Historic Events
Wars, important political and economic occasions, catastrophes and social movements of the past
Civil War Geology
What underlies the Civil War’s 25 bloodiest battles? Two geologists investigate why certain terrain proved so hazardous
April 14, 2009 |
By David Zax
Lincoln's Pocket Watch Reveals Long-Hidden Message
The Smithsonian opens one of its prized artifacts and a story unfolds
March 11, 2009 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
Digging up the Past at a Richmond Jail
The excavation of a notorious jail recalls Virginia's leading role in the slave trade
March 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
Saving the Jews of Nazi France
As Jews in France tried to flee the Nazi occupation, Harry Bingham, an American diplomat, sped them to safety
March 2009 |
By Peter Eisner
Five Rescuers of Those Threatened by the Holocaust
Righteous good Samaritans came from across the world to save Jews and others from concentration camps
February 24, 2009 |
By Marian Holmes
Lincoln's Contested Legacy
Great Emancipator or unreconstructed racist? Each generation evokes a different Lincoln. But who was our sixteenth president?
February 2009 |
By Philip B. Kunhardt III
Frost, Nixon and Me
Author James Reston Jr. discovers firsthand what is gained and lost when history is turned into entertainment
January 2009 |
By James Reston Jr.
Lincoln as Commander in Chief
A self-taught strategist with no combat experience, Abraham Lincoln saw the path to victory more clearly than his generals
January 2009 |
By James M. McPherson
Samarra Rises
In Iraq, the restoration of the shattered Mosque of the Golden Dome brings together Sunnis and Shiites in an unlikely alliance
January 2009 |
By Joshua Hammer
Gettysburg Address Displayed at Smithsonian
Lincoln's timeless speech during the Civil War endures as a national treasure
December 2008 |
By Owen Edwards
Rewriting History in Great Britain
Recently uncovered documents in the British archives reveal dark secrets from World War II. One problem: they are forgeries
November 18, 2008 |
By Gregory Katz
One Man's Korean War
John Rich's color photographs, seen for the first time after more than half a century, offer a vivid glimpse of the "forgotten" conflict
November 2008 |
By Abigail Tucker
Munich at 850
The livable, culture-crazy, beer-loving capital of Bavaria is coming to terms with its history
November 2008 |
By Charles Michener
The Last Doughboy of World War I
Frank Buckles lied about his age to serve in World War I.
October 2008 |
By Richard Rubin
In Iraq, a Monastery Rediscovered
Near Mosul, War Has Helped and Hindered Efforts to Excavate the 1,400-Year-Old Dair Mar Elia Monastery
September 16, 2008 |
By James Foley
Clan-Do Spirit
A genealogical surprise led the author to ask: What does it take to be one of the family?
September 2008 |
By Jake Halpern
Climbing the Via Ferrata
In Italy’s Dolomites, a Hike Through World War I History
August 20, 2008 |
By Matt Mossman
Richard Misrach's Ominous Beach Photographs
A new exhibition of oversized photographs by Richard Misrach invites viewers to have fun in the sun. Or does it?
August 2008 |
By Kenneth R. Fletcher
More With Richard Misrach
The Photographer explains how a series of beach pictures were inspired by the events of September 11
August 01, 2008 |
By Kenneth R. Fletcher
A Northern Family Confronts Its Slaveholding Past
Filmmaker Katrina Browne discusses her family’s role in American slavery
June 19, 2008 |
By Katy June-Friesen
