Besides weapon technology, other innovations, such as newspapers and prosthetics, flourished in the Civil War era.
Tag Archives: History
Emancipation Proclamation
For many Americans during the Civil War, freedom began with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. View and explore the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives.
Elizabethan Playhouses, Actors, and Audiences
The subject matter of Shakespeare’s plays ranges from the violent to the sublime, and that’s no accident. This article explores the reasons behind this seeming contradiction.
Running for His Life
The 1990s genocide in Rwanda and Burundi turned classmates into adversaries overnight. Learn about how one teen escaped the carnage and made a new life for himself in the United States.
Why Your Family Name Was Not Changed at Ellis Island
One of America’s strengths is the way its people have come together from all over the world, many of them through Ellis Island. But the persistent myth that immigrant’s names were “Americanized” by officials at Ellis Island is false.
Odysseus’ Ship
In 1988, an ancient ship was found in the sea near the coast of southern Sicily. Learn how scientists and scholars decided that this old vessel could possibly be of the same time period as one of Odysseus’ ships.
Flight 93
On September 11, 2001, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 decided to fight their plane’s hijackers rather than let them keep control of the plane. Read about how their decision changed what might have happened.
Mystery of Anne Frank’s informer revealed by Dutch author
A newly published book adds another suspect to the list of people who might have betrayed the Frank family.
World War II in a New ‘Light’: Empathy Found in Surprising Places
Author Anthony Doerr discusses his new award-winning book, All the Light We Cannot See.
The Long History of Olympic Boycotts, Protests and Demonstrations
Throughout history, nations have boycotted and people have protested the Olympic Games for various political and social reasons.
World War II: The Fall of Nazi Germany
Explore World War II through 45 photographs taken during the last few months of the war in Europe.
Building the First Slavery Museum in America
In December 2014, a museum dedicated to the story of slavery in the United States opened on the grounds of the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana.
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson arranged to buy the Port of New Orleans and over 800,000 million square miles of land from France, which doubled the size of the country.
Finishing the Dream
Great civil rights advances have been achieved in the United States, but there is still much to be done for the full equality of all. Explore this NBC site to learn about how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.
Ferdinand Magellan
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is credited with the first journey around the world. Learn about how he—and his crew after his death midway through the journey—achieved this incredible feat.
How the Vikings Worked
Many people have heard of the Viking god Thor and his mighty hammer. But the Vikings worshiped many gods and goddesses, just like the ancient Greeks. Read about their gods, evil giants, Valhalla, and more of their mythology as told in their sagas.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is well known for her decision not to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated bus during a time when a racist law forced African Americans to do this. Learn more about the life and efforts of this unassuming hero.
Richmond will fall again for 150th anniversary
Read about a four-day commemoration in Richmond, V.A. which will mark the 150th anniversary of the fall of the Confederacy’s capital on April 3, 1865.
Gordon Parks exhibit offers intimate glimpse into segregation-era life for African Americans
In 1950, just before the Civil Rights movement, Gordon Parks took a series of photographs of Fort Scott, Kansas, his hometown, for Life magazine. Now on display in an exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, art lecturer Toni Pepe Den reviews the images.
Congress Passes 13th Amendment, 150 Years Ago
Read about the journey of the passage of the 13th Amendment, which ensured that slavery would not exist in the United States.