American History

Visitors enter Historic Fort Snelling. A new exhibition at the site examines the fort's long, complex history.

New Exhibition Examines the Many Converging Histories of Minnesota's Fort Snelling

The site was the backdrop for critical moments in Native American, African American and Japanese American history

Chairs sit ready for the attendees of the ceremony recognizing 2020 and 2021 Pulitzer Prize winners.

Why the Pulitzer Prizes Are Expanding Eligibility to Non-U.S. Citizens

The prestigious awards will soon be open to permanent residents and those who call the U.S. their "longtime primary home"

On September 18, 1873, an investment bank owned by Jay Cooke, who financed the construction of the Northern Pacific Railway, went bankrupt, sparking a multiyear financial crisis.

How One Robber Baron's Gamble on Railroads Brought Down His Bank and Plunged the U.S. Into the First Great Depression

In 1873, greed, speculation and overinvestment in railroads sparked a financial crisis that sank the U.S. into more than five years of misery

Divers from the University of Malta began exploring the sunken plane in 2018.

Divers Recover Remains of WWII Airman, 80 Years After He Crashed in the Mediterranean

Underwater archeologists in Malta worked with the U.S. government to identify the 22-year-old from California

An advertisement for California citrus, circa 1920

When California and Florida Attracted Settlers With Promises of a Perfect Climate

Today, they rank at the top of lists of U.S. states most at risk from climate change

When it comes to historical markers, the hidden truth is this: In any given state, as many as a dozen entities could be putting up signs at the same time.

Why Historical Markers Matter

Few realize that the approval process for these outdoor signs varies widely by state and organization, enabling unsanctioned displays to slip through

Researchers study wreckage from Moody's P-39 aircraft, which lies in pieces on the floor of Lake Huron.

Divers Pull Wreckage of Tuskegee Airman's Plane From the Depths of Lake Huron

During World War II, a young pilot named Frank Moody died while training in Michigan

West Point officials opened the time capsule in a much-hyped livestreamed ceremony.

A Time Capsule Opened Live on Stage Was Empty. Later, Treasures Emerged From the Silt

Found at West Point, the 200-year-old box concealed six silver coins and a medal

Morris “Moe” Berg in 1933. Dubbed the “brainiest man in baseball” due to his knack for languages and quick wit, the catcher joined the OSS in 1943.

The Baseball Player-Turned-Spy Who Went Undercover to Assassinate the Nazis' Top Nuclear Scientist

During World War II, the OSS sent Moe Berg to Europe, where he gathered intel on Germany's efforts to build an atomic bomb

The indomitable Lady Columbia defends the United States with her snazzy patriotic shield, c. 1890.

Before Lady Liberty, There Was Lady Columbia, America's First National Mascot

The forgotten figure symbolized the hopes—and myths—of the early United States

Archibald J. Motley Jr.'s Black Belt (1934)

The Harlem Renaissance Is Coming to the Met

A new exhibition will be the first survey of the cultural movement in New York City since 1987

Host Bob Barker announces the showcase showdown at the taping of the 35th season premiere of "The Price Is Right" in 2006.

What Made Bob Barker the Perfect Host for 'The Price Is Right'

The television personality, who died last week at 99, was part of a match that made game show history

Bill Milner was jet skiing along the Neches River when he ran into something that turned out to be a World War I shipwreck.

Drought in Texas Reveals World War I Shipwreck

A local man happened upon the wreckage while jet skiing earlier this month

A still from the upcoming movie Rustin, which tells the story of Bayard Rustin, a key orchestrator behind the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Watch the Trailer for 'Rustin,' Which Spotlights the Man Behind the 1963 March on Washington

The new film dramatizes Bayard Rustin's efforts to pull off an event of unprecedented scale

Stanley Tretick's photos of the March on Washington went unpublished for 50 years.

These Photos of the March on Washington Capture the Urgency and Joy of the Iconic Day

Stanley Tretick documented the demonstration in 1963, but his snapshots were hidden in a trunk, unseen by the public for decades

Early mug shots of 19th-century criminal suspects in a book by Alphonse Bertillon, chief of criminal identification for the Paris police

A Brief History of the Mug Shot

Police have been using the snapshots in criminal investigations since the advent of commercial photography

It was Rebel’s fate, like many caught up in the war, to experience captivity and displacement.

The Dog Who Served on Both Sides of the American Revolution

A newly discovered letter suggests a Newfoundland named Rebel accompanied both Continental and British officers into battle

Excavations near the Powder Magazine in Williamsburg, Virginia, where the four bodies were found

Four Bodies Found in Colonial Williamsburg Belonged to Confederate Soldiers

Researchers are trying to identify the men who died after the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862

Wendy Red Star’s The Soil You See… is a seven-foot-tall glass red thumbprint featuring the names of chiefs who signed treaties with the American government, usually with a fingerprint.

Outdoor Exhibition on the National Mall Spotlights Untold American Stories

In "Beyond Granite: Pulling Together," six artists have created works for a month-long display

Huey P. Newton (right) and his second wife, Fredrika Newton

The Misunderstood Visionary Behind the Black Panther Party

Huey P. Newton has been mythologized and maligned since his murder 34 years ago. His family and friends offer an intimate look inside his life and mind

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