How Famed Instrument Maker Abraham Prescott Revolutionized the Bass
Bass maker Abraham Prescott became a legend making instruments that took music way down
Driven Out By Railroads, Steamboats Rolled Big Profits on the Colorado River
Facing being pushed out by booming railroad companies, steamboats banked on making the Colorado, a desert river, the Mississippi of the West
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
‘A View From Abroad’ Review: Abigail and John Adams Became Americans on Their Decade-Long Grand Tour
The first couple of New England gained greater insight Into their country by contrasting it to the old world
‘Forget the Alamo’ Review: The Story Texas Schoolkids Grow Up on Is Only a Invention
The tale of the heroes who held out in a Spanish mission and created the Texas Republic leaves out a critical detail: Slavery
‘How German Ingenuity Inspired America’ Review: The Old World’s Gifts to the New
America's largest immigrant population introduced Teutonic traditions that seem homegrown to us now
‘Rock Me on the Water’ Review: How California Came to Dominate American Culture
The Eagles took it too easy, Debbie lit up our lives and Bruce (the shark) scared us to death
Where Those Rockets Got Their Red Glare
America owes its national anthem to South Asians who perfected the short-range missile (and sold it to the British)
