American History
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
How Golden Peacocks on a Dining Room Wall Destroyed a Longstanding Friendship in Victorian Society
Paintings, sketches and correspondence shed light on the drama surrounding the famed “Peacock Room”
The Real Story Behind the Baltimore Deaths That Inspired 'Lady in the Lake'
A new mini-series offers a fictionalized take on two unrelated 1969 cases: the mysterious disappearance of bartender Shirley Lee Parker and the murder of 11-year-old Esther Lebowitz
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
See Inside Denver's 143-Year-Old Train Station
The transit hub, which just got an $11 million makeover, is deeply connected to the city's history
How One Man Discovered the Obscure Origins of the Word 'OK'
From Civil War biscuits to a Haitian port town, theories about the word's beginnings abounded
Explore James Baldwin Alongside His Friends, His Contemporaries and the Queer Artists Inspired by His Writing
A new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery honors the iconic writer while also celebrating the communities that influenced him
When a Debate Flop Raised Concerns About Ronald Reagan's Fitness to Run for Re-Election
During the 1984 campaign, the 73-year-old president meandered his way through his first face-off against Walter Mondale, prompting questions about his mental acuity
Why Descendants Are Returning to the Plantations Where Their Ancestors Were Enslaved
Some Black Americans are reclaiming antebellum estates as part of their family legacy, reflecting the power and possibility of these historic sites
Archaeologists May Have Found Home Built by One of New England’s First Black Property Owners
Pompey Mansfield was an enslaved man who won his freedom, purchased land, constructed a house and became a prominent community leader
How the Rise of the Camera Launched a Fight to Protect Gilded Age Americans' Privacy
Early photographers sold their snapshots to advertisers, who reused the individuals' likenesses without their permission
Theodore Roosevelt's Long-Lost Pocket Watch Surfaces at a Florida Auction House
Thieves stole the timepiece, a gift from the president's sister, from an unlocked display case in 1987
Why Ernest Hemingway's Younger Brother Established a Floating Republic in the Caribbean
On July 4, 1964, Leicester Hemingway founded New Atlantis, a raft-turned-micronation intended to support marine life in the region
The Real Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner, the Flag That Inspired the National Anthem
How the flag that flew proudly over Fort McHenry in September 1814 made its way to the Smithsonian
What the Change of a Disney Park Ride Reflects About How America Sees Itself
Splash Mountain, originally based on the film ‘Song of the South,’ has become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
The Forgotten Black Explorers Who Transformed Americans' Understanding of the Wilderness
Esteban, York and James Beckwourth charted the American frontier between the 16th and 19th centuries
How the 1904 Marathon Became One of the Weirdest Olympic Events of All Time
Athletes drank poison, dodged traffic, stole peaches and even hitchhiked during the 24.85-mile race in St. Louis
A Jewish Soldier Found in a German Mass Grave Has Been Reburied in an American Cemetery
Nathan Baskind received a Jewish burial exactly 80 years after his death in World War II
What a 100-Year-Old Lie Detector and 150-Year-Old Arsenic Tests Tell Us About Forensic Science Today
An exhibition at the National Museum of American History examines how humans influence and judge investigation techniques
'The Crime of the Century,' a Century Later
In the summer of 1924, the Leopold and Loeb murder case triggered a media frenzy and a debate over whether anyone can truly know what’s inside the mind of a cold-blooded killer
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