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The man who made peace with the Pilgrims—and the political intrigue that followed

By 1620, Ousamequin held a tenuous grip on power and faced three unprecedented crises: a mysterious epidemic, attacks from domestic rivals, and an unexpected settlement of Englishmen. Here is the fascinating, politically charged story behind the so-called first Thanksgiving—the story often ignored by history.

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BONUS READING: 400 years on, the Pilgrims get a reality check +

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN

The Thanksgiving before the 'first' Thanksgiving

A recent excavation provided tantalizing hints about the first English Thanksgiving in the New World—one that took place five hundred miles south of Plymouth Rock and nearly two years earlier. Who was the little-known religious group that celebrated—and what ultimately happened to them?

PHOTOGRAPH BY C. MURRAY

These monuments are older than Stonehenge—and just as mysterious

A study of artificial islands commonly known as crannogs in Scotland's Outer Hebrides revealed that some were built more than 3,000 years earlier than previously thought. But what purpose did they serve?

A NEOLITHIC MYSTERY

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARMY AIR CORPS, 11TH PHOTO SECTION

Why the U.S. once bombed an erupting volcano

When Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano erupted in 1935, it sent serpents of red-hot liquid rock slithering toward the town of Hilo, then home to 16,000 residents. Normally, during eruptions, there's not much anyone can do except get out of the way. But that year, scientists decided to try something a little different.

QUOTE

Ousamequin's protection had enabled the English to grow from a proverbial little child to a great man in just 50 years. But they did not return the favor.

David J. Silverman, writer and professor

From: The man who made peace with the Pilgrims

PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON EDWARDS, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

A trait once thought to be 'uniquely human' may not be so exceptional

The critically endangered indri, one of the world's largest living lemurs, can sing in rhythms like the tick-tick of a metronome or the stomp-stomp-clap of Queen's "We Will Rock You"—the first time a mammal besides humans has been found to use these rhythms.

HEAR THEIR SONGS

PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA STUMPF

How Portugal keeps alive an iconic 500-year-old art form

You'd have to walk the streets of Lisbon with your eyes closed to miss these painted tiles, called azulejos, which are an inextricable part of the landscape. Each one has a story to tell.

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MORE GREAT READS

Is the Old Testament historically accurate? (Smithsonian) ››

'It's like hunting aliens': Inside the town besieged by armadillos (Guardian) ››

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