History

World News

Hong Kong's Protest Umbrellas Have A Deep Political History

10:07am October 02, 2014

Umbrellas have become the symbol of the Hong Kong protests. But it turns out they were a political liability that symbolized appeasement and weakness for much of the 20th century.

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World News

Looting Antiquities, A Fundamental Part Of ISIS' Revenue Stream

12:22am September 30, 2014

ISIS is looting, destroying and illicitly trafficking antiquities out of Iraq and Syria. Rachel Martin talks with Michael Danti, a professor of archaeology at Boston University.

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The good old days: A flight attendant serves coffee and sandwiches to a passenger on board an American Airlines flight, circa 1935.

A Bumpy Ride: Airplane Food Through The Decades

3:12pm September 29, 2014

by April Fulton

The food on U.S. planes has gone from bad to nonexistent in coach class. But airplane meals have had ups and downs before. Now, airports and food delivery services are aiming to close the gap.

Tourists visit the Lion of Amphipolis on Aug. 18. The large tomb, its occupant unknown, was found nearby. But Greek authorities have not yet allowed the public to visit the site of the tomb.

World News

Who's Buried In The 'Magnificent' Tomb From Ancient Greece?

7:17am September 29, 2014

by Joanna Kakissis

The largest archaeological find of its kind in Greece has set off speculation and thrilled Greeks, reminding them they are rich in history.

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Sweet or salty? Historically among Eastern European Jews, how they liked their gefilte fish depended on where they lived. This divide created a strictly Jewish geography known as "the gefilte fish line."

The Gefilte Fish Line: A Sweet And Salty History Of Jewish Identity

1:41pm September 26, 2014

by Deena Prichep

Gefilte fish can be a hard sell even in its standard savory form. But some European Jews like it sweet, a preference that, surprisingly, overlaps exactly with a geographic and linguistic divide.

Volunteers Transcribe Material For Smithsonian's Digital Project

9:27am September 22, 2014

The Smithsonian Institution has asked volunteers to transcribe handwritten material from its vast collection. We meet a couple of the transcribers and hear what they've been working on.

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Venetians celebrate during the Festa del Redentore in Venice. The festival began in 1576 when the Republic's Senate voted to build a church on the Giudecca Island to Christ the Redeemer to thank God for the city's deliverance from the Plague.

Ebola Battlers Can Learn From Venice's Response To Black Death

7:03am September 20, 2014

by Christopher Shea

The city fathers didn't understand the plague they faced in the Middle Ages. Yet they improvised brilliantly. A new paper explains how their mindset is a model for how to face an unknown threat.

World News

Sierra Leone: Where Colin Powell Felt His Roots

6:04pm September 19, 2014

by Roff Smith

The West African nation is in the news today because of the tragic Ebola outbreak. It once played a part in another tragedy: the U.S. slave trade.

Author Jacqueline Woodson reads from her newest novel, Sept. 15.

Jacqueline Woodson On Being A 'Brown Girl' Who Dreams

2:37pm September 19, 2014

by Kat Chow

In her new memoir for young adults, Woodson uses free verse to tell the story of growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. Her work for young readers often touches on themes of race and identity.

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Economy

The History Of Light, In 6 Minutes And 47 Seconds

11:57am September 17, 2014

by David Kestenbaum

You can trace 4,000 years of economic growth through the history of light. The ways we got from a candle, made from of animal fat, to the LED lights we have today tell a lot about our modern economy.

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