American History
Saving the Last of the Great Carousels
The ornate, well made carousels of the past are in danger - degrading, being sold piecemeal and sometimes even for parts
Boston Children’s Hospital Once Relied on the Opera to Power X-Rays
In the 1880's the Children's Hospital in Boston didn't have electricity, so it couldn't use X-rays. But the nearby Opera House did
This Interactive Map Compares the New York City of 1836 to Today
Manhattan had a very different topography than the concrete jungle we know today
When the Lincoln Memorial Was Underwater
James Keily’s 1851 map of Washington shows a considerably smaller district, before the Potomac River was filled in to make way for monuments
The U.S. Knew Iraq Was Using Chemical Weapons, Helped Out Anyway
Recently declassified documents detail the CIA's knowledge of Iraq's chemical weapon program in the 1980s
Muriel Siebert, First Woman With a Seat on the Stock Exchange, Dies at Age 80
Siebert bought her seat in 1967, but she remained the only woman on the exchange for almost 10 years after that
The Lame Reason NASA Gave Up on Sending Astronauts to Venus in 1973
We had the technology, but not the will
The Last of the Watergate Tapes Show Just How Weasely Nixon Was
Nixon's public declarations and his private communications were a bundle of contradictions
Watch How America’s Lands Changed From Forests to Fields
"Arthromes" are like biomes, but they acknowledge humanity's influence
The CIA Finally Admitted It Orchestrated the Iranian Coup of 1953
A newly-released 1970s internal CIA report admits the agency's involvement in the 1953 coup
These Are All the Places That Europeans Actually Discovered
Of all the places you think were discovered by Europeans, how many were actually discovered by Europeans?
Area 51 is, Officially, a Real Place
Area 51 now officially exists, newly declassified documents say
Obama Is Actually the Third President to Install Solar Panels at the White House
Jimmy Carter's 1979 solar panels were stripped down by Ronald Reagan, while no one noticed when the Bush administration installed panels to heat the pool
How Typhoid Mary Stayed Healthy
Researchers think a potential therapy could be developed that blocks the bacteria's ability to divide and produce symptomatic typhoid
These Carvings Are the Oldest Rock Art in America, by Thousands of Years
Native Americans created the carvings, which depict nature and geometrical motifs, though researchers still puzzle over their exact purpose and meaning
Ten Years Ago, 50 Million People Lost Power
Ten years later people are remembering, energy companies are trying to get better, but the grid is the same
America Bet 500 Million Tiny Copper Space Wires Would Help Beat the Soviets
During the Cold War, filling space with tiny copper bits didn't seem like such a bad idea
America’s Founders Were Scarily Young on July 4, 1776
How old were famous Revolutionary War figures on July 4, 1776?
The Only Copy of Orson Welles’ First Professional Film Didn’t Burn in a Fire After All
The only copy of the Citizen Kane director's first professional movie was found in a warehouse
Can Gardening Change the World?
The American History Museum celebrates our country's lush food history—and explores its food future—with the Food in the Garden series
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