How Technology Shaped the Civil War
Source: Scientific American
Besides weapon technology, other innovations, such as newspapers and prosthetics, flourished in the Civil War era.
History
Emancipation Proclamation
Source: National Archives
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
Source: A Short History of the Theatre
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
Source: Texas Monthly
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
Source: New York Public Library
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
Source: History
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
Source: History
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
Source: Irish Times
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
Source: NPR
Author Anthony Doerr discusses his new award-winning book, All the Light We Cannot See.
The Long History of Olympic Boycotts, Protests and Demonstrations
Source: Topend Sports Network
Throughout history, nations have boycotted and people have protested the Olympic Games for various political and social reasons.