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History

Clovis points were one of the earliest innovations in pre-Columbian America.

A Scholarly Approach to Innovation

The Secretary of the Smithsonian draws the connection between the Clovis tools and Silicon Valley

Cartoon poster which hung outside Martin’s Lunch Room circa 1929

In the 1920s, Shoppers Got Punk’d By Fake Televisions

Don’t touch that dial….really, don’t

William Crockford—identified here as “Crockford the Shark”—sketched by the great British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson in about 1825. Rowlandson, himself an inveterate gambler who blew his way through a $10.5 million family fortune, knew the former fishmonger before he opened the club that would make his name.

Crockford’s Club: How a Fishmonger Built a Gambling Hall and Bankrupted the British Aristocracy

A working-class Londoner operated the most exclusive gambling club the world has ever seen

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The Episode Where George Jetson Rages Against the Machine

Never trust a robot co-worker

For a photo op, Rosa Parks sits in the front of a bus on December 21, 1956, the day that Montgomery's buses were officially integrated.

Document Deep Dive

Document Deep Dive: Rosa Parks’ Arrest Records

Read between the lines of the police report drawn up when the seamstress refused to give up her seat in 1955

A likeness of Madame Restell, published in the National Police Gazette, 1847

Madame Restell: The Abortionist of Fifth Avenue

Without benefit of medical training, Madame Restell spent 40 years as a “female physician”

Ernest Hemingway’s 1923 passport photo

Future Classics: Readers of 1936 Predict Which Authors Will Endure

Find out which famous writers didn’t make the top ten in this poll

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The History of Pardoning Turkeys Began With Tad Lincoln

The rambunctious boy had free rein of the White House, and used it to divert a holiday bird from the butcher’s block

Cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer

Where Did Pabst Win That Blue Ribbon?

The origin of Pabst’s iconic blue ribbon dates back to one of the most important gatherings in American history

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Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 09 – Elroy’s TV Show

Kids of the 1960s were let in on the secret of how television is made.

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The Early History of Faking War on Film

Early filmmakers faced a dilemma: how to capture the drama of war without getting themselves killed in the process. Their solution: fake the footage

Nikola Tesla at age 40.

Nikola Tesla the Eugenicist: Eliminating Undesirables by 2100

The inventor may have been brilliant, but his warped views on the future of the population reveals that in the end, he was still just human

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The Fight that Wouldn’t Stay Fixed

How an apparent misunderstanding led to a brawl that turned into a donnybrook that became a legend

Henry Wiencek's book "Master of the Mountain" has caused much debate amongst Jefferson scholars this month.

Henry Wiencek Responds to His Critics

The author of a new book about Thomas Jefferson makes his case and defends his scholarship

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Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 08 – Rosey’s Boyfriend

The personal humanoid robotic assistant easily makes the short list of retro-futuristic dreams still unfulfilled

Geronimo as a prisoner of war at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, 1898

Geronimo’s Appeal to Theodore Roosevelt

Held captive far longer than his surrender agreement called for, the Apache warrior made his case directly to the president

Electronic government of the future from the 1981 kids book, World of Tomorrow by Neil Ardley

Five Past Visions of Our Political Future

Some people thought that once women were allowed to vote, men would soon lose that privilege

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Uncovering the Truth Behind the Myth of Pancho Villa, Movie Star

In 1914, the Mexican rebel signed a contract with an American newsreel company that required him to fight for the cameras. Too good to be true? Not entirely

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Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 07 – The Flying Suit

Viewers got their first look at jetpacks as well as what actually happens on the ground beneath the Jetsons, and while it may not be zombies, it isn’t pretty

Cover of the Jan 1950 issue of Redbook

Aldous Huxley’s Predictions for 2000 A.D.

The famous author envisioned a brave new world where swelling populations would put tremendous strain on the Earth’s resources

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