Stories

By HISTORY

Twenty Fifth Amendment
Reagan Aides Once Raised the Possibility of Invoking the 25th Amendment
history.com - By Becky Little
The president was acting strangely. In the wake of a scandal about his illegal dealings with foreign powers, White House aides felt he was so …
University of Pennsylvania
What Killed King Tut?
history.com - By Eric Niiler
When British archaeologist Howard Carter opened a sarcophagus in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings for the first time on February 16, 1923, he stoked …
Civil Rights
How the History of Blackface Is Rooted in Racism
history.com - By Alexis Clark
The portrayal of blackface–when people darken their skin with shoe polish, greasepaint or burnt cork and paint on enlarged lips and other exaggerated …
World War II
See Photos of 19 U.S. Presidents Who Served in the Military—in Uniform
history.com - By Patrick J. Kiger
When the United States chose its first president in 1788, Americans turned to George Washington who, as an army general, had led them to victory over …
George H. W. Bush
George H.W. Bush’s Role in WWII Was Among the Most Dangerous
history.com - By Jesse Greenspan
With the wings of his plane on fire and smoke pouring into the cockpit, future President George H.W. Bush parachuted into the Pacific Ocean, where he …
A 14th-Century Nun Faked Her Own Death to Escape Convent Life
history.com - By Becky Little
In the early 14th century, a nun named Joan of Leeds faked her own death with a “dummy” and a bogus burial. Scholars in the United Kingdom recently …
Great Depression
How Economic Turmoil After WWI Led to the Great Depression
history.com - By Christopher Klein
Nearly two decades after leaving the White House, Herbert Hoover knew precisely where to place the blame for the economic calamity that befell his …
American Cancer Society
How Old Is Cancer? At Least as Old as the Start of the Dinosaurs, Fossil Shows
history.com - By Sarah Pruitt
A 240 million-year-old fossilized leg bone has yielded evidence of what might be one of the earliest known cases of cancer ever found. Scientists in …
Poker
How Nixon’s WWII Poker Game Helped Bankroll His First Run for Congress
history.com - By Patrick J. Kiger
As a U.S. Navy lieutenant in charge of distributing arms at Guadalcanal Air Base in the Solomon Islands and other posts during World War II, Richard …
Alexander Hamilton
For Centuries, Blackmail Was a Tool Used to Intimidate Gay Men
history.com - By Becky Little
There are a lot of exaggerations in the 2018 film The Favourite, but one part that’s true to life is that Sarah Churchill really did threaten to …
African-American News
40 Years A Slave: The Sensational Story of an African Prince Stolen from His Kingdom
history.com - By Abigail Higgins
After a shackled journey across the Atlantic, Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori was desperate to make the man about to purchase him, Thomas Foster, …
Military History
Did George Washington’s Bodyguard Plot to Kill Him in 1776?
history.com - By Sarah Pruitt
In late June 1776, as a massive British fleet prepared to invade New York, a complex drama played itself out at the headquarters of General George …
World War II
WWII Sweethearts ‘Sexted’ With Bawdy Acronyms
history.com - By Becky Little
Long before AOL Instant Messenger, Winston Churchill received a World War I letter that said “OMG” (LOL). And decades before Baby Boomers began …
War
The Shocking Photo of 'Whipped Peter' That Made Slavery's Brutality Impossible to Deny
history.com - By Erin Blakemore
By the time he made it to a Union encampment in Baton Rouge in March 1863, Peter had been through hell. Bloodhounds had chased him. He had been …
War
The Lawless Border With Canada Was Once America's Main Security Concern
history.com - By Christopher Klein
Near the westernmost point of the border between the United States and Canada, the Peace Arch straddles the world’s longest undefended international …
Public Health
Why It Took So Long to Eliminate Measles
history.com - By Tara Haelle
It took more than a decade for scientists to develop a single-shot vaccine that worked to fend off the measles without causing high fevers and rashes. …
Knights Templar
10 Reasons the Knights Templar Were History's Fiercest Fighters
history.com - By Livia Gershon
After Christian forces conquered Jerusalem in 1099, Europeans began making pilgrimages to the Holy Lands by the droves. On the way, they were often …
Native Hawaiians
How Measles Helped Destroy the Hawaiian Monarchy
history.com - By Erin Blakemore
London’s St. Martin-in-the-Fields church was home to the graves of plenty of English noblemen, but it had never seen a pair of graves quite like …
Royal Navy
The WWI 'Dazzle' Camouflage Strategy Was So Ridiculous It Was Genius
history.com - By Patrick J. Kiger
One of Germany’s most feared and effective weapons during World War I was its fleet of submarines—known as U-boats—that roamed the Atlantic, sneaking …
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth's Nuclear War Escape Plan Has Been Updated for Brexit Backlash
history.com - By Becky Little
God save the queen—from nuclear war? That’s right. After the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of annihilation, officials in …
George Washington
How a Slave-Turned-Spy Helped Secure Victory at the Battle of Yorktown
history.com - By Thad Morgan
In the autumn of 1781, the American colonial army fought in the Battle of Yorktown, the final and arguably most consequential battle for American …
James Madison
How the First 10 U.S. Presidents Helped Shape the Role of the Nation's Top Office
history.com - By Lindsey Konkel
On February 4, 1789, electors chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. Washington’s term, and those of the next 10 …
Humanity
Neanderthals Mated With Other Human Ancestors in Siberian Love Shack
history.com - By Becky Little
The human family tree is becoming messier than The Jerry Springer Show. We already know Homo sapiens and Neanderthals slept together. We also know both …
Smallpox
How an African Slave in Boston Helped Save Generations from Smallpox
history.com - By Erin Blakemore
The news was terrifying to colonists in Massachusetts: Smallpox had made it to Boston and was spreading rapidly. The first victims, passengers on a …
Military History
These Black Female Heroes Made Sure U.S. WWII Forces Got Their Mail
history.com - By Alexis Clark
An army unit known as the “Six Triple Eight” had a specific mission in World War II: to sort and clear a two-year backlog of mail for Americans …
Civil Rights
Why FDR Didn’t Support Eleanor Roosevelt’s Anti-Lynching Campaign
history.com - By Becky Little
In December 2018, the U.S. Senate passed a federal anti-lynching bill for the first time. The significant milestone is preceded by at least 240 …
Ice Age
How Colonization's Death Toll May Have Affected Earth's Climate
history.com - By Sarah Pruitt
As the 15th century drew to a close, some 60 million people lived across the Americas, sustaining themselves with the bounty of the vast lands they …
Mississippi River
There’s Cold—and Then There Was February 1899
history.com - By Christopher Klein
Snow weighed down the fronds of palm trees of Fort Myers, Florida, while an icy crust formed on the Mississippi River in New Orleans. Nearly three …
Egypt
See Stunning Photos of King Tut’s Tomb After a Major Restoration
history.com - By Sarah Pruitt
After almost a decade of painstaking work, conservators in Egypt have revealed the newly revamped tomb of Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut. In …