How To Use This Site

Download a Printable Site Map

Click here to download and view a helpful guide that highlights all of the great features that are a part of Smithsonian's History Explorer..

 

Tips for Searching

View our tutorial on searching.

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Start with the most obvious term that describes what you are looking for and type it into the search box. If you are looking for resources about the U.S. Constitution, try typing constitution.

When you see the results of your search, use the filtering tools on the right side of the screen to narrow your results by grade, resource type, or historical era. The search results are also tabbed to display resources from History Explorer, resources from all of the Thinkfinity partners, and related books from the bibiliography.

 

Resource Pages

Once you have located a resource you are interested in using, make the most of the resource page on History Explorer. View our tutorial on all of the features for the resource pages.

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Subscribing to RSS Feeds

View our tutorial on RSS Feeds.

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You can subscribe to an RSS feed that notifies you whenever Smithsonian's History Explorer is updated with new content. A separate RSS feed provides a link to our weekly Featured Artifact.

To subscribe to a feed:

  • Click on an RSS feed icon
  • Select your feed reader from the list
  • Click "Subscribe Now"

You can unsubscribe at anytime from within your feed reader software.

Note to users with IE 6 or older browser:
Older browsers such as Internet Explorer 6 do not support RSS feeds.
To subscribe to a feed you will need to:

  • Set up a separate feed reader program or service
  • In Smithsonian's History Explorer, right-click (control-click for Mac users) on the RSS icon and select copy shortcut
  • Manually paste the link into your feed reader.

 

Additional Software

Some resources require the latest FREE software plug-ins to display properly. Make sure to download the correct version for your computer's operating system.

Adobe Acrobat Reader
Apple QuickTime Player

 

Problems?

Please report problems with the site. We appreciate your help in making this site the best resource for American History content on the Web!