American History

This infamous gun battle in Tombstone, Arizona lasted just 30 seconds. But its legend, and America's obsession, has endured for more than a decade.

By John Donovan

The African American servicemen known as "Buffalo Soldiers" are the subjects of both history and legend, but what is truth and what is lore?

By John Donovan

Hundreds of thousands of emigrants traveled the 2,170-mile Oregon Trail in search of a better life. And thousands of them were injured - and even died - on the journey along the way.

By Mark Mancini

Devil's Den was the site of the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War. Not surprisingly, it's rumored to be haunted with the ghosts of many dead soldiers.

By Dave Roos

There are 50 states in the U.S., but there have been many proposals over the years to add more.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

The Great Depression may seem like ancient history, but many of the factors that contributed to it still pose economic risks today.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The saying is really true. Texas is big. And so is everything in it.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Frederick Douglass' pivotal 19th century abolitionist newspaper has been relaunched for a 21st century audience.

By Carrie Tatro

Before the 1964 Civil Rights Act and even after it, the tradition of the "great American road trip" was very different for families of color.

By Dave Roos

Yep - there is a hidden space behind those famous presidential faces.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The last vestiges of America's early transcontinental airmail beacon system still exist as giant arrows across the landscape.

By Carrie Tatro

The roughly 2,000-mile boundary between the countries has been around only since the mid-1800s. But today it's a political line in the sand - literally and figuratively.

By John Donovan

Penn Center, located on sleepy St. Helena Island in South Carolina, may be the most important African-American historical landmark you probably don't know about.

By Carrie Tatro

Does February have special historical significance in African-American history?

By Carrie Tatro

William McKinley was a popular and very successful president who also was assassinated. Why isn't the 25th president better known?

By Patrick J. Kiger

It made geographical sense for Russia to sell its territory of Alaska to Canada, but it opted to sell it to the U.S. instead. Why was that?

By Mark Mancini

During America's War for Independence, the British promised enslaved Africans their freedom if they'd join their side. Thousands signed up. What happened next?

By Dave Roos

Has a nuclear bomb ever been dropped on the United States? Well, it happened back in the 1950s. But... it was an accident.

By Laurie L. Dove

Treasure hunter Tommy Thompson claims he can't remember where he put 3 tons of gold from the shipwreck of the S.S. Central America. The courts don't believe him.

By Jesslyn Shields

A Wild West governor once wore a pair of shoes made of the skin of an executed felon named Big Nose George. The gruesome but true story is predictably involved.

By Jesslyn Shields

Ethnic brand identities and mascots affect people with different political leanings in surprising ways, at times increasing associations with Native American stereotypes.

By Christopher Hassiotis

In 1985, the Hanshin Tigers won the Japanese World Series. In the ensuing celebration, though, a statue of Colonel Sanders was drowned, and the team hasn't won since.

By Bryan Young

Rainbow parties in the 1960s may sound like good fun, but the frivolity actually centered around an H-bomb radiating the Earth's atmosphere.

By Laurie L. Dove

We think the Wild West was a big shoot-'em-up, but statistically speaking, people of the wild frontier were more likely to encounter a handshake than a bullet.

By Laurie L. Dove

Folk hero Johnny Appleseed planted apple trees across the United States during the mid-1800s. Can you actually take a bite out of history and pick an apple from one of those trees today?

By Laurie L. Dove