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American History

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The Unmaking of the President

Lyndon Johnson believed that his withdrawal from the 1968 presidential campaign would free him to solidify his legacy

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“Those Aren’t Rumors”

Two decades ago an anonymous telephone call sank Gary Hart’s presidential campaign—and rewrote the rules of political reporting

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Rose Marie’s Black Bow Now in the Smithsonian

Nine legendary actresses donate artifacts from their work on the stage and screen

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The Horns Got Hot at the Pyramids

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Remembering Greensboro

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Celebrating Resistance

The curator of a portrait exhibition discusses how African Americans used photography to resist stereotypes

Explorer 1 satellite

Explorer I Satellite

In 1958, Explorer 1 launched America’s response to the USSR’s Sputnik

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Alabama - History and Heritage

Hillotype of a print depicting a man fallen from a horse, color pigments applied

Genius or Fraud?

The movement to create a memorial to Lincoln began shortly after his assassination. The Lincoln Monument Association was established by Congress in 1867, but the site for the memorial was not selected until 1901.

Washington, D.C. - History and Heritage

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Calculating History

Remember the TI calculator models

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Outlaw Hunters

The Pinkerton Detective Agency chased down some of America’s most notorious criminals

"I think the most surprising thing was how Hemingway is still so alive [in Cuba]," says Valerie Hemingway.

Barefoot Hemingway

Valerie Hemingway, author of “Hemingway’s Cuba, Cuba’s Hemingway,” talks about pirated novels and Papa’s living legend

"Where's the help?" Cynthia Scott demanded of photographer Michael Ainsworth after three days stranded on an overpass.

A Horrible Blessing

“How am I going to save my grandbabies?” she asked after the hurricane struck, two years ago this month

"I think most Americans don't realize how close we came to losing the Revolutionary War," says Ferling.

Forget Independence

John Ferling, author of “100 Days that Shook the World,” imagines an alternate history

General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal

The Swamp Fox

Elusive and crafty, Francis Marion outwitted British troops during the American Revolution

On March 15, 1781, American forces inflicted heavy losses on the British Army at Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina. The redcoats had seemed invincible only a few months before.

100 Days That Shook the World

The all-but-forgotten story of the unlikely hero who ensured victory in the American Revolution

"During Derby Week, Louisville is the capital of the world," wrote John Steinbeck in 1956.

Derby Days

Thoroughbreds, mint juleps, big hats—the Kentucky Derby’s place in American history

The British colonists who settled a bit of land they soon named Jamestown (depicted in a 19th-century engraving) gave England its first enduring encampment in the New World--and, not incidentally, began our national narrative.

Beyond Jamestown

After the colony was founded, 400 years ago this month, Capt. John Smith set out to explore the riches of Chesapeake Bay

Capt. John Smith and Chief Powhatan had historic encounters in Werowocomoco.

Lost City of Powhatan

The Algonquian settlement crucial to the survival of Jamestown 400 years ago has been found. Finally

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