U.S. History

When the moment came to ring the Freedom Bell alongside President Obama and the First Lady, Ruth Bonner was overjoyed.

Ruth Odom Bonner, Who Rang the Freedom Bell With President Obama, Passes Away at 100

Looking back on the redoubtable woman who helped inaugurate the African American History Museum

The first Labor Day was hardly a national holiday. Workers had to strike to celebrate it.

Striking Union Workers Turned the First Labor Day Into a Networking Event

The end-of-summer holiday was designed to spur overworked Americans to meet up, picnic and call for fairer labor laws

Eleanor Roosevelt's Surprising Connection to a Dire Town

When first lady Eleanor Roosevelt first visited the mining town of Scotts Run, she was stunned by the poverty she encountered

What is it about cheap eats, long hours, counters, and booths that so consistently captures the American imagination?

The Mystique of the American Diner, From Jack Kerouac to “Twin Peaks”

Freedom, fear and friendliness mingle in these emblematic eateries

A convict hangs on to a bucking bronco c. 1940

Desegregation Came Early at the Texas Prison Rodeo

Before Brown vs. Board of Education, the “convict cowboys” of the Texas prison system showed off their bucking bronco skills

This Man Is the Father of Modern American Suburbia

By 1951, two thirds of Americans lived in urban areas. Enter William Levitt, who would utilize construction techniques he learned to build affordable homes

The Whiskey Rebellion

History of Now

The First Presidential Pardon Pitted Alexander Hamilton Against George Washington

How to handle the Whiskey Rebellion was the first major crisis faced by the new government

Neil Armstrong's lunar spacesuit had a life expectancy of about six months. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum wants to exhibit it for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonwalk.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

A Moonwalk Did Not Destroy Neil Armstrong's Spacesuit. Now Time Won't Either

Conservators are bringing new innovations to save the 80-pound suit that allowed the first astronaut on the moon to take that giant leap

A witness tree on Stuart's Hill loop trail in Manassas National Battlefield Park

American South

These Five "Witness Trees" Were Present At Key Moments In America's History

These still-standing trees are a living testament to our country's tragic past

How 9/11 Altered Laura Bush's Role as First Lady

Six days after 9/11, first lady Laura Bush spoke at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the memorial for the victims of Flight 93

Tuskegee Airmen and P-47

Why African-American Soldiers Saw World War II as a Two-Front Battle

Drawing the connection between fascism abroad and hate at home, pre-Civil Rights activists declared the necessity of “double victory”

A painting of Franklin’s return to Philadelphia from Europe in 1785 shows him flanked by his son-in-law (in red), his daughter and Benjamin Bache (in blue), the grandson he’d taken to France as a sort of surrogate son.

Secrets of American History

What Led Benjamin Franklin to Live Estranged From His Wife for Nearly Two Decades?

A stunning new theory suggests that a debate over the failed treatment of their son's smallpox was the culprit

Political activists Abbie Hoffman, left, and Jerry Rubin set five-dollar bills on fire at the Financial Center in New York on August 24, 1967.

How the New York Stock Exchange Gave Abbie Hoffman His Start in Guerrilla Theater

Fifty years ago, the anarchist protester sent traders sprawling for dollar bills—and became a media sensation

Why Hillary Clinton Delivered Her Risky 1995 Beijing Speech

In 1995, Hillary Clinton was scheduled to deliver a speech at the United Nation's Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing

The H.L. Hunley, a confederate Civil War era submarine, sits in its water tank at the Hunley Lab in North Charleston, SC.

One Scientist May Have Finally Figured Out the Mystery of Why a Civil War Submarine Sank

A Navy engineer used creative modeling and her knowledge of underwater explosions to tackle the century-old Hunley conundrum

A view of the Nevis volcano on the island of Nevis where Alexander Hamilton was born.

Walk in the Footsteps of Alexander Hamilton on This Tiny Caribbean Island

The island of Nevis was no paradise for young Hamilton

Unionville today: The photographer used a process called intaglio printing to give her pictures an antique appearance.

Secrets of American History

After the Civil War, African-American Veterans Created a Home of Their Own: Unionville

One-hundred-fifty years later, the Maryland town remains a bastion of resilience and a front line in the battle over Confederate monuments

Chick Parsons (center and top) was the toast of prewar Manila, a convivial, polo-playing expat businessman with an eagle tattooed across his chest.

Secrets of American History

Without Chick Parsons, General MacArthur May Never Have Made His Famed Return to the Philippines

The full story of the American ex-pat's daring feats has not been told—until now

The Homefront During the Vietnam War, As Told By One Captivating Photo

In an indelible picture taken 50 years ago, one family faces a loss in Vietnam

Carefree, reckless, flappers seemed to enjoy living on the edge, like these atop Chicago’s Sherman Hotel.

History of Now

Flappers Took the Country by Storm, But Did They Ever Truly Go Away

Women of the Roaring Twenties had a lot in common with today's millennials

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