Leaders
Historical and modern luminaries in business, politics, the military and exploration
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
Remembering PT-109
A carved walking stick evokes ship commander John F. Kennedy's dramatic rescue at sea
November 2010 |
By Owen Edwards
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
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
Madeleine Albright on Her Life in Pins
The former Secretary of State reflects on her famous collection of brooches and pins, now the subject of an exhibition
June 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Lincoln's Missing Bodyguard
What happened to Officer John Parker, the man who chose the wrong night to leave his post at Ford's Theater?
April 08, 2010 |
By Paul Martin
Michelle Obama's Dress Comes to the Smithsonian
The white chiffon dress that Michelle Obama wore to 10 inaugural balls will go on view at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
March 05, 2010 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
How Dolley Madison Saved the Day
As invading British troops approached in August 1814, the first lady coolly took command of the White House
March 2010 |
By Thomas Fleming
Abraham Lincoln, True Crime Writer
While practicing law in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln defended a man in a highly unusual case and later recounted the mystery as a short story
February 10, 2010 |
By Laura Helmuth
Myths of the American Revolution
A noted historian debunks the conventional wisdom about America's War of Independence
January 2010 |
By John Ferling
The Waldseemüller Map: Charting the New World
Two obscure 16th-century German scholars named the American continent and changed the way people thought about the world
December 2009 |
By Toby Lester
How Arlington National Cemetery Came to Be
The fight over Robert E. Lee's beloved home—seized by the U.S. government during the Civil War—went on for decades
November 2009 |
By Robert M. Poole
The Rescue of Henry Clay
A long-lost painting of the Senate's Great Compromiser finds a fitting new home in the halls of the U.S. Capitol
November 2009 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
Meriwether Lewis' Mysterious Death
Two hundred years later, debate continues over whether the famous explorer committed suicide or was murdered
October 09, 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
John Brown's Day of Reckoning
The abolitionist's bloody raid on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry 150 years ago set the stage for the Civil War
October 2009 |
By Fergus M. Bordewich
