest way to the ground floorWed, 08 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0000Make Thomas Jefferson's Recipe for Ice Creamhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thomas-jefferson-ice-cream-recipe-180975200/The co-author of the Declaration of Independence also drafted a radical recipeWed, 08 Jul 2020 11:00:00 +0000How the Ice Cream Truck Made Summer Coolhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/ice-cream-truck-innovation-history-180975199/As innovations go, the Good Humor vehicle is as sweet as it getsWed, 08 Jul 2020 11:00:00 +0000What Today's Indigenous Potters Are Learning from Ancient Chocolate-Drinking Jars https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2020/07/07/what-chocolate-drinking-jars-tell-indigenous-potters-now/Cacao harvested from Mesoamerican forests was traded through a massive network to reach people in the SouthwestTue, 07 Jul 2020 18:20:46 +0000How Northern Publishers Cashed In on Fundraising for Confederate Monumentshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/northern-printmakers-made-money-fundraising-confederate-monuments-180975257/In the years after the Civil War, printmakers in New York and elsewhere abetted the Lost Cause movement by selling images of false idolsTue, 07 Jul 2020 13:00:00 +0000Mary McLeod Bethune Was at the Vanguard of More Than 50 Years of Black Progresshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mary-mcleod-bethune-vanguard-more-than-50-years-black-progress-180975202/Winning the vote for women was a mighty struggle. Securing full liberation for women of color was no less dauntingTue, 07 Jul 2020 11:00:00 +0000The Way of the Shogunhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/way-shogun-180975196/Looking for the soul of modern Japan on an ancient road once traveled by poets and samuraiTue, 07 Jul 2020 10:30:00 +0000What Made Lucretia Mott One of the Fiercest Opponents of Slavery and Sexismhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/modesty-isnt-weakness-180975207/Her humble Quaker upbringing taught her how to stand up for her beliefsMon, 06 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0000When Senator Joe McCarthy Defended Nazishttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/senator-mccarthys-nazi-problem-180975174/In a nearly forgotten episode, the Wisconsin firebrand sided with the Germany military in a war crimes trial, raising questions about his anti-SemitismMon, 06 Jul 2020 12:00:00 +0000The Accidental Invention of the Slip ‘N Slidehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/accidental-invention-slip-n-slide-180975236/A young boy's summer antics 60 years ago inspired his father to create the timeless backyard water toyThu, 02 Jul 2020 16:44:54 +0000Recreating a Suffragist's Barnstorming Tour Through the American Westhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/recreating-inez-milholland-boissevain-barnstorming-tour-american-west-180975173/Inez Milholland Boissevain's campaign to win the vote for women inspires a dramatic homage a century laterThu, 02 Jul 2020 16:32:47 +0000Before Chain Letters Swept the Internet, They Raised Funds for Orphans and Sent Messages From Godhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/chain-letters-swept-internet-they-raised-funds-orphans-and-conveyed-messages-god-180975005/Recipe exchanges, poetry chains, photo challenges and other ostensibly comforting prompts are enjoying a resurgence amid the COVID-19 pandemicThu, 02 Jul 2020 12:00:00 +0000Created 150 Years Ago, the Justice Department’s First Mission Was to Protect Black Rightshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/created-150-years-ago-justice-departments-first-mission-was-protect-black-rights-180975232/In the wake of the Civil War, the government’s new force sought to enshrine equality under the lawWed, 01 Jul 2020 13:30:00 +0000These Portraits Revisit the Legacies of Famous Americanshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/american-descendants-180975155/Photographer Drew Gardner painstakingly recreates the images with the notable figures' descendantsWed, 01 Jul 2020 11:15:14 +0000What Frederick Douglass Had to Say About Monumentshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-frederick-douglass-had-say-about-monuments-180975225/In a newly discovered letter, the famed abolitionist wrote that ‘no one monument could be made to tell the whole truth'Tue, 30 Jun 2020 14:50:15 +0000Charlotte Cushman Broke Barriers on Her Way to Becoming the A-List Actress of the 1800shttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/charlotte-cushman-broke-barriers-her-way-becoming-list-actress-1800s-180975221/In the role of a lifetime, the queer performer was one of the first practitioners of 'method' actingTue, 30 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0000How Urban Design Can Make or Break a Protesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/geography-protest-how-urban-design-can-make-or-break-people-power-180975189/Cities' geography can aid, underscore or discourage a movement's successMon, 29 Jun 2020 13:00:00 +0000What the Protesters Tagging Historic Sites Get Right About the Pasthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-protesters-tagging-historic-sites-get-right-about-past-180975188/Places of memory up and down the East Coast also witnessed acts of resistance and oppressionFri, 26 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0000The Multiple Truths in the Works of the Enslaved Poet Phillis Wheatleyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/finding-multiple-truths-in-works-enslaved-poet-phillis-wheatley-180975163/In this endearing homage, poet-scholar drea brown finds ancestral and personal healingWed, 24 Jun 2020 15:28:41 +0000How Lakota Values Endure 144 Years After the Battle of Little Bighornhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2020/06/24/lakota-values-endure/Following Custer's defeat, tribal leaders made difficult decisions to ensure the safety of their people that continue today in the time of COVID-19Wed, 24 Jun 2020 15:01:44 +0000A Brief History of Anti-Fascismhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/brief-history-anti-fascism-180975152/As long as the ideology has threatened marginalized communities, groups on the left have pushed back with forceWed, 24 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0000COVID-19 Adds a New Snag to the 2020 Census Count of Native Americanshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/covid-19-adds-new-snag-to-2020-census-count-native-americans-180975150/The nation's indigenous population has long been undercounted, but the pandemic presents extra hurdlesTue, 23 Jun 2020 13:30:00 +0000When Henry VIII and Francis I Spent $19 Million on an 18-Day Partyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/five-hundred-years-ago-henry-viii-and-francis-i-spent-19-million-18-day-party-180975116/Five hundred years ago, the English and French kings proclaimed their friendship—and military might—at the Field of Cloth of GoldTue, 23 Jun 2020 11:00:00 +0000The Bloody Hell of Okinawahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/bloody-hell-okinawa-180975148/Seventy-five years ago, the final great battle of WWII convinced Allied leaders to drop the atomic bomb on JapanMon, 22 Jun 2020 11:00:00 +0000The Father of the Nation, George Washington Was Also a Doting Dad to His Familyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/george-washington-was-great-dad-too-180975139/Though he had no biological children, the first president acted as a father figure to Martha's descendantsSat, 20 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0000These Dynamic Posters and Brochures Tell the Story of Aviation in Graphic Detailhttps://www.smithsonianmag.comhttp://www.airspacemag.com/airspacemag/trash-treasure-180974938/Instead of ending up in the trash, aviation ephemera from the last 100 years turn out to be treasureFri, 19 Jun 2020 13:00:00 +0000The Maya Ruins at Uxmal Still Have More Stories to Tellhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/uxmal-maya-ruins-180974992/The remains of a provinical capital on the Yucatan Peninsula attest to a people trying to fortify their place in the worldWed, 17 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0000How Space Exploration and the Fight For Equal Rights Clashed Then and Nowhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/air-space-museum/2020/06/15/challenge-us-historical-reflection-1969-and-2020/Smithsonian curator Margaret Weitekamp reflects on the historic parallel between 2020 and 1969Mon, 15 Jun 2020 21:20:07 +0000Five Women Veterans Who Deserve to Have Army Bases Named After Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/five-women-veterans-who-deserve-have-army-bases-named-after-them-180975099/The U.S. Army has 10 installations named after Confederate generals. Zero are named after womenMon, 15 Jun 2020 16:10:18 +0000The Inventor of Ibuprofen Tested the Drug on His Own Hangoverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/inventor-ibuprofen-tested-drug-his-own-hangover-180975088/Stewart Adams' headache subsided—and his over-the-counter pain reliever became one of the world's most popular medicationsMon, 15 Jun 2020 13:00:00 +0000