History

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The Civil War

How the Flag Came to be Called Old Glory

New research may settle a family feud over the origins of an American icon

“There was one file on our man in the FBI,” the ex-KGB man says. “He was retired and living in Queens.” That man, he says, was the mole.

When the FBI Spent Decades Hunting for a Soviet Spy on Its Staff

A tip provided by a double-agent for the KGB set off one of the most self-destructive mole hunts in FBI history

One frame of the Zapruder film has long been considered too graphic for public view.

What Does the Zapruder Film Really Tell Us?

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris deconstructs the most famous 26 seconds in film history

It was his weekends as a Civil War re-enactor that urged Joseph McGill to campaign for the conservation of slave cabins.

One Man’s Epic Quest to Visit Every Former Slave Dwelling in the United States

Joseph McGill, a descendant of slaves, has devoted his life to ensuring the preservation of these historic sites

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The Human Price of a Centuries-Old Vendetta

In Albania, the revival of a 15th-century code has trapped families in multigenerational blood feuds

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The Civil War

Will the Real Abraham Lincoln Please Stand Up?

A former Disney animator makes a provocative discovery by studying photos taken during the Gettysburg Address

Image courtesy of Christie's Images Ltd.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Document Deep Dive: Francis Crick Explains the ‘Secret of Life’

In a heartfelt letter to his son, the scientist who helped discover DNA explains his earth-shattering findings

“Another Voice for Cleveland,” September 1884

President Cleveland’s Problem Child

Not even a specific allegation of philandering, illicit pregnancy and coverup barred Grover Cleveland from the White House

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Interactive: Seeking Abraham Lincoln at the Gettysburg Address

A series of photographs captured in November 1863 give us a sense of what happened when Lincoln delivered his famous speech

But… the rum’s gone!

How to Eat Like a Pirate on International Talk Like a Pirate Day

While we all have a communal sense of how pirates talked, our sense of how pirates ate lies, by comparison, in uncharted waters

Edward Pickering and his female assistants, known as the “Harvard computers.”

The Women Who Mapped the Universe and Still Couldn’t Get Any Respect

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of women known as the Harvard Observatory computers helped revolutionize the science of astronomy

A plan of the Ictineo, the world's first engine-powered submarine.

The Writer Who Built the World’s First Engine-Powered Submarine

Narcis Monturiol loved the ocean’s corals so much, that he built a machine so he could better enjoy them

The buttery belly meat of the bluefin is served as toro in sushi bars. The priciest menu item in many sushi restaurants, it is, in fact, rather disliked by traditional sushi connoisseurs.

From Cat Food to Sushi Counter: The Strange Rise of the Bluefin Tuna

The fish can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars each. But just 45 years ago, big bluefin tuna were caught for fun, killed and ground into pet food

Shoes worn by Maria Cecilia Benavente on September 11, 2001

Remembering 9/11: Maria Cecilia Benavente's Sandals

Maria Cecilia Benavente escaped Tower Two barefoot; in shock, she held onto her sandals

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Top 10 Biggest Roadside Foods in America

Where is the world's biggest pistachio?

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The Football Star and the Wrath of his Would-Be Bride

What could a wounded woman do? For one thing, she could sue

When the first hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center, the New York Fire Department immediately responded. Officers set up a command center in the lobby of the north tower and bravely rushed up the stairs to rescue the trapped occupants and put out the raging fires. When the towers collapsed, numerous trucks were crushed, and 343 members of the New York Fire Department were killed. This door is from a FDNY rescue pumper truck destroyed in the World Trade Center collapse. The truck belonged to Squad One of Brooklyn, part of FDNY’s Special Operations Command, an elite group of firefighters who respond to unique fire and emergency situations. Squad One lost 12 members on September 11. Caption from the National Museum of American History's Bearing Witness to History.

Remembering 9/11: Brooklyn Squad 1 Fire Truck Door

This door is from a FDNY rescue pumper truck destroyed in the World Trade Center collapse. Squad 1 lost 12 members on September 11

Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes / He star'd at the Pacific—and all his men / Look'd at each other with a wild surmise— / Silent, upon a peak in Darién. —John Keats

Following in the Footsteps of Balboa

The first European to glimpse the Pacific from the Americas crossed Panama on foot 500 years ago. Our intrepid author retraces his journey

The Romans may have first come across the colorful potential of nanoparticles by accident, but they seem to have perfected it.

This 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows that the Romans Were Nanotechnology Pioneers

Researchers have finally found out why the jade-green cup appears red when lit from behind

The Ramos gin fizz gets its frothy top from several minutes of vigorous shaking.

Slurred Lines: Great Cocktail Moments in Famous Literature

Fancy drinks like the Gimlet and the Brandy Alexander have high class histories

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