Hundreds Died When This Steamship Sank in the Pacific Northwest in 1875 With Gold Worth Millions On Board
A century and a half later, the sinking of the S.S. Pacific remains one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the region’s history
When a House Painter Failed to Assassinate President Andrew Jackson, It Was the First Such Attempt in U.S. Presidential History
Duel pistols were no match for the White House incumbent, who fended off the assailant with his cane on this date in 1835
The Alaska Railroad’s Golden Spike Hammered in by President Harding Will Return to Its Home State
The spike’s installation marked the completion of the Alaska Railroad in 1923. It’s spent most of the time since then in the hands of private owners
Discover Why ‘The Raven,’ Edgar Allan Poe’s Narrative Poem About a Distraught Lover and a Talking Bird, Remains an American Classic
Published on this day in 1845, the work used alliteration, internal rhyme and repetition to draw in readers, lending it a dark and melancholic tone
This Heroic Dog Raced Across the Frozen Alaskan Wilderness to Deliver Life-Saving Medicine—but His Contributions Were Long Overlooked
Togo, not Balto, was the driving force behind the 1925 Serum Run to Nome, which found teams of mushers and sled dogs delivering antitoxin to children suffering from diphtheria
Nearly 100 Washingtonians Died When a Theater Collapsed in One of the Largest Snowfalls Ever to Hit D.C.
The Knickerbocker Theater disaster, which took place on this day in 1922, killed 98 moviegoers and injured another 133
When Russian Radar Mistook a Norwegian Scientific Rocket for a U.S. Missile, the World Narrowly Avoided Nuclear War
The Norwegian rocket incident, which took place on this day in 1995, marked the only known activation of a nuclear briefcase in response to a possible attack
This Rare Gold Medal From the 1904 Olympics Sold for More Than $500,000
The artifact, from the first Games held in the United States, reaped the third-highest price ever fetched for an Olympic medal at auction
This Rare Printing of the Declaration of Independence Could Sell for $4 Million
Made by a printer in New Hampshire, this 1776 broadside edition was created to disseminate America’s founding document to the public
How Alaska’s Historic Roadhouses Are Standing the Test of Time
The multipurpose lodgings along trails and rivers capture the state’s pioneering culture and spirit
How the Nation’s First ‘Madam Secretary’ Fought to Save Jewish Refugees Fleeing From Nazi Germany
A new book spotlights Frances Perkins’ efforts to challenge the United States’ restrictive immigration policies as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of labor
The Ridiculous Reason Why the U.S. Enacted a Wartime Ban on Sliced Bread Sales—and Why It Didn’t Last Long
Designed to keep prices low and conserve wax paper, the ban, enacted on this day in 1943, only succeeded in making Americans furious
Can You Read This Cursive Handwriting? The National Archives Wants Your Help
Anyone with an internet connection can volunteer to transcribe historical documents and help make the archives’ digital catalog more accessible
These 15 Photos Show the People and Places of American Streets Named After Martin Luther King Jr.
On a journey to six cities across the country over the course of seven years, a photographer captured images of the roads that bear the civil rights leader’s name
Why Was Zora Neale Hurston So Obsessed With the Biblical Villain Herod the Great?
The Harlem Renaissance author spent her last years writing about the ancient king. Six decades after her death, her unfinished novel has finally been published for the first time
The Head of the Smithsonian Talks About America’s 250th, Why Experts Still Matter and What to Expect From the Institution in 2025
In an extensive interview, Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III spoke on the current political climate, the process of returning human remains from the Institution’s collections, the awe-inspiring scope of Smithsonian science and much more
This Author, Famous for His Rags-to-Riches Stories, Forever Shaped How We Talk About the American Dream
Horatio Alger’s repetitive stories reached their true popularity and became synonymous with social mobility largely thanks to retellings after the writer’s death
When the U.S. Surgeon General Shocked Americans by Announcing That Smoking Kills
The 1964 disclosure marked the first time many smokers had heard about the health dangers of tobacco
The Roots of U.S. Work Culture—and Why the American Dream Is So Difficult to Achieve Today
A new book examines the evolution of the American workplace, interrogating the idea that hard work is enough to ensure success
On This Day in 1785, Two Men Braved Death When They Flew Across the English Channel in a Balloon
Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries’ harrowing journey was the first aerial crossing between France and Britain
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