American History

This pesky pest has a tendency to alter world history.

How the Lowly Mosquito Helped America Win Independence

The blood-sucking insect has played a leading role in the rise and fall of empires throughout history

The Complicated History Between the Press and the Presidency

Banning a newspaper like the 'Post' is a move that wouldn't fly even in the Nixon White House

Alewives returning to spawn in Wynants Kill

Herring Spawn in Hudson River Tributary for the First Time in 85 Years

River herring are spawning in Wynants Kill tributary after one of the many dams along the Hudson was removed

Scene from All is Lost, a 1923 film identified at the Library of Congress's Mostly Lost Film Festival

The Library of Congress Needs Your Help to Identify These Silent Movies

For the fifth year, the "Mostly Lost" film festival calls on its audience to help identify obscure details in movie-making history

A portrait of Mary Church Terrell in 1946 by Betsy Graves Reyneau

How One Woman Helped End Lunch Counter Segregation in the Nation’s Capital

Mary Church Terrell’s court case demanded the district’s “lost laws” put an end to racial discrimination in dining establishments

Andrew Jackson's official White House portrait by Ralph E.W. Earl.

What the Politics of Andrew Jackson’s Era Can Tell Us About Today

NPR correspondent Steve Inskeep speaks about his book <em>Jacksonland</em> and what it says about America’s democratic tradition

Bison Fossils Offer Clues to Track Human Migration Into the Americas

DNA analysis of bison fossils show that people likely migrated down the Pacific coast and not through the Rocky Mountains

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover's Hidden Economic Acumen

What an Awful President's Secret Strength Could Teach Today's Financial Leaders About Capitalism

The cover to one of A-No.1's books about his life as a hobo.

After a Century, an Anthropologist Picked up the Trail of the "Hobo King"

One hundred-year-old graffiti by “A-No.1” and others were found by the L.A. River

Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr in "Hamilton"

Before There Was “Hamilton,” There Was “Burr”

Although Gore Vidal’s book never became a hit on Broadway, the novel helped create the public personae of Alexander Hamilton’s nemesis

Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor at the National Museum of American History discusses the dining traditions at the Supreme Court.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor Dig Into the History of Food at the Supreme Court

The American History Museum and the Supreme Court Historical Society brought the justices together to share tales from the highest court

Ronald Reagan signing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 that apologized for the internment of Japanese American citizens and permanent residents during World War II.

Five Times the United States Officially Apologized

These are a few instances where the U.S. admitted it had done wrong

A close-up of Abraham Lincoln's signature on the Emancipation Proclamation.

Dozens of Rare Documents From American History Just Sold at Auction

Original copies of the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation just sold for millions

An ad looking for a woman named Fanny who escaped along with her daughter. The 7-year-old girl is described as a mulatto, which could suggest she is the daughter of the slaveowner seeking them out.

An Archive of Fugitive Slave Ads Sheds New Light on Lost Histories

Wanted ads posted by slave owners reveal details of life under slavery

Meet the First and Only Foreign-Born First Lady: Louisa Catherine Adams

Almost 200 years ago, the wife of John Quincy Adams set a precedent

A trowel placed in a Native American oyster midden that dates to about 1,000 years ago shows the relative size of the shells. The average size of modern oysters is significantly smaller.

How Big Were Oysters in the Chesapeake Before Colonization?

A new multidisciplinary study reveals that yes, oysters were larger and more plentiful before European contact

Five of the Most Iconic State Sandwiches

Choosing a state sandwich is hard work

A life-sized bronze statue of Alexander Hamilton by sculptor Kim Crowley will be on display during the "Summer of Hamilton."

Get Ready for the “Summer of Hamilton”

A new exhibition at the New-York Historical Society focuses on the "$10 Founding Father"

The Liberty Tree in colonial-era Boston

The Story Behind a Forgotten Symbol of the American Revolution: The Liberty Tree

While Boston landmarks like the Old North Church still stand, the Liberty Tree, gone for nearly 250 years, has been lost to history

Neil Puckett, a Texas A&M University graduate student, surfaces with the limb bone of a juvenile mastodon.

Underwater Finds Reveal Humans’ Long Presence in North America

Stone tools and mastodon remains help show that the Americas were peopled more than 14,000 years ago

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