american history

Inside The Execution Of 14-Year-Old George Stinney Jr., The Youngest Person In U.S. History To Face Capital Punishment

George Stinney Jr. was just 14 years old when he was executed in South Carolina in 1944. It took 10 minutes to convict him — and 70 years to exonerate him.

By Jaclyn Anglis • Feb 28, 2023

Inside The Execution Of 14-Year-Old George Stinney Jr., The Youngest Person In U.S. History To Face Capital Punishment

George Stinney Jr. was just 14 years old when he was executed in South Carolina in 1944. It took 10 minutes to convict him — and 70 years to exonerate him.

By Jaclyn Anglis • February 28, 2023

The History Of Racist Carnival Games Like ‘African Dodger’ — Which Evolved Into The Dunk Tanks Still Used Today

From the 1880s through the 1950s, white carnival-goers would throw baseballs, eggs, and other objects at the heads of Black men in a game known as "African Dodger."

By Erin Kelly • Feb 27, 2023

The History Of Racist Carnival Games Like ‘African Dodger’ — Which Evolved Into The Dunk Tanks Still Used Today

From the 1880s through the 1950s, white carnival-goers would throw baseballs, eggs, and other objects at the heads of Black men in a game known as "African Dodger."

By Erin Kelly • February 27, 2023

Meet Ralph Lincoln, The 11th-Generation Lincoln With An Uncanny Resemblance To The 16th President

Ralph Lincoln is the fifth great-grandson of Abraham Lincoln's great uncle Mordecai — and bears a striking resemblance to the Great Emancipator.

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 27, 2023

Meet Ralph Lincoln, The 11th-Generation Lincoln With An Uncanny Resemblance To The 16th President

Ralph Lincoln is the fifth great-grandson of Abraham Lincoln's great uncle Mordecai — and bears a striking resemblance to the Great Emancipator.

By Kaleena Fraga • February 27, 2023

The Story Of Izola Ware Curry, The Woman Who Almost Assassinated Martin Luther King Jr.

A decade before MLK's assassination, a Black woman named Izola Ware Curry stabbed him with a letter opener at a Harlem book signing, nearly leaving him dead.

By Genevieve Carlton • Feb 24, 2023

The Story Of Izola Ware Curry, The Woman Who Almost Assassinated Martin Luther King Jr.

A decade before MLK's assassination, a Black woman named Izola Ware Curry stabbed him with a letter opener at a Harlem book signing, nearly leaving him dead.

By Genevieve Carlton • February 24, 2023

This Week In History News, Feb. 19 – 25

Ancient brain surgery patient discovered in Israel, Civil War artillery shell uncovered at Gettysburg, 500-year-old medicine found in South Africa.

By All That's Interesting • Feb 24, 2023

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This Week In History News, Feb. 19 – 25

Ancient brain surgery patient discovered in Israel, Civil War artillery shell uncovered at Gettysburg, 500-year-old medicine found in South Africa.

By All That's Interesting • February 24, 2023

The Story Of Sammy Younge Jr., The Black College Student And Activist Killed Over A Segregated Bathroom

The murder of Sammy Younge Jr. on January 3, 1966 by a white gas station attendant in Tuskegee ignited the college civil rights movement.

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 23, 2023

The Story Of Sammy Younge Jr., The Black College Student And Activist Killed Over A Segregated Bathroom

The murder of Sammy Younge Jr. on January 3, 1966 by a white gas station attendant in Tuskegee ignited the college civil rights movement.

By Kaleena Fraga • February 23, 2023

Archaeologists Just Stumbled Across An Unexploded Civil War Artillery Shell At Gettysburg

Though the shell was destroyed, historians suspect that it was fired by Confederate forces on July 2, 1863.

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 22, 2023

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Archaeologists Just Stumbled Across An Unexploded Civil War Artillery Shell At Gettysburg

Though the shell was destroyed, historians suspect that it was fired by Confederate forces on July 2, 1863.

By Kaleena Fraga • February 22, 2023

The Whiskey Salvaged From This 170-Year-Old Shipwreck In Lake Michigan Could Be Worth Millions

In 2020, a team of shipwreck divers explored the Westmoreland, a 19th-century ship that sunk in Lake Michigan in 1854 — and found whiskey and gold coins worth millions of dollars.

By Amber Morgan • Feb 21, 2023

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The Whiskey Salvaged From This 170-Year-Old Shipwreck In Lake Michigan Could Be Worth Millions

In 2020, a team of shipwreck divers explored the Westmoreland, a 19th-century ship that sunk in Lake Michigan in 1854 — and found whiskey and gold coins worth millions of dollars.

By Amber Morgan • February 21, 2023

The True Story Behind ‘Cocaine Bear,’ When A Black Bear Ate 70 Pounds Of Cocaine

In 1985, a drug smuggler hurled a duffel bag of cocaine out of a plane and into a Georgia forest, where it was found by a black bear who was aptly nicknamed "Pablo Escobear."

By Austin Harvey • Feb 19, 2023

The True Story Behind ‘Cocaine Bear,’ When A Black Bear Ate 70 Pounds Of Cocaine

In 1985, a drug smuggler hurled a duffel bag of cocaine out of a plane and into a Georgia forest, where it was found by a black bear who was aptly nicknamed "Pablo Escobear."

By Austin Harvey • February 19, 2023

The Heroic Story Of Carl Brashear, The First Black Master Diver In The U.S. Navy

The subject of the movie Men of Honor, Carl Brashear battled racism to become the U.S. Navy's first Black master diver — even after losing one of his legs.

By Genevieve Carlton • Feb 13, 2023

The Heroic Story Of Carl Brashear, The First Black Master Diver In The U.S. Navy

The subject of the movie Men of Honor, Carl Brashear battled racism to become the U.S. Navy's first Black master diver — even after losing one of his legs.

By Genevieve Carlton • February 13, 2023

The Heroic True Story Of Dick Winters And His Band Of Brothers In Easy Company

Major Richard "Dick" Winters led his men in the 101st Airborne Division through the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge before being immortalized in "Band of Brothers."

By Marco Margaritoff • Feb 12, 2023

The Heroic True Story Of Dick Winters And His Band Of Brothers In Easy Company

Major Richard "Dick" Winters led his men in the 101st Airborne Division through the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge before being immortalized in "Band of Brothers."

By Marco Margaritoff • February 12, 2023

The Tragic Story Of The USS Maine, The Navy Battleship That Mysteriously Exploded In 1898

The USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, killing 268 Navy crewmen and sparking the Spanish-American War — but to this day, nobody is sure exactly what happened.

By Austin Harvey • Feb 11, 2023

The Tragic Story Of The USS Maine, The Navy Battleship That Mysteriously Exploded In 1898

The USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, killing 268 Navy crewmen and sparking the Spanish-American War — but to this day, nobody is sure exactly what happened.

By Austin Harvey • February 11, 2023