Count Him Out: When Lincoln Jumped Out of a Second-Story Window to Dodge a Quorum
Americans have been gaming quorums — the minimum number of qualified people who must be at a meeting in order to conduct business — since day one
Planophores and Flying Clowns: The Toys That Made Orville Wright a Household Name
Orville Wright never lost his capacity for finding inspiration in playthings
The Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Decision So Profound That One Justice Had a Nervous Breakdown
How a court case on rebalancing state-level representation of residents of cities and suburbs tested the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court like no other
How Anti-Asian Hate Became Rooted in America’s Immigration Laws
Xenophobic attitudes shaped U.S. immigration policy, complicating the lives of many Asian Americans who went from being invisible to being dehumanized
How Toy Planes Inspired the Wright Brothers
Aviation pioneer Orville Wright never lost his capacity for finding inspiration in aerial playthings
Rock ’n Roll ’n Race: A Fresh Look at the Keystone of the Elvis Presley Legend
A contrarian look at the influences underpinning the famed rock star from Tupelo, Mississippi.
Notes from the Underground Railroad: How Slaves Found Freedom
Black slaves recall their perilous journey to freedom using a network of hidden trails and safehouses laid out by freedmen and white abolitionists
How A New York Socialite Helped Defend Native American Culture
With a little help from presidential pal Theodore Roosevelt, Natalie Curtis helped defend Native American culture against the federal juggernaut
How Pioneering Entrepreneurs Helped 19th-Century America Keep Cool
Until the 19th century, ice fit for human consumption was scarce, hacked and sawn by hand, and available only locally in limited, highly prized quantities
Elizabeth Freeman: The Enslaved Woman who Sued for Freedom in 1780—and Won
Using language in Massachusetts' state constitution, Freeman, known as 'Mum Bett,' successfully challenged her enslavement in court
How 1930s American Gang Violence Paved the Way for Gun Control
In the 1930s trigger-happy gangsters prompted America to impose controls on firearms
How Police Caught Infamous Gangster ‘Baby Face’ Nelson
A pistol and information from a shady gunsmith helped police locate the notorious criminal who killed a federal agent the evening of April 22, 1934
Ancient Cave Art Panoramas found in Pecos, Texas
Ancient rock art recently discovered in Pecos, Texas, matches similar findings further south in Mexico, establishing a regional continuity of culture in myths and traditions
Who’s an American? Another Look at the Immigration Debate
Author Jia Lynn Yang reexamines the immigration debate and how it still centers on 'Americanness' and ethnicity
The Complicated Legacy of Matthew Maury, the ‘Scientist of the Seas’
Scientist Matthew Maury modernized navigation techniques but his racist politics have made him a pariah
