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History

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Fergus M. Bordewich on “Face the Nation”

Douglas expected to crush his untried opponent in the enormously crowd-pleasing debates

How Lincoln Bested Douglas in Their Famous Debates

The 1858 debates reframed America’s argument about slavery and transformed Lincoln into a presidential contender

Aerial view of the Washington dig site with Fredericksburg visible on the horizon

Washington’s Boyhood Home

Archaeologists have finally pinpointed the Virginia house where our first president came of age

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September Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Hungarian water polo player Ervin Zador's eye is injured during the closing minutes of a game against the Soviets.

Blood in the Water at the 1956 Olympics

Political turmoil between Hungary and the Soviet Union spills over into an Olympic water polo match

Frederick Douglass

Conventional Facts

The DefendantsNathan Leopold (left) and his lover Richard Loeb confessed that they had kidnapped and murdered Bobby Franks solely for the thrill of the experience.

Leopold and Loeb’s Criminal Minds

In defense of murderers Leopold and Loeb, attorney Clarence Darrow thwarted a nation’s call for vengeance

Inside the convention hall, delegates battled over the Vietnam War and the power of the party establishment. Outside, Chicago police prepared for a parallel battle with antiwar protesters who flooded the city.

1968 Democratic Convention

The Bosses Strike Back

Delegates to the Republican National Convention stage a huge demonstration for Senator Barry Goldwater, after his name was placed in nomination for the Presidency.

How the 1964 Republican Convention Sparked a Revolution From the Right

At the ugliest of Republican conventions since 1912, entrenched moderates faced off against conservative insurgents

Truman committed the Democrats to civil rights. After the party splintered, Strom Thurmond ran as the candidate of the States’ Rights Party.

1948 Democratic Convention

The South Secedes Again

Theodore Roosevelt giving a campaign speech.

1912 Republican Convention

Return of the Rough Rider

Red, white and bruising: at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, conflicts within the hall were amplified in violence on Chicago’s streets.

Parties to History

Four Political Conventions That Changed America

Buck's Row, site of the murder of Mary Ann Nichols

August Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

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Stouthearted Men

Brutal, yes, but also strong-willed

The Sea Stallion from Glendalough

Raiders or Traders?

A replica Viking vessel sailing the North Sea has helped archaeologists figure out what the stalwart Norsemen were really up to

Quebec city's Parliament building, the site of the Place de l'Assembée-Nationale.

Let Me Be Franc

A Look Back for Quebec City’s 400th

Carleton Watkins stereograph of El Capitan in Yosemite

About Carleton Watkins

On the life and career of the 19th-century American landscape photographer who captured Yosemite in stereo

View of Beirut, Lebanon, with palm and pine trees in the foreground

Times of Trouble

Flashpoints in Modern Lebanese History

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Showing Their Age

Dating the Fossils and Artifacts that Mark the Great Human Migration

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Were “Hobbits” Human?

Debate rages over an Indonesian fossil find

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