U.S. History

The StairMaster commanded attention, ensuring that users could see—and be seen.

The History of the StairMaster

The 1980s brought about America's gym obsession—and a machine that demands a notoriously grueling cardio workout

The lasting legacy of the Greensboro Four (above from left: David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Jibreel Khazan and Joseph McNeil) was how the courageous moment grew to a revolutionary movement.

Lessons Worth Learning From the Moment Four Students Sat Down to Take a Stand

One of the great monuments to the Greensboro Sit-In is at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Great Nature, Storm on Mount Lyell from Johnson Peak by Chiura Obata, 1939

How Japanese Artist Chiura Obata Came to Be an American Great

With landscapes infused with an emotion borne of a life of struggle, this master receives his due in this traveling retrospective now at the Smithsonian

Sailors reading, writing and relaxing at the Red Cross Rest Room in New Orleans. Around 400,000 African Americans served in World War I.

How World War I Planted the Seeds of the Civil Rights Movement

The Great War was a “transformative moment” for African Americans, who fought for the U.S. even as they were denied access to Democracy

The Smithsonian's Jack Mitchell Photography of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Collection (Above: Detail of Judith Jamison in "Revelations," 1967) is now digitized for public viewing.

Trove of Stunning Dance Photography Now Online

An alliance between dance impresario Alvin Ailey and photographer Jack Mitchell yielded more than 10,000 images

A Shipwreck Off Florida's Coast Pits Archaeologists Against Treasure Hunters

The discovery of a legendary wreck raises questions about who should control sunken riches

The arrest and the subsequent landing of U.S. troops could happen in Tangier, yet it was completely unthinkable just 12 miles away in Gibraltar or 60 miles away in Cadiz.

The Diplomatic Intrigue That Gave Morocco a Cameo Appearance in the U.S. Civil War

Confederate agents seeking European support were imprisoned by the U.S. consul, which ignited international protest

Eliza Parker sounds the alarm in Christiana, Pennsylvania

In 1851, a Maryland Farmer Tried to Kidnap Free Blacks in Pennsylvania. He Wasn't Expecting the Neighborhood to Fight Back

The archaeological excavation of an empty field yielded clues and reminders of an incredible uprising long buried from history

By the end of Prohibition, distilled spirits made up more than 75 percent of alcohol sales.

The Modern Craft Cocktail Movement Got Its Start During Prohibition

Something needed to be done to mask the taste of bootleg alcohol that could include ingredients ranging from dead rats to wood tar

Charles, the son and grandson of American presidents, carved out a second home in England, succeeding in his main diplomatic mission: securing British neutrality in the Civil War.

The American Scion Who Secured British Neutrality in the U.S. Civil War

The journal pages of Charles Francis Adams, the son of one president and the grandson of another, illuminate the life and politics of Victorian England

An Egyptian jeweler named Ramses Said has been working at his family’s Diamond District business since he was 14 years old.

How Manhattan’s Diamond District Continues To Operate Like an Old World Bazaar

The new film 'Uncut Gems' calls attention to the 47th Street neighborhood, where million-dollar deals are sealed by handshakes

Almost 40 years ago, in 1981, women cheered during a rally for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Today, Virginia, just across the Potomac River, could become the crucial 38th state to approve the constitutional change.

Why the Equal Rights Amendment Is Still Not Part of the Constitution

A brief history of the long battle to pass what would now be the 28th Amendment

This 1948 ad for Cudahy's Delrich brand of margarine uses a "color berry" to color its margarine yellow.

How the Government Came to Decide the Color of Your Food

A business historian explains America's commitment to regulating the appearance of everything from margarine to canned peas

Look at those good doggos.

How Dog Parks Took Over the Urban Landscape

Birthed from the counterculture of the ’60s, the pet playground has witnessed a major shift in how Americans relate to their canines

Left, part of the U.S. Capitol's north wing after a M19 bomb damaged it in 1983. Right, an image from a sympathetic pamphlet reading "Resistance is not a Crime! Stop the Political Show Trial!" showing core members of M19 (left to right, Alan Berkman, Tim Blunk, Susan Rosenberg, Linda Sue Evans, Marilyn Buck, Laura Whitehorn) in prison.

In the 1980s, a Far-Left, Female-Led Domestic Terrorism Group Bombed the U.S. Capitol

Historian William Rosenau investigates the May 19th Communist Organization in a new book about the little-known militant group

Hattie Caraway succeeded her husband as an Arkansas senator and then won re-election with more votes than her six male opponents combined. She's pictured at her desk in 1943.

Women Who Shaped History

Hattie Caraway, the First Woman Elected to the U.S. Senate, Faced a Familiar Struggle With Gender Politics

After Arkansas elected her in 1931, Caraway was ignored by her peers but hounded by the press

Joseph A. "Jock" Yablonski announces his candidacy for the presidency of the United Mine Workers.

Fifty Years Ago, the Murder of Jock Yablonski Shocked the Labor Movement

The conspiracy to kill the United Mine Workers official went all the way to the top of his own union

The top history movies of the decade include Spotlight, 12 Years a Slave and Hidden Figures.

Based on a True Story

What Were the Best History Movies of the Decade?

These ten films (plus one documentary) each took the past and translated it in a way worth remembering

John Kinard, the first African American to head a Smithsonian museum, took the helm of the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum in 1967. The museum was housed in a former theater on Nichols Street in a Southeast neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Fifty Years Ago, the Idea of a Museum for the People Came of Age

A Smithsonian symposium asked experts to weigh in on the strength of the community museum and chart its way forward

The headline of the San Francisco Call details the ouster of police chief George Wittman

The Courtroom That Literally Relitigated History

For San Francisco’s Court of Historical Opinion, no case was too frivolous or too controversial

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