WEIRD HISTORY
One in four cowboys was black. So why aren’t they more present in popular culture? This image appeared in cowboy Nat Love’s privately published autobiography. (Corbis) – By Katie Nodjimbadem, SmithsonianMag.Com – In his 1907 autobiography, cowboy Nat Love recounts stories from his …
Pioneers and early archaeologists credited distant civilizations, not Native Americans, with building these sophisticated complexes. View of Monks Mound from Woodhenge Circle (Photo courtesy of Sarah E. Baires) – By Sarah E. Baires, Zócalo Public Square SmithsonianMag.Com – Around 1100 or 1200 A.D., …
By Rich Haridy 2020 May 26 – A new study suggests one third of modern European women may carry an ancient gene variant linked to increased fertility. lurii/Depositphotos – A genetic variant inherited from our ancient Neanderthal relatives and thought to confer heightened fertility …
The Transylvanian-born orphan was sold to an English traveller, with whom she discovered the wonders of Africa, married and fought to abolish slavery. Lady Florence Baker, pictured in London in about 1870. Photograph: Henry Maull/Alamy – By Marcel Theroux 2020 May 31 – …
New research suggests the center points of three stone megalith circles at Göbekli Tepe form a near-perfect triangle. An aerial view of one of the circular enclosures at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey (Gil Haklay / AFTAU) By Alex Fox, SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 May 28 …
The chance discovery of ancient bones under an Irish pub in County Antrim in the mid-2000s has cast doubt over whether Irish people are actually related to the ancient Celts at all. IrishCentral Staff, @IrishCentral – 2020 May 01 – The bones could …
Cleaning up the Uffington Horse is the neigh-borly thing to do. The White Horse at Uffington, Oxfordshire. (AP Photo). By Emily Cleaver, SmithsonianMag.Com – If you stand in the valley near the village of Uffington in Oxfordshire, England, and look up at the …
By Genevieve Carlton – Most people have never heard of the Cerrejón coal mine, located in Colombia. The mine pumps out over 30 million tons of coal each year, and it’s also become a critical site for scientists. In fact, the coal …
by Daniel Burnstein 2020 May 24 – An 1856 cartoon depicts Republican John C. Fremont as a representative not only of abolition but of a host of threatening social movements. Many people who see little rational basis for supporting Donald Trump ask themselves: …
By Richard Haw – 2020 May 10 – Two things that have often seemed in short supply in our national politics over the last few years are a respect for history—not just the lessons it can teach us, but what forces and factors …
