American History

How Rum Helped the U.S. Win Its Independence

Rum may was a key player in America's revolutionary days

Prototype of the original Jogbra

The First Jogbra Was Made by Sewing Together Two Men's Athletic Supporters

An archive collected from the sports company reveals that the bra gave a boost to women's athletics

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The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

A look back at the fateful night 150 years ago that changed American history forever

How will you celebrate National Beer Day?

Where to Go to Visit the Oldest Breweries in America

To commemorate National Beer Day, throw back a cold one for history

Jackie Robinson, is shown in post-swing position in front of the stands

The Year of Jackie Robinson's Mutual Love Affair With Montreal

Before he became a major leaguer, Robinson spent a formative year in the more hospitable environs of Canada

The Brief History of “Americanitis”

More than a century ago, the experts thought that Americans worked too hard, putting their collective health at risk

The Underappreciated and Forgotten Sites of the Civil War

To commemorate the end of the war 150 years ago, here are fascinating locales that remind us of the conflict's sprawling impact

Houston's futuristic Astrodome is home of the first skybox and an animated scoreboard,150 yards wide.

Remembering the Astrodome, the Eighth Wonder of the World

Fifty years after its grand opening, the spectre of the Houston stadium still looms large

The First Green Beer Was Made With Laundry Whitener

Before food coloring, St. Patrick’s Day’s most festive brew got its hue from a different kind of dye

Hiram Rhodes Revels

The First African American Senator Was Sworn in 145 Years Ago Today

Hiram R. Revels made history when, amid the tensions of Reconstruction, he became a senator from Mississippi

Animal furs on display at Grand Portage National Monument

The 18th Century Fur Trade Polluted Lake Superior's Shore With Mercury That's Never Gone Away

The area’s elevated mercury levels aren’t healthy for fish, birds or humans

Jackie Kennedy Onassis, New York Harbor in 1976

For the Kennedys' Virginia Home, Jackie Had Ideas About Every Detail, Down to the Guest Room Ashtrays

She drew inspiration from French magazines and colors from Colonial America

New York saw 4,500 annual cases by 1907. Mallon was linked to 47, and 3 deaths.

The Frightening Legacy of Typhoid Mary

With concerns about infectious disease in the news, a look back at history's most famous carrier

Xerox founder Joe Wilson with the 914, which could make copies up to 9 by 14 inches.

How the Photocopier Changed the Way We Worked—and Played

Decades before 3-D printers brought manufacturing closer to home, copiers transformed offices, politics and art

The Spiritualist Who Warned Lincoln Was Also Booth's Drinking Buddy

What did Charles Colchester know and when did he know it?

“The Booths had an inherited strain of darkness in them,” an acquaintance of Asia’s wrote in the foreword to her memoir.

The Closest Source We Have to Really Knowing John Wilkes Booth Is His Sister

In a post-assassination memoir, Asia Booth Clarke recalled her brother's passion, his patriotism and his last words to her

The weapon that shot Abraham Lincoln

The Blood Relics From the Lincoln Assassination

Even now, 150 years later, objects from the murder of the president provide a powerful link to the event

Adulation for Lincoln (a Philadelphia lithographer’s viewpoint, 1865) did not become widespread until years after he was killed.

What the Newspapers Said When Lincoln Was Killed

The initial reaction to the president's death was a wild mixture of grief, exultation, vengefulness and fear

Aerial view of flooded area. Oregon Historical Society, Neg. 67585.

How Oregon's Second Largest City Vanished in a Day

A 1948 flood washed away the WWII housing project Vanport—but its history still informs Portland's diversity

Benjamin Franklin reading letters, which may or may not have been written by his female friends.

The Founding Fathers and the Women, Not Their Wives, Whom They Wrote To

These words today would raise suspicion if written between married men and their female friends

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