The Death of Tailgunner Joe
The gentleman from Wisconsin engendered at least as much discourse in death as in life
Interview with Edward L. Ayers, Civil War Historian
Ayers argues that America should acknowledge the importance of emancipation with a national holiday.
The Conventional, and Unconventional, U.S. Constitution
Oddities from the 1787 conclave that created the United States of America we know
Morse’s Partner Argued He Invented Famous Code—to No A-Vail
Stephen Vail came up with dots and dashes, but Patent Office gave credit to Morse, the better known inventor
George Caleb Bingham: Missouri’s Painter of Populism
When his home state was a political borderland, artist's most famous works celebrated frontier democracy
Shocked America Demanded Change After Atlanta Hotel Blaze Killed 119
President Truman called for stricter safety codes after dozens leaped to their deaths from 'fireproof'' building
Final Fiasco – The Fall of Saigon
Newly declassified documents and fresh insight from Frank Snepp, the CIA's chief analyst in Vietnam during 1975, present a revealing new picture of the chaotic final days of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, before enemy forces captured Saigon on April 30
Online Exclusive: How Collectivism Nearly Sunk Early Colonies
Only when settlers instituted private property rights did the New World thrive
A Virginia Slave Schooled in Scotland Made a Bravehearted Bid for His Freedom
Jamie Montgomery failed, but his case set a precedent that ended chattel bondage in Scotland 12 years later
Harry Houdini Could Escape Anything—But What About a Lockdown?
While pondering the pandemic, read about the greatest getaway artist ever
1937 Labor Board Case Upheld Workers’ Right to Organize
The court expanded the Gibbons standard to include labor relations and other activities with even an indirect effect on interstate commerce.
Looking for Pandemic Leadership? George Washington Is the Best Example
The first president's cool head and respect for science helped a young America survive smallpox and yellow fever
Zephaniah Kingsley: Champion of Free Blacks
Roving merchant and slave trader approved of bondage system but saw freedmen as linchpin
The ‘Most Daring Train Robbery’ at Mound Valley
Kansas' ‘Billy the Kid’ Chadburn teamed up with two other fugitives to ‘turn a trick’ that would bring them cash—and likely more notoriety than they wanted
When Truth Spoke to Power
Freedom Rider Jerome Smith stood up to Robert Kennedy with shocking candor about violence against black Americans
