American History

Apple I computer, 1976, Steve Jobs (Patent no. 7166791) and Steve Wozniak (Patent No. 4136359). The Apple I computer became a leader in personal computing. Originally marketed to hobbyists only primarily as a fully assembled circuit board, purchasers had to add their own case and monitor in order to create a working computer.

Tracing the History of American Invention, From the Telegraph to the Apple I

More than 70 artifacts, from an artificial heart to an Etch A Sketch, grace the entryway to the American History Museum's new innovation wing

Benjamin Rush, prominent colonial physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, wrote a treatise on alcohol in 1784 that still influences how medicine views substance abuse today.

Meet the Doctor Who Convinced America to Sober Up

Meet Benjamin Rush, father of the temperance movement, signer of the Declaration of Independence

Lee's Maycomb, indelibly evoked in the novel that sells a million copies annually, endures in the small-town reality of Monroeville.

What's Changed, and What Hasn't, in the Town That Inspired 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

Traveling back in time to visit Harper Lee's hometown, the setting of her 1960 masterpiece and the controversial sequel hitting bookstores soon

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (top) and Chickamauga, Georgia (bottom) were the sites of two Civil War battles.

A Photographic Requiem for America's Civil War Battlefields

Walking far-flung battlefields to picture the nation's defining tragedy in a modern light

A rendering of the installation, which officially launches June 28. Seventeen artist-made stars will glow each night in a constellation above an abandoned castle.

An Abandoned Island Now Glows Star-Bright Under a New Constellation

Artist Melissa McGill creates a luminous public art project above a ruined castle on a mysterious piece of land in the Hudson River

A mermaid as depicted in Sea Fables Explained by Henry Lee, published in 1883.

The Murky Tale of John Smith and the Mermaid

Alexander Dumas probably just made it up

Little Havana, Miami, Florida.

These Are the Most Threatened Historical Places in America

The Grand Canyon, The Factory and the A.G. Gaston Motel are just a few of the 11 names on the list

The famous Cyclone roller coaster in Coney Island, New York.

Ride America's Most Historic Roller Coasters

This summer, ride the coasters that add history to their thrills

Previous analysis of the Kennewick Man's skull suggested that he might be closely related to Asian populations and Polynesians. But new genetic analysis indicates his ancestral roots are in the Americas.

Genome Analysis Links Kennewick Man to Native Americans

Ancient DNA sequenced from the skeleton adds to the controversy over the individual's ancestry

How George Washington Did His Hair

Despite the powder and curls it wasn't a wig at all

One of the chalkboards shows a calendar in the process of switching from November 1917 to December — only the month label and the first day apply to the new month.

100-Year-Old Chalkboards, With Drawings Still Intact, Discovered in Oklahoma School

The find includes lessons on pilgrims, math and music

Starting New York Giants catcher John Tortes "Chief" Meyers in an unspecified game against the female team in 1913.

Amateur Women's Baseball Teams Existed as Early as 1866

They typically challenged local a men’s teams to play

The legendary home base of blues pioneers.

Where the Blues Was Born

At Dockery Farms, the original bluesmen created a sound that would become legendary

A sumptuously appointed room within the Borgia family's castle in Tuscany, now available for everyday people to rent.

Want to Sleep Like a King, Queen or Borgia For a Night? Stay in these Historic Airbnbs

Whether it’s the former home of a national icon or an extravagant estate in Europe, the sharing economy offers the chance to go back in time for a night

Tackling the prickly issue of history-malaise.

How Much U.S. History Do Americans Actually Know? Less Than You Think.

We ask David Bruce Smith, founder of the Grateful American Foundation, how we can fix this problem

April DiGeo ponders how to spell her word in "Spellbound."

Thirteen Years Later, Did Spellbound Show Us the Power or the Myth of the American Dream?

We caught up with the kids, now full-fledged adults, from the acclaimed documentary to investigate how social class shapes success in America

Aquascutum, stemming from Latin for "water" and "shield," was a leading trenchcoat manufacturer.

The Classy Rise of the Trench Coat

World War I brought with it a broad array of societal changes, including men's fashion

Just a mile down one of the park’s most popular and accessible trails, hikers reap views of Dream Lake.

When Colorado Was (And in Many Ways Still Is) the Switzerland of America

A hundred years ago, city slickers looking for wild times in Rocky Mountain National Park invented a new kind of American vacation

More than 3,000 lights adorned Ferris' wheel.

The Brief History of the Ferris Wheel

Originally the American answer to the Eiffel Tower, the summertime amusement became a hallmark of summer fun

A display of Jim Beam bourbons at a Kentucky distillery.

What Makes Bourbon Uniquely American?

A new book examines everything that makes the spirit special to the United States

Page 119 of 179