american history

Giuseppe Zangara Tried To Shoot FDR — But Missed And Killed Another Powerful Politician Instead

Giuseppe Zangara was an unemployed bricklayer unwilling to wait for President-Elect FDR to take office to blame him for his problems.

By William DeLong • Jul 13, 2018

Giuseppe Zangara Tried To Shoot FDR — But Missed And Killed Another Powerful Politician Instead

Giuseppe Zangara was an unemployed bricklayer unwilling to wait for President-Elect FDR to take office to blame him for his problems.

By William DeLong • July 13, 2018

How Claire Phillips Used Her Gentleman’s Club As A Front For A World War II Spy Ring

Claire Phillips was a smalltown girl from Michigan who wound up running a spy ring for the United States in the Japan-occupied Philippines during World War II.

By Aimee Lamoureux • Jul 12, 2018

How Claire Phillips Used Her Gentleman’s Club As A Front For A World War II Spy Ring

Claire Phillips was a smalltown girl from Michigan who wound up running a spy ring for the United States in the Japan-occupied Philippines during World War II.

By Aimee Lamoureux • July 12, 2018

Why Some Wounded Civil War Soldiers Actually Glowed In The Dark – And Lived Because Of It

"Angel's Glow" was a phenomenon of the Civil War in which soldiers' wounds seemed to glow in the dark. It took 139 years to figure out why.

By Aimee Lamoureux • Jul 12, 2018

Why Some Wounded Civil War Soldiers Actually Glowed In The Dark – And Lived Because Of It

"Angel's Glow" was a phenomenon of the Civil War in which soldiers' wounds seemed to glow in the dark. It took 139 years to figure out why.

By Aimee Lamoureux • July 12, 2018

How Mob Hitman Johnny Martorano Admitted To Killing At Least 20 People — And Then Walked Free

The government not only let Johnny Martorano off the hook, they also gave him $20,000 to start a new life after he testified against Whitey Bulger.

By William DeLong • Jul 11, 2018

How Mob Hitman Johnny Martorano Admitted To Killing At Least 20 People — And Then Walked Free

The government not only let Johnny Martorano off the hook, they also gave him $20,000 to start a new life after he testified against Whitey Bulger.

By William DeLong • July 11, 2018

Elizabeth Magie: The Inventor Of Monopoly Who Tried To Teach Us Progressive Economic Ideas

The Inventor of Monopoly Elizabeth Magie designed the game to reveal the dangers of land-grabbing, but we all learned the wrong lesson from it.

By Gina Dimuro • Jul 10, 2018

Elizabeth Magie: The Inventor Of Monopoly Who Tried To Teach Us Progressive Economic Ideas

The Inventor of Monopoly Elizabeth Magie designed the game to reveal the dangers of land-grabbing, but we all learned the wrong lesson from it.

By Gina Dimuro • July 10, 2018

The Incredible Adventures Of John Colter, The ‘Mountain Man’ Who Explored The American West

John Colter explored the West with Lewis and Clark, survived being hunted by Blackfeet warriors, and may have been the first white man to see Yellowstone.

By Wyatt Redd • Jul 9, 2018

The Incredible Adventures Of John Colter, The ‘Mountain Man’ Who Explored The American West

John Colter explored the West with Lewis and Clark, survived being hunted by Blackfeet warriors, and may have been the first white man to see Yellowstone.

By Wyatt Redd • July 9, 2018

This Writer Argued To Keep The South Full Of Black Slaves — And White Ones Too

George Fitzhugh was a slave-owner and sociologist who had some oddly egalitarian defenses of chattel slavery.

By Gina Dimuro • Jul 9, 2018

This Writer Argued To Keep The South Full Of Black Slaves — And White Ones Too

George Fitzhugh was a slave-owner and sociologist who had some oddly egalitarian defenses of chattel slavery.

By Gina Dimuro • July 9, 2018

The Forgotten Bear River Massacre May Be The Deadliest Native American Slaughter Ever

When the Bear River Massacre ended in Preston, Idaho on January 29, 1863, hundreds lay dead — hundreds who are largely forgotten today.

By Gina Dimuro • Jul 9, 2018

The Forgotten Bear River Massacre May Be The Deadliest Native American Slaughter Ever

When the Bear River Massacre ended in Preston, Idaho on January 29, 1863, hundreds lay dead — hundreds who are largely forgotten today.

By Gina Dimuro • July 9, 2018

430-Year-Old Mystery Of The Lost Colony Of Roanoke May Finally Be Solved Thanks To This Stone

This stone tells a dark tale of war, suffering, and murder — but is it legitimate or an astounding forgery?

By Kara Goldfarb • Jul 6, 2018

News

430-Year-Old Mystery Of The Lost Colony Of Roanoke May Finally Be Solved Thanks To This Stone

This stone tells a dark tale of war, suffering, and murder — but is it legitimate or an astounding forgery?

By Kara Goldfarb • July 6, 2018

The C.I.A. Had A Project Called ‘Acoustic Kitty’ To Spy On The Soviets Using Wired Up Cats

The 1960s were a weird time. That’s been pretty well documented. But in case you needed another example, look no further than the C.I.A. project known as Acoustic Kitty. Acoustic Kitty, despite what the name may suggest, wasn’t a kitten singing without heavy instrumentation. Rather, it was a legitimate secret...

By Kara Goldfarb • Jul 6, 2018

The C.I.A. Had A Project Called ‘Acoustic Kitty’ To Spy On The Soviets Using Wired Up Cats

The 1960s were a weird time. That’s been pretty well documented. But in case you needed another example, look no further than the C.I.A. project known as Acoustic Kitty. Acoustic Kitty, despite what the name may suggest, wasn’t a kitten singing without heavy instrumentation. Rather, it was a legitimate secret...

By Kara Goldfarb • July 6, 2018

The Jamestown Colony’s Desperate Descent Into Cannibalism During The Starving Time

Starving Time was a particularly gruesome era in early colonial America when ravenous Jamestown colonists exhumed corpses for sustenance.

By Wyatt Redd • Jul 5, 2018

The Jamestown Colony’s Desperate Descent Into Cannibalism During The Starving Time

Starving Time was a particularly gruesome era in early colonial America when ravenous Jamestown colonists exhumed corpses for sustenance.

By Wyatt Redd • July 5, 2018

New York City Buried Thousands Of Black People Here And Forgot About It – Until It Was Rediscovered

In 1991, excavators discovered a burial ground in lower Manhattan. Today, it's the African Burial Ground National Monument.

By Gina Dimuro • Jul 4, 2018

New York City Buried Thousands Of Black People Here And Forgot About It – Until It Was Rediscovered

In 1991, excavators discovered a burial ground in lower Manhattan. Today, it's the African Burial Ground National Monument.

By Gina Dimuro • July 4, 2018