The imprint of Greek and Roman mythology is all around us, from the names of our shoes (Nike, the goddess of victory) to the names of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, etc). And maybe a certain recent movie series has made you familiar with a little Norse mythology, like Thor and Loki, too. Now a new show is introducing Western audiences to Chinese mythology. Find out how costume designers approached dressing ancient Chinese gods for a modern American audience.
Shakespeare, an iconic figure in English history, is celebrated and beloved by another significant English figure, King Charles. Read about how and why King Charles celebrates the 400-year anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
Wilma Rudolph was a remarkable American athlete who overcame massive illness as a young child. Her achievements at the 1960 Olympics were impressive and inspirational.
See pages from Anne Frank’s diary with explanatory notes in this excerpt from the book 100 Documents That Changed the World.
D’Aulnoy helped create the fairytale genre we know and enjoy today. Skim the article to find out some interesting facts about her life and work.
Women in the United States have always been active participants in war efforts, dating all the way back to the American Revolution.
Words like “myth” and “legend” often make you think of stories from thousands of years ago, but new legends are always being created. America is no exception, with a number of popular myths spreading during the 1800s as the country expanded westward. This article provides a high-level summary of nine of the most well-known American frontier legends–some entirely fictional, but some based on exaggerations around real people and events.
Key dates and events are highlighted in this brief, informative overview of the American Civil War.
Many of Shakespeare’s works might be lost to us forever had they not been preserved in a collection of published manuscripts known as the First Folio.
Read about how 1776, a musical about the founding fathers, takes on a modern and thought-provoking twist through its most diverse cast to date.
Celia Cruz, a Cuban American Salsa legend, continues to make her mark on American History.
In 1951, 16-year-old Barbara Johns found herself in the middle of the fight to end segregation in American schools, an effort she compared to “reaching for the moon.”
Many people know Edgar Allen Poe for his short stories, but did you know he was a poet, as well? Many of his poems play with the same themes as his stories, including one he dedicated to an unknown person and that scholars believe was written about a real-life haunted lake…
Harriet Tubman has long been a legend in the fight to abolish slavery in the United States. Recently, scholars have begun to take a closer look at what we think we know about the woman behind the legend.
In this biography, learn how Jack London’s adventurous life inspired his novels and stories.
Learn about how the grievances of King George III were used to justify the American Revolution and win French support throughout the war.
Poe’s death is an unsolved mystery. This article present nine theories for the demise of this famous American writer.
Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, served as an unofficial advisor to the second president of the United States. She also fought for the right of married women to own personal property.
This lecture by Professor Daniel Czitrom from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts gives an overview of Jacob Riis. Watch the clips at the following marks for a look at some of Riis’s work and to get a sense of his purpose and relevance today: 20:38–25:10, 36:35–38:40, 45:02–47:35, and 50:56–52:16.
Gregg Hecimovich, a professor of English in South Carolina, may have successfully identified the woman who wrote The Bondwoman’s Narrative. The novel is thought to be the first written by an African-American woman. Until now, no one knew the author’s true identity.
