This week on the podcast, we're revisiting a conversation we had with Ava Chin about her book, Mott Street. Through decades of painstaking research, the fifth-generation New Yorker discovered the stories of how her ancestors bore and resisted the weight of the Chinese Exclusion laws in the U.S. – and how the legacy of that history still affects her family today.
The bridge was built mere yards from where Francis Scott Key watched the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814, inspiring him to write the song that would become the U.S. national anthem.
Americans spend an estimated $100 billion each year on lottery tickets. It's a tradition that dates back to the nation's earliest settlers, and was even one the Founding Fathers took part in.
Researchers have compared the DNA of 27 Black people who lived at the Catoctin furnace between 1774 and 1850, finding a link between these enslaved Americans and nearly 42,000 living relatives.
Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter ahead. Groundhogs may not have a great track record when it comes to weather forecasts, but experts say the tradition sheds light on our culture and environment.
Presidential historian Jon Meacham speaks with NPR about his new biography, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. It examines Lincoln's actions as well as motivations.
In New York City, the area dominated by Lincoln Center was formerly home to Black and Puerto Rican communities. Etienne Charles' new musical work addresses that difficult past.
The Library of Congress had invited Lizzo to check out its flute collection during her tour stop. On Tuesday, she played a few notes on the historic instrument, twerked and declared history cool.
Composers Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels have brought a true story to the opera stage: the life of Omar Ibn Said, a Senegalese Muslim scholar who was enslaved and brought to the Carolinas.
Composers Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels have brought a true story to the opera stage: the life of Omar Ibn Said, a Senegalese Muslim scholar who was enslaved and brought to the Carolinas.
Friday on Political Rewind: How do we come to terms with debates over the very nature of U.S. history? Clint Smith’s debut work of nonfiction and offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in making sense of our country’s legacy.
In a new book, Bryan Burrough and co-writers Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford challenge the historical lore of the Alamo — including the story that Davy Crockett refused to surrender.
When the pandemic forced high school teacher Cathy Cluck to rethink her teaching strategy, she went on a "Great American History Road Trip," holding virtual lessons along the way.
James Madison was the fourth president of the United States, one of the founders of our country and author of the first drafts of the U.S. Constitution...
The Equal Justice Initiative documents nearly 5,000 lynchings in America between 1877 and 1950, though the number is likely higher. The vast majority of...
