Editors' Picks

Where Was the Birthplace of the American Vacation?

First in rustic tents and later in elaborate resorts, city dwellers took to the Adirondacks to explore the joys of the wilderness

The True-Life Horror that Inspired Moby-Dick

The whaler Essex was indeed sunk by a whale—and that's only the beginning

The Shocking Savagery of America’s Early History

Bernard Bailyn, one of our greatest historians, shines his light on the nation’s Dark Ages

History Beats

Page 11 of 12

What underlies the Civil War’s 25 bloodiest battles? Two geologists investigate why certain terrain proved so hazardous
April 14, 2009 | By David Zax

In 1851, American Indian tribes gathered to seek protection of their western lands from frontiersman on the Oregon Trail
April 02, 2009 | By Paul VanDevelder

Bo, the Obama’s First Pooch, has a legacy to live up to in Laddie Boy, the family pet of President Harding
January 22, 2009 | By Diane Tedeschi

Fighting racial segregation in the South, these activists were beaten and arrested. Where are they now, nearly fifty years later?
February 2009 | By Marian Smith Holmes

Great Emancipator or unreconstructed racist? Defender of civil liberties or subverter of the Constitution? Each generation evokes a different Lincoln. But who was he?
February 2009 | By Philip B. Kunhardt III

What do Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln, and the Freedom Riders have in common with each other?
February 2009 | By Terence Monmaney

Every four years, D.C. celebrates the presidential inauguration with a parade, star-studded concerts, balls and parties

At the invitation of Theodore Roosevelt, six Indian Chiefs marched in his inaugural parade as representatives of their tribes
January 14, 2009 | By Jesse Rhodes

In a state park full of amateur diamond miners, one prospector dug up a valuable stone worth thousands of dollars—or did he?
January 09, 2009 | By Brendan Borrell

What words do presidents focus on most in their inaugural addresses? Explore speeches, from Washington to Obama
January 05, 2009 | By Mark Strauss and Brian Wolly

When was the first inaugural parade? Who had the longest inaugural address? A look at presidential inaugurations through time
December 17, 2008 | By Brian Wolly

Once a researcher for David Frost and now a character in the motion picture Frost/Nixon, an author discovers what is gained and lost when history is turned into entertainment
January 2009 | By James Reston Jr.

Mary Pinchot Meyer's death remains a mystery. But it's her life that holds more interest now
December 2008 | By Lance Morrow

One of three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi in 1964 was James Chaney. His younger brother, Ben, would never be the same
December 2008 | By Hank Klibanoff

In 1792, William Thornton designed America's defining monument, where a new visitor center opens in December
December 2008 | By Fergus M. Bordewich

After years of delays and millions of dollars spent, the brand-new Capitol Visitors Center opens in December in a space that nearly doubles the size of the U.S. Capitol itself
December 01, 2008 | By Anika Gupta

The author and 'This American Life' correspondent talks about her newest book on the words and influence of the colonies' early religious leaders
November 04, 2008 | By Amanda Bensen

November 01, 2008 | By Megan Gambino

After a decade’s conservation, the flag that inspired the National Anthem returns to its place of honor on the National Mall
November 2008 | By Robert M. Poole

The recently restored Virginia estate of James Madison was home to a founding father and the ideals that shaped a nation
October 20, 2008 | By Kenneth R. Fletcher

Just over 100 years ago, Americans panicked as brokerage firms went bankrupt and investors pulled their money out of banks, instigating a nation-wide crisis
October 10, 2008 | By Abigail Tucker

October 01, 2008 | By Chai Woodham

Philadelphia set the stage for prison reform not only in Pennsylvania, but also the world over
October 01, 2008 | By Chai Woodham

Kennedy advisor Ted Sorensen finds that of all the U.S. presidents, Lincoln had the best speechwriter—himself
October 2008 | By Theodore C. Sorensen

Archaeologists continue to uncover more about the nation's first president
September 01, 2008 | By Amanda Bensen

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