American History
Some States Celebrate MLK Day and Robert E. Lee’s Birthday on the Same Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. has been celebrated on the third Monday in January since the federal holiday was first observed in 1986
Since First Successfully Used More Than 75 Years Ago, Ejection Seats Have Saved Thousands
The faster an airplane is moving, the harder it is to get out of: that's why ejection seats are so important
The Little-Remembered Ally Who Helped America Win the Revolution
Bernardo de Galvez’s involvement may not have been altruistic, but his contributions made a difference nonetheless
Why Some Women Campaigned Against The Vote For Women
Although it seems counter-intuitive now, some women had reasons for not wanting the vote
People Have Tried to Make U.S. Cigarette Warning Labels More Graphic for Decades
On this day in 1964, the surgeon general officially said that smoking causes cancer. But warning labels in America still don't show its effects
The Speech and Bible From George Washington's First Inauguration Made History Many Times Over
The first president created the tradition of giving an inaugural address and swearing the oath of office on a Bible
State Department Apologizes for the 'Lavender Scare'
For decades, the agency purged gay and lesbian workers believing their sexual orientation made them security risks
The Parking Garage Where Deep Throat Spilled the Beans on Watergate Is Being Torn Down
Demolition is scheduled for early this year
Murder, Marriage and the Pony Express: Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Buffalo Bill
His adventures were sensationalized in print and the Wild West show, but reality was more complicated—and compelling
John D. Rockefeller Was the Richest Person To Ever Live. Period
Standard Oil, his company, is one of the biggest reasons we have anti-monopoly laws
The Student and the Spy: How One Man’s Life Was Changed by the Cambridge Five
An unlikely friendship with Guy Burgess, the infamous British double-agent, brought unexpected joy to Stanley Weiss
The Inventor of the Telegraph Was Also America’s First Photographer
The daguerreotype craze took over New York in the mid-nineteenth century
The Far-Reaching Effects of American Incarceration
Three photo essays explore the history and modern-day consequences of the world's highest incarceration rate
Visit These Ten Sites Celebrating Major Anniversaries in 2017
From Jane Austen’s 200th anniversary to the founding of Denali National Park, there are plenty of events to fill your calendar
We Can Thank Harry Truman for TV Politics
Truman was the first president to regularly appear on television
How Adlai Stevenson Stopped Russian Interference in the 1960 Election
The Soviets offered the former presidential candidate propaganda support if he ran in 1960, an offer he politely declined
Topsy the Elephant Was a Victim of Her Captors, Not Thomas Edison
Many believe Edison killed Topsy to prove a point, but some historians argue otherwise
How Disney's 1942 Film Bambi Came to Be Influenced by the Lush Landscapes of the Sung Dynasty
Chinese-American Artist Tyrus Wong's Brush With Destiny
Happy Birthday to Hollywood’s First Chinese-American Star
She was a leading lady, but racism held her career back
How Disney Came to Define What Constitutes the American Experience
The entertainment company has been in the business of Americana since its inception
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