Environmental Justice History
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
Read about the start of the environmental justice movement, when activists protested the location of hazardous waste sites in low-income and minority communities.
History
Jefferson Davis Statue Comes Down at University of Texas
Source: NPR
Jefferson Davis never asked for a pardon for leading the government of the Confederacy in its rebellion against the United States. Statues of the Confederate president have become increasingly controversial in recent years, including one that was removed from the campus of the University of Texas in 2015.
Cyclops Myth Spurred by “One-Eyed” Fossils?
Source: National Geographic
Greek mythology is filled with impossible events and bizarre creatures, but where did the idea of a one-eyed giant come from? Archaeologists have a theory.
Christmas Truce of 1914
Source: HISTORY
World War I is remembered as the first modern war, a devastating conflict that forced people to abandon sentimentality. But early in that conflict, an amazing thing happened: soldiers on opposing sides of battlefields across Europe spontaneously set down their weapons to celebrate Christmas together.
James Madison
Source: History
James Madison played many important roles in the founding of the nation. Explore this site to learn more about his contributions.
Jacob Riis: Shedding Light On NYC’s ‘Other Half’
Source: National Public Radio
This segment discusses the work Jacob Riis did, the tactics he used to communicate his message, and the books others have written about him. View the images Riis took and choose a book excerpt to read.
A Cutting-Edge Second Look at the Battle of Gettysburg
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
Using modern-day technologies, a team of historians and mapmakers put together a new, interactive view of the Battle of Gettysburg. Explore the maps to get a better idea of what happened.
How to Talk About America’s Newest Arrivals
Source: The New York Times
In this article, Damon Darlin uses the New York Times’ word usage tool to measure the language used about immigrants during different times in history. Look at the charts to see the United States’ immigration rates and the terms used to describe the people who came to the country.
Arab spring: an interactive timeline of Middle East protests
Source: The Guardian
Sparked by the self-immolation death of a Tunisian fruit vendor, the Arab Spring protests swept across North Africa and the Middle East beginning in early 2011. Explore this interactive timeline for a wealth of information about the protests and what they achieved.
Eureka!
Source: Smithsonian
“One sometimes finds what one is not looking for,” said Alexander Fleming, whose chance observation of a contaminated experiment led to the the world’s first antibiotic. This Smithsonian article discusses inventions and discoveries that centered on a flash of insight in a mind prepared to see what it wasn’t looking for.