A later copy of the Bixby Letter

New Research

Was This Famous Lincoln Letter Written by His Secretary?

After a century of rumors, textual analysis suggests the Bixby letter sent to a grieving mother was penned by John Hay

Newly Released Documents Reveal Churchill’s Efforts to Suppress Details of Nazi Plot

The British leader did not want the public to know about a Nazi plan to kidnap Edward VIII

This 1861 cartoon of the Bull Run battlefield includes a portrayal of watching House members and "ladies as spectators."

Was the First Battle of Bull Run Really ‘The Picnic Battle’?

Yep. But it was anything but frivolous

Axe head and grindstone found at Madjedbebe

New Research

Humans May Have Ventured Into Australia 20,000 Years Earlier Than Thought

High-tech dating of sediments at an Australian rock shelter offers insights into ancient human migration

Frances Gabe's 1984 patent shows the floor plan of her self-cleaning home

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The First Self-Cleaning Home Was Essentially a ‘Floor-to-Ceiling Dishwasher’

Frances Gabe, who died late last year, channeled her frustration with housework into a futuristic design to end the drudgery of cleaning

Yes, the Amazon service is named after this robotic guy.

Debunking the Mechanical Turk Helped Set Edgar Allan Poe on the Path to Mystery Writing

Like many others, Poe was certain the machine couldn’t be playing chess under its own power

That yellow logo? A Dalí original, every one.

From Melting Clocks to Lollipops, Salvador Dalí Left His Mark on the Visual World

The Surrealist artist’s “pure, vertical, mystical love of cash” led him to advertising

A page from Holst's lost "Folk Songs From Somerset"

Cool Finds

Lost Manuscripts From Composer of “The Planets” Found in New Zealand

No one is sure how the handwritten scores by Gustav Holst ended up in the archives of the Bay of Plenty Symphonia

Jude Sparks and his ancient find

Nine-Year-Old Accidentally Discovers a Stegomastodon Fossil in New Mexico

Jude Sparks was hiking in the desert when he tripped over the ancient creature’s skull

Charlotte Woodward Pierce was just a teenager when she signed the pro-women's-rights "Declaration of Sentiments." She was the only signer of that document to live to see women get the vote.

Only One Woman Who Was at the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention Lived to See Women Win the Vote

Charlotte Woodward Pierce was a teenager at the Seneca Falls convention for women’s rights. She was 91 when women finally went to vote in 1920

Art historians have questioned whether this portrait is truly a replica of one painted while Jane Grey was still alive, but there's no way to know for sure.

The Tragic Story of England’s Nine-Day Queen

Jane Grey never wanted to be queen, and in the end, she died for it

The 1759 cannonball

Cool Finds

Found: 200-Year-Old Cannonball From French and Indian War

Potentially still live, the incendiary device has been moved to a safe location to be neutralized

The daughter of an enslaved woman, Maggie L. Walker led the fight for civil rights and women's rights in Richmond, Virginia.

Champion of the Black Community Is Given Her Rightful Due in Richmond

Maggie L. Walker fought segregation her whole life in the former capital of the Confederacy. Now her statue towers over the Virginia city

On December 17, 1944 the bomber crashed into the Adriatic sea.

Cool Finds

Bones Recovered From Wreckage of WWII Plane May Belong to Missing Airmen

If researchers can confirm their identity, the long-lost crewmembers may finally receive a proper burial

Taking a stroll to the Pump Room–the fashionable place to be seen in Bath during Austen's time.

Five Things to Know About Bath, Jane Austen’s Home and Inspiration

Two hundred years after her death, Bath hasn’t forgotten about Jane Austen

The point of the bow from the port side, taken by the remotely operated vehicle Jason Jr.

The Story of the First Manned Expedition to the Sunken Wreck of the ‘Titanic’

The manned exploration in 1986 brought back the first high-quality images of the ship since it sank

The hilt of Robert Gould Shaw's sword

Cool Finds

Civil War Hero’s Long-Lost Sword Was Hiding in an Attic

Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led the legendary 54th Massachusetts Regiment, one of the first official black military units in the United States

Why Censors Are Targeting Winnie-the-Pooh in China

Social media users have compared the honey-loving bear to Chinese President Xi Jinping

The White House's

How a Groundbreaking Interior Designer Helped Jackie O. Change the White House

Sister Parish is credited with creating American country style, a recognizable and quirky mix of old and new

A family walks towards the entrance of Disneyland, circa 1960.

Disneyland’s Terrible First Day Didn’t Stop the Crowds From Coming

Nothing was ready. But by the end of the first week, more than 100,000 people had visited

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