American Civil War

Lincoln’s Magician

In 1864 Harry Cooke performed for the president. Soon he was spying for the Union army

Civil War Figures

Your Help Wanted: Join the Effort to Transcribe African American Civil War Soldier Records

University of Chicago sociologist John Clegg is using the Union Army records of African-American men like Abram Garvin to learn about self-emancipation.

Civil War Figures

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Johnson Goes Off the Rails

Disastrous midterm campaign tour was a shortcut to impeachment

Wild West

Crime Doesn’t Pay: A Group of Bandits Receive the Law’s Justice

Murdering bandits robbed a mule train in Arizona Territory and were caught. Town folk soon strung them up from the old sycamore

Entertainment & Culture

Audiobook Review| The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

Maxwell King affectionately relays how Fred Rogers’ mix of creativity, child psychology, and empathy made him America’s most influential neighbor.

Americas

Audiobook Review| Betty Ford: First Lady, Women’s Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer

Lisa McCubbin examines the life that poised Betty Ford for roles she didn’t seek, and chronicles how the first lady used wit, grace, and resilience inspired a generation.

WWII Figures

Dick Cole, 103, Last of the Doolittle Raiders

Cole was co-pilot to famed USAAF Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle in the lead plane of 16 B-25B bombers that boldly raided targets in Japan on April 18, 1942

WWII Figures

Conversation with Dick Cole, the Last of the Doolittle Raiders

A conversation with Dick Cole who copiloted the lead B-25 with Doolittle in the famous 1942 raid...

Civil War Figures

The War In Their Words: I Am The Colonel’s Orderly

A soldier’s diary preserves the only known text of an Emory Upton speech

Civil War Figures

Pint-Sized Heroes

Young Civil War drummers weren’t there just for show. They played a vital role for both armies.

Entertainment & Culture

Audiobook Review| The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur

When an assassin made him the 21st president, Arthur shockingly eschewed machine politics, instead embodying the best aspects of America’s highest office.