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History / U.S. History

This week's selections include The Betrayal of the Duchess, Anonymous Is a Woman and Nerve.

Books of the Month

The Science of Fear, the Royal Scandal That Made France Modern and Other New Books to Read

The fourth installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

Ashford calls a strike with enthusiasm during an August 29, 1968, game between the Indians and Twins.

What Made Emmett Ashford, Major League Baseball’s First Black Umpire, an American Hero

During his 20-year professional career, his boisterous style endeared him to fans but rankled traditionalists

Eugene V. Debs was in a West Virginia penitentiary when he lost the 1920 presidential election.

Has Anyone Ever Run for President While in Prison? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

Flak-Bait made history on April 17, 1945, when it became the only American bomber to fly 200 missions.

This World War II Bomber Took More Enemy Fire Than Most Others and Always Came Home

Known for its memorable April 17, 1945 mission, the B26 bomber ‘Flak-Bait’ undergoes preservation at the National Air and Space Museum

Each museum and research facility under the Smithsonian umbrella is reckoning with COVID in its own way. But they are also collaborating on both strategy and logistics.

Covid-19

How Smithsonian Curators Are Rising to the Challenge of COVID-19

In a nation under quarantine, chronicling a crisis demands careful strategy

Only 20 questions were on the 1950 census form, which made it easier for this Virginia mother to respond to the enumerator's survey while at home with her young children.

Here’s Why Taking America’s Roll Call Is a Hard-Knock Job

History’s census enumerators came back with the numbers and some very tall tales

Cate Blanchett plays conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly

Women Who Shaped History

The True Story of ‘Mrs. America’

In the new miniseries, feminist history, dramatic storytelling and an all-star-cast bring the Equal Rights Amendment back into the spotlight

Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 23, 2019. The Commerce v. New York case highlighted a proposed question about U.S. citizenship included by the Trump administration in the 2020 U.S. census.

The Enumerated Story of the Census

A new book charts the history of counting the public, from the ancient censuses in Rome to the American version of decennial data collection

Though much has changed since 1918, the sentiments shared in writings from this earlier pandemic are likely to resonate with modern readers.

Covid-19

What We Can Learn From 1918 Influenza Diaries

These letters and journals offer insights on how to record one’s thoughts amid a pandemic

The loneliness and fear of operating behind enemy lines was a heavy burden. Some agents found they could trust no one except their own reflections. Undated self-portrait.

Women Who Shaped History

How a Spy Known as the ‘Limping Lady’ Helped the Allies Win WWII

A new biography explores the remarkable feats of Virginia Hall, a disabled secret agent determined to play her part in the fight against the Nazis

A sketch from Eiffel’s workshop appears to show the statue with a bulkier shoulder than the final version has.

Recently Discovered Drawings for the Statue of Liberty Hint at a Last-Minute Change

Sketches from the workshop of French engineer Gustave Eiffel suggest a different plan for Lady Liberty’s upraised arm

On April 17, 1970, the parachutes carrying the Apollo 13 spacecraft and its crew cleared the clouds and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief.

How the Crew of the Damaged Apollo 13 Came Home

Using the lunar module as a lifeboat and employing techniques never before considered, the astronauts’ ordeal ended triumphantly

"Washington and His Cabinet" lithograph by Currier & Ives

The President’s Cabinet Was an Invention of America’s First President

A new book explores how George Washington shaped the group of advisors as an institution to meet his own needs

This week's offerings include How the South Won the Civil War, The Imposteress Rabbit Breeder, and Heaven and Hell.

Books of the Month

The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits, a History of Hell and Other New Books to Read

The second installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 pandemic

A lithograph by Alice Dick Dumas depicts children going to a clinic for a health check to prevent the advance of disease.

Covid-19

How Epidemics of the Past Changed the Way Americans Lived

Past public health crises inspired innovations in infrastructure, education, fundraising and civic debate

The Wisdom of the Universe (detail) by Christi Belcourt (Michif), 2014

Women Who Shaped History

Native Women Artists Reclaim Their Narrative

The first major exhibition of its kind, “Hearts of Our People,” boasts 82 pieces from 115 Native women across North America

The ever-growing list of 1,000 Places Where Women Made History currently includes everything from homes where pioneering women once lived, buildings where specific events that involved them occurred, and where women-led accomplishments happened.

Women Who Shaped History

Crowdsourcing Project Aims to Document the Many U.S. Places Where Women Have Made History

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is looking for 1,000 places tied to women’s history, and to share the stories of the figures behind them

The list includes The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family and The War Queens: Extraordinary Women Who Ruled the Battlefield.

Books of the Month

Five New Nonfiction Books to Read While You’re Stuck at Home

We’re highlighting newly released titles may have been lost in the news as the nation endures the coronavirus pandemic

A protestor on Maui

Shutting Down Hawai‘i: A Historical Perspective on Epidemics in the Islands

A museum director looks to the past to explain why ‘Aloha’ is as necessary as ever

Pohl emphasized that killing rats was a civic duty, telling the Oregonian that “everyone in the city, rich and poor, should consider it his duty to exterminate rats.”

Women Who Shaped History

The Pioneering Health Officer Who Saved Portland From the Plague

Tasked with curbing a 1907 outbreak, Esther Pohl emphasized the importance of clean, vermin-free environments

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