American History

Theodor Seuss Geisel and Helen Palmer Geisel, his first wife, were both children's book authors, but they never had children.

Dr. Seuss Had an Imaginary Daughter Named Chrysanthemum-Pearl

Theodor Seuss Geisel created the character with his first wife, Helen Palmer Geisel

It looks tiny now, but no matter what you've been told, it'll get bigger. A lot bigger.

Bad News, Pet Lovers: Teacup Pigs Are a Hoax

It’s a descriptor, not the term for a breed of pig, and it’s hurting animals

This picture of Uncle Fester holding a lightbulb in his mouth is right above the "gobble hole" at the base of a pinball table.

Why Is This 25-Year-Old Pinball Machine Still the Most Popular?

You can even play a video-game version of this table

You won't find "dord" in the dictionary these days, but back in the 1930s, Webster's had a definition for this non-word.

As “Dord” Shows, Being in the Dictionary Doesn’t Always Mean Something’s a Word

Even dictionaries can make mistakes, although Merriam-Webster maintains this is their only one

Ace Harlyn (active ca. 1930–40), Charlie Wagner tattooing Millie Hull, 1939, oil on canvas

Tattooing Was Illegal in New York City Until 1997

The New-York Historical Society's newest exhibit delves into the history of the city's once-turbulent ink scene

Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were often portrayed together. Here, Davis is drawn as a Confederate general.

The Illustrator of Alice in Wonderland Also Drew Abraham Lincoln. A Lot

John Tenniel was a well-known editorial cartoonist as well as the man who gave Lewis Carroll’s books their visual charm

Hugo La Fayette Black was a Supreme Court justice for over three decades, and is remembered as a defender of civil rights.

This Supreme Court Justice Was a KKK Member

Even after the story came out in 1937, Hugo Black went on to serve as a member of the Supreme Court into the 1970s

This animal hair toothbrush (horse hair, to be exact) is said to have belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte.

You Can Still Buy Pig-Hair Toothbrushes

There's an argument for it, given all the environmental destruction causes by plastic ones

Katharine Hepburn's four Oscars for Best Actress were awarded at the Ambassador Hotel, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

The Oscars Are Held in a Mall

It takes two weeks to dress the venue (which is in a mall, remember) for the occasion each year

Children have been crippled by land mines in Cambodia.

The Historic Innovation of Land Mines—And Why We've Struggled to Get Rid of Them

A number of researchers are developing tools to defuse or detonate land mines without harming civilians

The Little Rock Nine escorted by soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division into Little Rock Central High.

That Time the U.S. Government Won an Oscar

Today, the award is kept on permanent display in the National Archives

Walt Whitman photographed in 1854, two years after his serialized novella was first published anonymously.

A Graduate Student Just Discovered a Lost Work of Fiction by Walt Whitman

The serialized novella was first published anonymously in 1852

Abraham Lincoln Rocks in Tijuana

Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico

As a young Congressman and later as the nation’s leader, the first Republican president proved to be a true friend to America’s neighbor to the south

Tootsie Rolls contain small amounts of cocoa and also an ingredient you might not expect—orange extract.

Tootsie Rolls Were WWII Energy Bars

The candies were included in rations because they stayed fresh for a long time

Seward paid $200,000 extra to get the territory “free and clear.”

The Everlasting, Awe-Inspiring Power of Alaska

For 150 years, Alaska has been a part of the United States, and it's never ceased to amaze

Misty Copeland sees dance as a “language and a culture that people from everywhere, all over the world, can relate to and understand and come together for.”

In the Footsteps of Three Modern American Prima Ballerinas

A new exhibition shows that classical ballet and the role of the ballerina are rapidly changing

The Daisy was a popular cocktail with many variations, including the Tequila Daisy.

Here’s How To Make the Margarita’s (Possible) Predecessor, the Daisy

This cocktail has its roots in the nineteenth century, and some of its first recipes are made with brandy, not tequila

President Trump talks to Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton in front of the "Paradox of Liberty" exhibit.

President Trump Visits the African American History Museum

Museum director Lonnie Bunch and Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton led the president and his entourage on a tour of the new museum

Cradle to Cradle laid out a strategy for reducing waste through smarter product design. Case in point: the book itself is plastic and waterproof; the pages can be recycled and the ink can be washed off for reuse.

The Inventors of Upcycling Published Their Manifesto In a Plastic Book. Why?

You might have heard the term in relation to crafting, but it means a lot more

The first "phone book" (really a one-page sheet) came long before phones like this, but it was an important step towards the printed directories that were ubiquitous in the twentieth century and are now often considered outdated.

The First Telephone Book Had Fifty Listings and No Numbers

It came out less than two years after Alexander Graham Bell invented the device

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