American History

The history behind America's five-cent coin

A Brief History of the Nickel

In honor of the coin’s 150th anniversary, read up on how the nickel came to be minted

Print of Harriet Tubman

The Priceless Impact Harriet Tubman Will Have as the Face of the $20 Bill

Curator Nancy Bercaw from the African American History Museum discusses the freedom fighter's ongoing legacy

It's Official: Harriet Tubman Will Grace the $20 Bill

The famed Underground Railroad Conductor will appear on the front of the $20 bill, among other changes to U.S. currency

Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles and Everett Sloane in the offices of Kane’s Inquirer.

Who Really Wrote "Citizen Kane"?

Two new books offer divergent theories on the authorship of the much-heralded film

In 1781, Arnold ordered British troops to burn New London, Connecticut.

Why Benedict Arnold Turned Traitor Against the American Revolution

The story behind the most famous betrayal in U.S. history shows the complicated politics of the nation's earliest days

Illustration of the New York slave market.

The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 Was a Bloody Prelude to Decades of Hardship

304 years ago today, a group of black slaves rose up against white colonists in New York

After 36 Years, Archivists Finally Found the Wright Brothers’ Airplane Patent

The missing patent was found safe and sound in a Kansas storage facility

Archaeologists digging at Point Rosee.

Archaeologists Spy New Viking Settlement From Space

Space archaeologists think they may have found a second Viking colony in the Americas

Jackson was the first candidate who successfully ran an anti-establishment presidential campaign

Andrew Jackson, America’s Original Anti-Establishment Candidate

The seventh president raged against many of the same machines that are now engulfing this year’s election

A bison takes a stroll down the road in Elk Island National Park, Alberta

Genetically Pure Bison Will Return to Montana After 100 Years in Exile

Next week, the Blackfeet Tribe will receive 89 buffalo calves that descended from Montana stock in a Canadian National Park

Newspapers chronicled gun incidents, referring to them as "melancholy accidents"

When Newspapers Reported on Gun Deaths as "Melancholy Accidents"

A historian explains how a curious phrase used by the American press caught his eye and became the inspiration for his new book

Digital Skin by Mateo Mounier

See Dozens of Dazzling New Light Installations in Baltimore This Week

Light City Baltimore is a massive, site-specific festival, launched in hopes of becoming an annual spectacle

The ranch where the Montana Freemen had an armed standoff with the FBI.

Twenty Years Ago Today, the Montana Freemen Started Its 81-Day Standoff

The impasse informed the federal government’s reaction to the recents standoffs

Local actors Judy Barth, Ruth Ochsenrider and Jim Barth peer over photos of original Scopes Trial jurors during the annual Scopes Trial Festival in Dayton, Tennessee.

How Much Has the Town Where the Scopes Trial Took Place Evolved Since the 1920s?

Each July, Dayton, Tennessee, celebrates its role in the famous court case with a re-enactment and festival

Jeremy Scott (United States, born 1975) for Adidas, Boots, Spring/Summer 2013.

Take A Trip Through 300 Years of Men's Fashion

At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a new exhibition highlights 200 styles, from military uniforms to punk jackets

Here's Why Some of Yosemite’s Iconic Landmarks Are Being Temporarily Renamed

The U.S. government is battling a private company for the rights to historic names

MAD Magazine’s Iconic Alfred E. Neuman Turns 60 This Year

The impish mascot has had a long, colorful life

Measuring human skulls in physical anthropology

When Museums Rushed to Fill Their Rooms With Bones

In part fed by discredited and racist theories about race, scientists and amateurs alike looked to human remains to learn more about themselves

A mugshot of "Count" Lustig

The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice.

“Count” Victor Lustig was America’s greatest con man. But what was his true identity?

Harriet Tubman's Hymnal

What Makes the Underground Railroad Such a Rich Opportunity for Storytelling

On television and in the new Smithsonian museum, the path to freedom comes alive

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