Congress

Central emergency numbers have been around since London adopted 999 in 1937. But the U.S. relied on a convoluted system with various regional protocols until 1968.

Dial Up the Story of the First 911 Call, Which Was Placed on This Day in 1968

Before the birth of the central emergency number, some rural Americans resorted to fireworks and loud noises to attract assistance

The Knickerbocker Theater's roof collapsed under the weight of snowfall, resulting in 98 deaths.

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

Though small, the snail darter has played an outsize role in American law, conservation and biology.

A Tiny, 'Endangered' Fish Delayed a Dam's Construction in the 1970s. Now, Scientists Say the Snail Darter Isn't So Rare After All

A lawsuit to protect the snail darter from the Tellico Dam in Tennessee offered the first real test of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. But a new study disputes the fish's status as a distinct species

The bald eagle is finally being recognized as America's national bird.

The Bald Eagle Just Became America's National Bird. What Took So Long?

An eagle enthusiast has been lobbying for the designation for years. On Christmas Eve, President Biden signed legislation making it official

Beloved films like Dirty Dancing, No Country for Old Men, Beverly Hills Cop and Spy Kids are heading to the National Film Registry.

The National Film Registry Adds 25 New Movies, Including ‘Dirty Dancing,’ ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'

This year’s list includes a diverse set of American films celebrating various genres and storytellers

A political cartoon depicting a footrace for the position of president in the 1824 election

When No Candidate Won the 1824 Presidential Election, the House of Representatives Was Given the Rare Task of Deciding the Victor

A "corrupt bargain" that delivered John Quincy Adams the presidency ended the Era of Good Feelings and prompted a new period of partisan hostility

Rebecca Latimer Felton, photographed between 1909 and 1930

Meet the Woman Who Was the First Female Senator and the Last Senator to Be an Enslaver. She Served for Just One Day

Rebecca Felton was sworn in on this day, and despite her short time in power, her legacy reveals deep contradictions in American history

Steadfast Stride Toward Justice by artist Basil Watson is the first life-sized depiction of John Lewis in his home state.

New Statue Honoring Civil Rights Activist John Lewis Unveiled in His Home State of Alabama

The life-sized bronze sculpture of the congressman joins statues of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks in the Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Plaza in Montgomery

This rare copy of the Constitution was signed by then Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson.

This Forgotten Copy of the Constitution Discovered in a Filing Cabinet Could Sell for Millions

The historic text, which bears the signature of Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson, was one of 100 copies ordered on September 28, 1787

Stella Stimson, a suffragist and temperance crusader, led an all-women campaign to document fraud at the polls and bring down a corrupt mayor.

When a Trailblazing Suffragist and a Crusading Prosecutor Teamed Up to Expose an Election Conspiracy

An unlikely duo exposed political corruption in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1914—and set a new precedent for fair voting across the country

John Lewis thanks anti-gun violence advocates on the steps of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017.

Statue of Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Replaces Confederate Monument in Georgia

The 12-foot-tall bronze artwork depicts the former congressman with his hands over his heart

Frustrated residents of Sheridan, Wyoming, coalesced around the idea of secession, allying with nearby communities to petition for their own state.

How the Great Depression Fueled a Grassroots Movement to Create a New State Called Absaroka

In the 1930s, disillusioned farmers and ranchers fought to carve a 49th state out of northern Wyoming, southeastern Montana and western South Dakota

Established in 2019, Indiana Dunes National Park represents one of the most understated successes of 20th-century conservation—and the battle is far from over today.

Inside the Fight to Save the Indiana Dunes, One of America's Most Vulnerable National Parks

Caught between steel mills, suburbs and a hard place, the 15,000-acre site is a fantasia of biodiversity—and a case study for hard-fought conservation

President Ronald Reagan, pictured waving to a crowd shortly before John Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate him on March 30, 1981

The History of Presidential Assassination Attempts, From Andrew Jackson to Teddy Roosevelt

Before last weekend's attack on Donald Trump, would-be assassins unsuccessfully targeted Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and seven other sitting presidents or candidates for office

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Tired of Diplomacy as Usual, This Congressman Flew Solo to Promote World Peace

Representative Peter F. Mack’s soaring diplomatic ambitions made aviation history as he traveled through Europe, South Asia, Japan and then across the vast Pacific Ocean

A Juneteenth celebration held in Brooklyn, New York, on June 18, 2023

Why Juneteenth, the U.S.'s Second Independence Day, Is a Federal Holiday

The celebration commemorates June 19, 1865, when a military decree informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free

The hideout boasted more than 1,000 bunk beds, a 400-seat cafeteria, individual auditoriums for both the Senate and the House of Representatives, vast water tanks, and a trash incinerator that could serve as a crematorium.

The Town That Kept Its Nuclear Bunker a Secret for Three Decades

The people of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, helped keep the Greenbrier resort's bunker—designed to hold the entirety of Congress—hidden from 1958 to 1992

Regina King as Shirley Chisholm in Shirley, a new film written and directed by John Ridley

The True History Behind Netflix's 'Shirley' Movie

A new film dramatizes Shirley Chisholm's history-making bid to become the first Black woman president in 1972

A white Baptist woman named Harriet M. Buss taught Civil War hero Robert Smalls (pictured) how to read and write.

What a Teacher's Letters Reveal About Robert Smalls, Who Stole a Confederate Ship to Secure His Freedom From Slavery

Harriet M. Buss' missives home detail the future congressman's candid views on race and the complicity of Confederate women

Abraham Lincoln’s third annual message to Congress spurred prompt and consequential action on what became the first piece of proactive federal legislation to encourage, rather than discourage, immigration to the U.S.

Abraham Lincoln's Oft-Overlooked Campaign to Promote Immigration to the U.S.

A few weeks after the president delivered the Gettysburg Address, he called on Congress to welcome immigrants as a "source of national wealth and strength"

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