History

Preservationists (including Allimam Achahi, far left, and Abdel Kader Haidara) are trying to rescue the city's rare manuscripts from centuries of neglect. "They must be protected," says Haidara.

The Treasures of Timbuktu

Scholars in the fabled African city, once a great center of learning and trade, are racing to save a still emerging cache of ancient manuscripts

Edward Savage painted this portrait of Mount Vernon in 1792.

Exploring Mount Vernon

George Washington's historic Virginia plantation

Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

Discovering George Washington

Little-known facts about the nation's first president

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The Spirit of George Washington

After two centuries, Mount Vernon's whiskey distillery returns

Election flyer/poster distributed on behalf of Richard Nixon's campaign for Congress, 1946

An Interview with William E. Leuchtenburg, author of "New Faces of 1946"

William E. Leuchtenburg discusses the 1946 elections and how politics have changed

John F. Kennedy on the campaign trail in 1960

Sharp Pencils Shape Elections

How three pioneering reporters reshaped the way the press covers elections-and politics itself

Federal wildlife biologists announce on November 6, 1981, that a black-footed ferret, a mammal feared extinct, has been discovered alive and well and living in Wyoming. The 2 1/4-pound male, found at home in a prairie dog burrow, is fitted with a radio collar and released. By 2006, captive breeding and reintroduction helps the wild population rebound to some 700 animals in five Western states.

November Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

The ship slipped beneath the waves in just 36 minutes.

R.I.P., Mighty O

A fabled aircraft carrier sunk deliberately off the coast of Florida is the world's largest artificial reef

New Faces of 1946

An unpopular president. A war-weary people. In the midterm elections of 60 years ago, voters took aim at incumbents

The Pilgrims celebrated a harvest festival with their Native American neighbors in 1621—what we often call the first Thanksgiving.

Pilgrims' Progress

We retrace the travels of the ragtag group that founded Plymouth Colony and gave us Thanksgiving

Marie-Antoinette, her children, and Madame de Tourzel face the mob at the Tuleries on June 20th, 1792.

Marie Antoinette

The teenage queen was embraced by France in 1770. Twenty-three years later, she lost her head to the guillotine. (But she never said, "Let them eat cake")

The U.S. ranks third in the world in population, behind China and India. But as the total number of people on the planet increases, demographers are focusing on problems that stem from a shrinking population in surprisingly large swaths of the developed world.

300 Million and Counting

The United States reaches a demographic milestone, thanks largely to immigration

Lincoln’s original patent model was acquired by the Smithsonian in 1908. This replica was built by the Smithsonian in 1978 for long-term display to preserve the fragile original.

Abraham Lincoln Is the Only President Ever to Have a Patent

In 1849, a future president patented an amazing addition to transportation technology

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October Anniversaries

Momentous or merely memorable

Hatshepsut is depicted in the clothing of a male king though with a feminine form. Inscriptions on the statue call her "Lady of the Two Lands."

The Queen Who Would Be King

A scheming stepmother or a strong and effective ruler? History's view of the pharaoh Hatshepsut changed over time

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Interview with Elizabeth Wilson, Author of "The Queen Who Would Be King"

Wilson discusses what drew her to study the pharaoh, and Hatshepsut's enduring allure

"Anaemic little spinner in North Pownal Cotton Mill" is what Hine wrote.

Through the Mill

Because of a Lewis Hine photograph, Addie Card became the poster child of child labor. But what became of Addie Card?

The roots of the women's suffrage movement can be located here: in Seneca Falls, the home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (seated, with Susan B. Anthony) is a historic landmark. Of the right to vote, Stanton declared: "Have it we must."

How New York's Finger Lakes Inspired American Notables

New York's breathtaking Finger Lakes district has influenced historical figures from Mark Twain to Harriet Tubman

Steve Fossett is the first person to fly alone around the world nonstop.

Steve Fossett

On March 3, 2005, after 67 hours aboard his Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, he became the first person to fly alone around the world nonstop

Lorenzo Da Ponte

Encore! Encore!

Lorenzo Da Ponte was a hit in Europe: a courtier, a cad, the librettist for Mozart's finest operas. But the New World truly tested his creative powers

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