American History
The Woman Who Stood Between America and a Generation of 'Thalidomide Babies'
How the United States escaped a national tragedy in the 1960s
The Faux “Sioux” Sharpshooter Who Became Annie Oakley’s Rival
By reinventing herself as Indian, Lillian Smith became a wild west sensation—and escaped an unhappy past
Why the Colonies’ Most Galvanizing Patriot Never Became a Founding Father
James Otis, Jr. used his words to whip anti-British sentiment into a frenzy—so why isn’t he better remembered now?
The Animals That Helped Win World War I
Newly digitized photos tell the story of animals that fought as soldiers during the Great War
This Unassuming NYC Home is the Legacy of America's First Foodie
James Beard’s culinary philosophy helped shape American cuisine
U.S. Home Births Aren't As Safe As Many Abroad
Home birth doesn't have to be a dangerous and deadly proposition–but in the United States, it often is
Giant Harriet Tubman “Yarn Bomb” Portrait Debuts in Upstate New York
Artist Olek’s creation is one in a series of 50 planned installations across America celebrating important women throughout U.S. history
How Mule Racing Led to Mule Cloning
It was a huge advance in cloning in the early 2000s
"Get Your Kicks" at This Route 66 Museum
The Mill Restaurant, which once served hungry travelers, now hosts a shrine to the highway's roadside attractions
People Have Been Email-Spamming Since the Dawn of (Internet) Time
This is why we can't have nice things
The 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2017
From remote hideaways to coastal harbors, discover the towns that topped our list this year
This Prolific Inventor Helped Give Us The Phrase “The Real McCoy”
There are many stories about how we got this phrase. But there was only one Elijah McCoy
Benjamin Franklin Was the First to Chart the Gulf Stream
Franklin's cousin, Timothy Folger, knew how the then-unnamed current worked from his days as a whaler
The US Declared “Loyalty Day” in the 1950s to Erase Worker Protest
Under Eisenhower during the Cold War, "Loyalty Day" was declared to paper over International Workers' Day
Fearing a Smallpox Epidemic, Civil War Troops Tried to Self-Vaccinate
People knew that inoculation could prevent you from catching smallpox. It was how Civil War soldiers did it that caused problems
From This Desk, 100 Years Ago, U.S. Operations in World War I Were Conceived
Germany's defeat could be traced to pins in a map now on display at the Smithsonian's American History Museum
How Woodrow Wilson’s Propaganda Machine Changed American Journalism
The media are still feeling the impact of an executive order signed in 1917 that created 'the nation's first ministry of information'
George Washington's Congress Got Off to an Embarrassing Start
The new federal government was plagued with absences and excuses—until James Madison helped kick things into gear
Times Square's Glitzy Look was One Man's Bright Idea
Douglas Leigh's ability to imagine new kinds of advertising shaped the signs of the city
The Immigrant Activist Who Loved America’s Ideals, If Not Its Actions
By the 1850s, Ernestine Rose was a well-known public figure, far more famous than her allies Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
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