Political Leaders

Warren Harding and First Lady Florence Harding watching a horse show the year he became president.

Warren Harding Tried to Return America to 'Normalcy' After WWI and the 1918 Pandemic. It Failed.

The lessons from his presidency show that a quick retreat to the past can be just a mirage

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.

The 1924 Law That Slammed the Door on Immigrants and the Politicians Who Pushed it Back Open

Decades of xenophobic policy were overturned, setting the United States on the path to the diversity seen today

Cate Blanchett plays conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly

The True Story of 'Mrs. America'

In the new miniseries, feminist history, dramatic storytelling and an all-star-cast bring the Equal Rights Amendment back into the spotlight

Parliament at sunset

Secret 17th-Century Passageway Discovered in British House of Commons

Parliament has posted photos of its members and collaborators delighting in the discovery

Margaret Chase Smith sworn in on June 10, 1940 to fill the vacancy left by her husband, Rep. Clyde Smith. Left to right in the picture: Margaret Chase Smith, Speaker William Bankhead and Rep. James C. Oliver, Republican of Maine, who sponsored Mrs. Smith

The History of Wives Replacing Their Dead Husbands in Congress

This tradition was one of the main ways American women gained access to political power in the 20th century

The tangled history of Scottish independence features such figures as William Wallace, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and Mary, Queen of Scots.

A Not-So-Brief History of Scottish Independence

This primer covers Scottish sovereignty from the Roman era to the Jacobite revolts, the 2014 referendum and Brexit

Hattie Caraway succeeded her husband as an Arkansas senator and then won re-election with more votes than her six male opponents combined. She's pictured at her desk in 1943.

Hattie Caraway, the First Woman Elected to the U.S. Senate, Faced a Familiar Struggle With Gender Politics

After Arkansas elected her in 1931, Caraway was ignored by her peers but hounded by the press

Joseph A. "Jock" Yablonski announces his candidacy for the presidency of the United Mine Workers.

Fifty Years Ago, the Murder of Jock Yablonski Shocked the Labor Movement

The conspiracy to kill the United Mine Workers official went all the way to the top of his own union

Violet King, an usherette at the London Coliseum, pocketed the half-smoked cigar and safeguarded it for the rest of her life

A Cigar Puffed by Winston Churchill Is Set to Go on Auction

The British prime minister smoked the cigar while attending a movie premiere in 1953

Kimberly Teehee photographed in 2010.

Kimberly Teehee Will Be the Cherokee Nation's First Delegate to Congress

The nomination, promised in an 1835 treaty, is still pending as of July 2020

London's 'Eiffel Tower' Is Still Losing Money

Built for the 2012 Olympic Games, the ArcelorMittal Orbit has not turned into the tourist attraction it was expected to become

Map of Cedar Key, Florida, 1884

Florida Man Terrorizes Town, Forcing Federal Government to Step In

As mayor of Cedar Key, Billy Cottrell reigned as a tyrant until U.S. forces chased him away

Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, left, speaks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras prior to meeting on the sidelines of EU and Western Balkan heads of state at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria, Thursday, May 17, 2018.

Greek Lawmakers Approve Macedonia's New Name

The decision brings an end to a 27-year-old conflict and paves the way for the Republic of North Macedonia to join the NATO alliance

Drawing of a helicopter on a wall of a house located at the first American helicopter crash site in Mogadishu. The Somali word on the helicopter's side, kulva, is an attempt to spell the word "Cobra," which was one kind of helicopter used to attack the village.

The Legacy of Black Hawk Down

Twenty-five years after the battle chronicled in the best-selling book, the author argues that we've learned the wrong lessons about fighting terrorism

Shirley Chisholm in 1972

New York Honors Shirley Chisholm, First Black Congresswoman in U.S. History, With New Statue

The firebrand politician once quipped that she would like to be remembered as a woman who ‘had guts’

Confederate Troops on the Las Moras, Texas

Texas Will Finally Teach That Slavery Was Main Cause of the Civil War

Slavery has been upgraded to the primary cause in the curriculum, however states' rights and sectionalism will still be taught as "contributing factors"

Chicago Cancels Sale of Kerry James Marshall's 'Knowledge and Wonder'

The site-specific mural, featuring black children and adults gazing at the marvels of the universe, will not go up for auction following intense criticism

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus.

Lessons in the Decline of Democracy From the Ruined Roman Republic

A new book argues that violent rhetoric and disregard for political norms was the beginning of Rome's end

William Dudley Pelley, Silver Shirt leader, pictured as he appeared before Congress.

The Screenwriting Mystic Who Wanted to Be the American Führer

William Dudley Pelley and his Silver Shirts were just one of many Nazi-sympathizers operating in the United States in the 1930s

Margaret Chase Smith became the first woman ever to serve in both the House of Representatives and the Senate—and the first senator to stand up against Joseph McCarthy's Red Scare.

The Senator Who Stood Up to Joseph McCarthy When No One Else Would

Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to serve both the House and the Senate and always defended her values, even when it meant opposing her party

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