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History

Hitler Youth members burn books. Photograph dated 1938.

A Brief History of Book Burning, From the Printing Press to Internet Archives

As long as there have been books, people have burned them—but over the years, the motivation has changed

What is it about cheap eats, long hours, counters, and booths that so consistently captures the American imagination?

The Mystique of the American Diner, From Jack Kerouac to “Twin Peaks”

Freedom, fear and friendliness mingle in these emblematic eateries

A convict hangs on to a bucking bronco c. 1940

Desegregation Came Early at the Texas Prison Rodeo

Before Brown vs. Board of Education, the “convict cowboys” of the Texas prison system showed off their bucking bronco skills

The Koh-i-Noor diamond set at the front of the crown made for the Queen Mother Elizabeth, set on her coffin in April 2002.

The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond—and Why the British Won’t Give It Back

A star of London’s Crown Jewels, the Indian gem has a bloody history of colonial conquest

The Whiskey Rebellion

History of Now

The First Presidential Pardon Pitted Alexander Hamilton Against George Washington

How to handle the Whiskey Rebellion was the first major crisis faced by the new government

Neil Armstrong's lunar spacesuit had a life expectancy of about six months. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum wants to exhibit it for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonwalk.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

A Moonwalk Did Not Destroy Neil Armstrong’s Spacesuit. Now Time Won’t Either

Conservators are bringing new innovations to save the 80-pound suit that allowed the first astronaut on the moon to take that giant leap

A witness tree on Stuart's Hill loop trail in Manassas National Battlefield Park

American South

These Five “Witness Trees” Were Present At Key Moments In America’s History

These still-standing trees are a living testament to our country’s tragic past

United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta organizing marchers on the second day of March Coachella in Coachella, CA 1969

Civil Rights Icon Dolores Huerta Offers Advice to a New Generation of Activists

A new documentary charts the 87-year-old leader’s advocacy across the decades

Tuskegee Airmen and P-47

Why African-American Soldiers Saw World War II as a Two-Front Battle

Drawing the connection between fascism abroad and hate at home, pre-Civil Rights activists declared the necessity of “double victory”

A painting of Franklin’s return to Philadelphia from Europe in 1785 shows him flanked by his son-in-law (in red), his daughter and Benjamin Bache (in blue), the grandson he’d taken to France as a sort of surrogate son.

Secrets of American History

What Led Benjamin Franklin to Live Estranged From His Wife for Nearly Two Decades?

A stunning new theory suggests that a debate over the failed treatment of their son’s smallpox was the culprit

Political activists Abbie Hoffman, left, and Jerry Rubin set five-dollar bills on fire at the Financial Center in New York on August 24, 1967.

How the New York Stock Exchange Gave Abbie Hoffman His Start in Guerrilla Theater

Fifty years ago, the anarchist protester sent traders sprawling for dollar bills—and became a media sensation

The H.L. Hunley, a confederate Civil War era submarine, sits in its water tank at the Hunley Lab in North Charleston, SC.

One Scientist May Have Finally Figured Out the Mystery of Why a Civil War Submarine Sank

A Navy engineer used creative modeling and her knowledge of underwater explosions to tackle the century-old Hunley conundrum

A view of the Nevis volcano on the island of Nevis where Alexander Hamilton was born.

Walk in the Footsteps of Alexander Hamilton on This Tiny Caribbean Island

The island of Nevis was no paradise for young Hamilton

Unionville today: The photographer used a process called intaglio printing to give her pictures an antique appearance.

Secrets of American History

After the Civil War, African-American Veterans Created a Home of Their Own: Unionville

One-hundred-fifty years later, the Maryland town remains a bastion of resilience and a front line in the battle over Confederate monuments

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