History
- Explore more »
How Did the Pigskin Get Its Shape?
American football may have evolved from soccer and rugby, but it turns out that the football was never truly designed, it just sort of happened
October 05, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
What (or Who) Caused the Great Chicago Fire?
The true story behind the myth of Mrs. O'Leary and her cow and how the scapegoating ruined one woman's good name and spawned a folk song that would last for decades
October 04, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
The First Anchorman Ever Was Not Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite is widely referred to as the world's first anchorman. But a man named John Cameron Swayze might have beat him to the punch
October 04, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Ruby Slippers Head to London
Get a peek at the iconic shoes from the Wizard of Oz before they head to the Victoria and Albert Museum for a temporary exhibit
October 04, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Events October 5-7: Mrs. Judo, Staring at the Sun and Chamber Society Music
This weekend, a 99-year old judo legend, a scientist who studies the sun and a season-opener with the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society.
October 04, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Long Live the King
Paleontologists have named scores of dinosaurs, but why is T. rex our favorite?
October 03, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Eight Lessons for the Presidential Debates
What are the key dos and don'ts the candidates should remember when campaigning for the White House?
October 03, 2012 |
By Kenneth C. Davis
Leatherhead to Radio-head: The Evolution of the Football Helmet
From hand-cobbled beginnings, the football helmet has evolved to become one of the most highly designed pieces of equipment in all of sports
October 01, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Unsolved Mystery of the Tunnels at Baiae
Did ancient priests fool visitors to a sulfurous subterranean stream that they had crossed the River Styx and entered Hades?
October 01, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
California Bans ‘Cure The Gays’ Therapy
In California, it's no longer legal to try to cure homosexual youth
October 01, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Kennedy After Dark: A Dinner Party About Politics and Power
In this exclusive transcript from the JFK library, hear what he had to say just days after announcing his candidacy for the presidency
October 2012 |
By Ted Widmer
The CIA Burglar Who Went Rogue
Douglas Groat thought he understood the risks of his job—until he took on his own employer
October 2012 |
By David Wise
The Great New England Vampire Panic
Two hundred years after the Salem witch trials, farmers became convinced that their relatives were returning from the grave to feed on the living
October 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
The World’s Most Famous Filing Cabinet
After Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, the notorious Plumbers broke into his psychiatrist’s office, looking for a way to discredit him
October 2012 |
By Owen Edwards
The Regular Referees Are Back So We Can Start Hating Them Again
The regular N.F.L. referees have reached a deal and will return to officiating American's favorite contact sport
September 28, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
At American History, Meet the Composer of the Spanish Language National Anthem
From the Amazon River Basin to Madison Avenue, the woman behind the Spanish translation of the Star-Spangled Banner united the Americas
September 27, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
It’s Now Legal for Early American Astronauts to Sell Their Space Toothbrushes
A new law lays out the details of who owns souvenirs from the early space era
September 27, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Silence that Preceded China’s Great Leap into Famine
Mao Zedong encouraged critics of his government—and then betrayed them just when their advice might have prevented a calamity
September 26, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Your State Border Might Not Be Where You Think
The boundaries of your state might not be as solid as you imagined
September 26, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
High School Students Hit a Forty Year Low on the SAT Reading Section
Over 50 percent of test takers scored below the level that would indicate college success, and scores from every single racial group but one (Asian) declined
September 25, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
