American History
The First African American Senator Was Sworn in 145 Years Ago Today
Hiram R. Revels made history when, amid the tensions of Reconstruction, he became a senator from Mississippi
The 18th Century Fur Trade Polluted Lake Superior's Shore With Mercury That's Never Gone Away
The area’s elevated mercury levels aren’t healthy for fish, birds or humans
For the Kennedys' Virginia Home, Jackie Had Ideas About Every Detail, Down to the Guest Room Ashtrays
She drew inspiration from French magazines and colors from Colonial America
The Frightening Legacy of Typhoid Mary
With concerns about infectious disease in the news, a look back at history's most famous carrier
How the Photocopier Changed the Way We Worked—and Played
Decades before 3-D printers brought manufacturing closer to home, copiers transformed offices, politics and art
The Spiritualist Who Warned Lincoln Was Also Booth's Drinking Buddy
What did Charles Colchester know and when did he know it?
The Closest Source We Have to Really Knowing John Wilkes Booth Is His Sister
In a post-assassination memoir, Asia Booth Clarke recalled her brother's passion, his patriotism and his last words to her
The Blood Relics From the Lincoln Assassination
Even now, 150 years later, objects from the murder of the president provide a powerful link to the event
What the Newspapers Said When Lincoln Was Killed
The initial reaction to the president's death was a wild mixture of grief, exultation, vengefulness and fear
How Oregon's Second Largest City Vanished in a Day
A 1948 flood washed away the WWII housing project Vanport—but its history still informs Portland's diversity
The Founding Fathers and the Women, Not Their Wives, Whom They Wrote To
These words today would raise suspicion if written between married men and their female friends
The Surprising Raucous Home Life of the Madisons
One of America’s founding families kept their true selves for the friends and family
Thomas Jefferson Conducted Early Smallpox Vaccine Trials
When an English doctor discovered a safer kind of immunity, someone had to spread the word to America
Visit 1940s Chicago With a Film Discovered at a Garage Sale
The film, produced in around 1945, offers a thorough, fact-filled tour of the city
Getting up Close and Personal with American Soldiers
A new photography exhibit takes a multi-decade look
Until Now, There Was No Play Button for the Recordings Bell and Edison Made in their Lab
An exhibition on sound kicks off the American History Museum's Year of Innovation, enabling visitors to hear some of the earliest recordings
How to Mind Your Manners at Silent Movies
Vintage slides give an etiquette lesson to obnoxious silent movie audiences
The First State of the Union Address: Way Shorter, Way Less Clapping
In his First Annual Message to Congress, George Washington outlined the country’s most pressing issues and kicked off a flexible annual tradition
The Little-Known History of the Underground Railroad in New York
Pultizer-Prize winning historian Eric Foner uncovers the hidden story behind this passage to freedom
Read Through Early Drafts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Speeches
One website gives you a peek into the mind of one of America’s most powerful orators
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