Leaders
Historical and modern luminaries in business, politics, the military and exploration
Ask an Expert: What Did Abraham Lincoln’s Voice Sound Like?
Civil War scholar Harold Holzer helps to decode what spectators heard when the 16th president spoke
June 07, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Documenting the Death of an Assassin
In 1865, a single photograph was taken during the autopsy of John Wilkes
Booth. Where is it now?
May 06, 2011 |
By Ashley Luthern
Fort Sumter: The Civil War Begins
Nearly a century of discord between North and South finally exploded in April 1861 with the bombardment of Fort Sumter
April 2011 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
The Death of Colonel Ellsworth
The first Union officer killed in the Civil War was a friend of President Lincoln's
April 2011 |
By Owen Edwards
Ronald Reagan and Moammar Qadhafi
Twenty-five years ago, President Reagan minced no words when he talked about the Libyan dictator
March 02, 2011 |
By T.A. Frail
The Cherokees vs. Andrew Jackson
John Ross and Major Ridge tried diplomatic and legal strategies to maintain autonomy, but the new president had other plans
March 2011 |
By Brian Hicks
George Washington: The Reluctant President
It seemed as if everyone rejoiced at the election of our first chief executive except the man himself
February 2011 |
By Ron Chernow
The Legend of Lincoln's Fence Rail
Even Honest Abe needed a symbol to sum up his humble origins
February 2011 |
By Owen Edwards
Martin Luther King Jr. by Mural
Photographer Camilo José Vergara captures varying portrayals of the civil rights leader in urban areas across the United States
January 12, 2011 |
By Jess Righthand
Power and the Presidency, From Kennedy to Obama
For the past 50 years, the commander in chief has steadily expanded presidential power, particularly in foreign policy
January 2011 |
By Robert Dallek
When Elvis Met Nixon
Forty years ago, an Oval Office photograph captured the bizarre encounter between the king of rock and roll and the president
December 2010 |
By Peter Carlson
Rehabilitating Cleopatra
Egypt's ruler was more than the sum of the seductions that loom so large in history—and in Hollywood
December 2010 |
By Stacy Schiff
George Washington and His Maps
In his journey from surveyor to soldier to leader, our first president used cartography to get a feel for the young nation
November 16, 2010 |
By John Hanc
From Election to Sumter: How the Union Fell Apart
Historian Adam Goodheart discusses the tumultuous period between Lincoln’s election and the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter
November 15, 2010 |
By Brian Wolly
How the Battle of Little Bighorn Was Won
Accounts of the 1876 battle have focused on Custer's ill-fated cavalry. But a new book offers a take from the Indian's point of view
November 2010 |
By Thomas Powers
Remembering PT-109
A carved walking stick evokes ship commander John F. Kennedy's dramatic rescue at sea
November 2010 |
By Owen Edwards
Top 10 Historic Midterm Elections
While not as memorable or studied as presidential campaigns, the midterm elections also stand as pivotal moments in U.S. history
October 14, 2010 |
By T.A. Frail
When Ben Franklin Met the Battlefield
Most famous today as a founding father, inventor and diplomat, Franklin also commanded troops during the French and Indian War
October 08, 2010 |
By Brooke C. Stoddard
Debating on Television: Then and Now
Kennedy and Nixon squared off in the first televised presidential debate 50 years ago and politics have never been the same
September 14, 2010 |
By W. Barksdale Maynard
President Barack Obama: Why I’m Optimistic
Looking ahead to the next 40 years, President Obama writes about our nature as Americans to dream big and solve problems
August 2010 |
By Barack Obama
