American History
The 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2024
From a bluegrass capital in Virginia to a laid-back surf town in Hawaii, these spots are beckoning to tourists this year
Twenty-Five Years Before the Wright Brothers Took to the Skies, This Flying Machine Captivated America
First exhibited in 1878, Charles F. Ritchel's dirigible was about as wacky, dangerous and impractical as any airship ever launched
How the United States Laid Claim to the Mississippi River, One Mile at a Time
Thomas Jefferson imagined the waterway as the heart of his “empire of liberty" as he dispatched surveyors to measure a land already occupied by Native Americans
More Than a Century Ago, Flamingos Disappeared From Florida. Now, They're Coming Home
Likely transported by Hurricane Idalia last August, more than 100 of the pink birds were counted in a February census in the Sunshine State, where they are considered a native species
Hall of Fame Examines 150 Years of Black Baseball History
A new exhibition begins long before the creation of the Negro Leagues and ends with the triumphs and challenges of today's players
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
Archaeologists Discover Ancient Canoes Hidden Beneath a Wisconsin Lake
One of the vessels dates back around 4,500 years, making it the oldest ever found in the Great Lakes region
Martha Gellhorn Was The Only Woman to Report on the D-Day Landings From the Ground
In June 1944, the veteran journalist hid on a hospital ship so she could report firsthand as Allied soldiers fought their way onto the beaches of Normandy
Wreck of WWII Submarine Found After 80 Years
The USS Harder, known by the nickname "Hit ‘em HARDER," was led by a commander known for his 'particularly audacious attacks' on Japanese warships
Bette Nash, Longest-Serving Flight Attendant in the World, Dies at 88
Nash became a flight attendant in 1957 and never stopped working
A Century Ago, This Law Underscored the Promises and Pitfalls of Native American Citizenship
The 1924 Indian Citizenship Act sought to assimilate Native people into white society. But the legislation, signed by President Calvin Coolidge, fell short
How the Murder of a Black Grocery Store Owner and His Colleagues Galvanized Ida B. Wells' Anti-Lynching Crusade
The saga of People's Grocery stands as a powerful reminder of the centrality of Black radicalism to the food justice movement
What America's First Board Game Tells Us About the Aspirations of a Young Nation
Released in 1822, the Travelers’ Tour Through the United States took players on a cross-country adventure
Why Leopold and Loeb Committed Cold-Blooded Murder in the 'Crime of the Century'
A century ago, two Chicago teenagers killed an acquaintance named Bobby Franks for the thrill of it. The case captivated the nation and continues to fascinate the public today
This Map Lets You See How School Segregation Has Changed in Your Hometown
The new interactive tool accompanies a study of school enrollment data, which shows that segregation has worsened in recent decades
What the Broadway Musical 'Suffs' Gets Right (and Wrong) About the History of Women's Suffrage
The new show serves as an entertaining history lesson, but even that has its creative limits
Five Movies You Didn't Know Were Filmed in Utah
State officials are staging a year-long exhibition to celebrate 100 years of filmmaking in the state
Mail Carrier Drives for Five Hours to Hand Deliver Lost World War II-Era Letters
When Alvin Gauthier found several letters written by a veteran in the 1940s, he went on a mission to return them
This Ship Mysteriously Vanished 115 Years Ago. Now, It's Been Found at the Bottom of Lake Superior
Nobody knew what happened to the "Adella Shores," which disappeared with 14 crew members aboard in 1909
Why the Wartime Rescue of the Survivors of a British Shipwreck Ended in Betrayal
In 1813, an American sealing vessel, the "Nanina," promised to save the crew and passengers of the "Isabella," even though it was an enemy ship. Here’s how the British brig got stranded in the first place
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