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
Happy Public Domain Day! Popeye, ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ ‘The Sound and the Fury’ and Thousands of Other Captivating Creations Are Finally Free for Everyone to Use
On January 1, 2025, copyrights will expire for books, films, comic strips, musical compositions and other creative works from 1929, as well as sound recordings from 1924
A 1903 Fire at a Chicago Theater Killed 602 People, Prompting Enduring Safety Reforms
Officials thought the brand-new Iroquois Theater was fireproof and designed for maximum safety. The scope of the tragedy and the ensuing panic quickly proved them wrong
Monarch Butterflies Might Soon Be Listed as Threatened Under the Endangered Species Act
If a new proposal is adopted, the insects would become the most commonly seen species to be the subject of federal protection under this law
Belgium Has Been Found Guilty of ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ for Kidnapping Thousands of Children in Congo
A Brussels court has ordered Belgium to pay damages to five women, now in their 70s and 80s, who were abducted from their parents when they were young children
Stunning Artworks Seized From the Mafia Go On Display at a New Exhibition in Milan
“Save Arts: From Confiscations to Public Collections” features more than 80 works recovered by Italian authorities, including pieces by Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí
Crews Remove Miles of Abandoned, Lead-Coated Telephone Cables From the Bottom of Lake Tahoe
The cables have been resting on the lakebed for decades, raising fears from environmentalists and residents about possible lead contamination
When Susan B. Anthony and 14 Other Women Were Arrested for Voting Illegally in a Presidential Election
After her detainment on this day in 1872, Anthony was found guilty by a federal court. She refused to pay her “unjust” $100 fine
Scientists Are Crafting Fake Whale Poop and Dumping It in the Ocean
The artificial waste could fertilize the ocean and sequester carbon
This New York City Park Was Built on Top of a Cemetery
In the late 19th century, city officials turned the final resting place for 10,000 souls into what’s now Greenwich Village’s James J. Walker Park
Why the Creator of One of the First ‘Lie Detectors’ Lived to Regret His Invention
The early polygraph machine was considered the most scientific way to detect deception—but that was a myth
Montana Rancher Who Created Giant, Hybrid Sheep Sentenced to Six Months in Prison
Arthur “Jack” Schubarth cloned illegally imported genetic material from the Marco Polo argali to create hybrid sheep that would draw higher prices from hunting preserves
See Footage of a Thief Breaking Into a London Gallery and Stealing Banksy’s Iconic ‘Girl With Balloon’
Officials launched an investigation and recovered the $360,000 print less than a week after it vanished from Grove Gallery. Two men have been charged for the crime
The National Museum of American History Collects Mariska Hargitay’s Costume From ‘Law & Order: SVU’
The Smithsonian museum accepted a detective suit and badge worn by the actress’ character, Olivia Benson, on the long-running procedural
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
When Do Kids Go Back to School? It Depends on Where They Live
In some districts, students returned to their classrooms weeks before Labor Day
The Mystery of the Bronze Age Ax Heads Mailed Anonymously to an Irish Museum Has Been Solved
A farmer stumbled upon the 4,000-year-old artifacts while working in his field in central Ireland
The Brothers Who Asserted Their Right to Free Speech in Tudor England
Peter and Paul Wentworth called on Elizabeth I to name an heir to the throne, wielding Parliament’s free speech privileges to urge the queen to take action
Untold Stories of American History
This Little-Known Civil Rights Activist Refused to Give Up His Bus Seat Four Years Before Rosa Parks Did
William “W.R.” Saxon filed a lawsuit against the company that forced him to move to the back of the bus, seeking damages for the discrimination and mental anguish he’d faced
Black Sailors Exonerated 80 Years After Deadly World War II Disaster
The Navy secretary officially cleared the 256 Black service members who were punished in connection with the explosion in Port Chicago, California
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