American History
The Blood Relics From the Lincoln Assassination
Even now, 150 years later, objects from the murder of the president provide a powerful link to the event
What the Newspapers Said When Lincoln Was Killed
The initial reaction to the president's death was a wild mixture of grief, exultation, vengefulness and fear
How Oregon's Second Largest City Vanished in a Day
A 1948 flood washed away the WWII housing project Vanport—but its history still informs Portland's diversity
The Founding Fathers and the Women, Not Their Wives, Whom They Wrote To
These words today would raise suspicion if written between married men and their female friends
The Surprising Raucous Home Life of the Madisons
One of America’s founding families kept their true selves for the friends and family
Thomas Jefferson Conducted Early Smallpox Vaccine Trials
When an English doctor discovered a safer kind of immunity, someone had to spread the word to America
Visit 1940s Chicago With a Film Discovered at a Garage Sale
The film, produced in around 1945, offers a thorough, fact-filled tour of the city
Getting up Close and Personal with American Soldiers
A new photography exhibit takes a multi-decade look
Until Now, There Was No Play Button for the Recordings Bell and Edison Made in their Lab
An exhibition on sound kicks off the American History Museum's Year of Innovation, enabling visitors to hear some of the earliest recordings
How to Mind Your Manners at Silent Movies
Vintage slides give an etiquette lesson to obnoxious silent movie audiences
The First State of the Union Address: Way Shorter, Way Less Clapping
In his First Annual Message to Congress, George Washington outlined the country’s most pressing issues and kicked off a flexible annual tradition
The Little-Known History of the Underground Railroad in New York
Pultizer-Prize winning historian Eric Foner uncovers the hidden story behind this passage to freedom
Read Through Early Drafts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Speeches
One website gives you a peek into the mind of one of America’s most powerful orators
Crashing Alexander Hamilton's Birthday Weekend
Each year, admirers of the oft-neglected Founding Father gather for a multi-day birthday celebration ranging across Manhattan.
Museums Are Now Able to Digitize Thousands of Artifacts in Just Hours
At the American History Museum, a collection of rarely seen historic currency proofs are being made ready for a public debut
The Year Montana Rounded Up Citizens for Shooting Off Their Mouths
During World War I, the powers that ran Montana sought any excuse to silence dissent
The 1887 Blizzard That Changed the American Frontier Forever
A blizzard hit the western open range, causing the “Great Die Up” and transforming America’s agricultural history
Ellis Island Isn’t to Blame for Your Family’s Name Change
A long-standing myth obscures the truth behind the Americanization of some European names
What Was Found Inside the Oldest American Time Capsule
Historians in Boston have just cracked open a brass box originally buried in 1795 by Paul Revere and Samuel Adams
Model Your New Year’s Resolutions After Marilyn Monroe’s in 1955
The actress wrote that she wanted to "keep looking around me — only much more so"
Page 121 of 178