How Ben Franklin Established the US Post OfficePostal mail delivery became a vital communication line for the colonies—and then helped unite the newly independent United States.Read more
How Communists Became a Scapegoat for the Red Summer ‘Race Riots’ of 1919A conspiracy theory emerged during the Red Scare, blaming “the Bolsheviki” for protests and violence.Read more
At Height of the 1918 Pandemic, NYC and Chicago Schools Stayed Open. Here’s WhyAmid fierce controversy, public health officials in both cities decided children would be better off in classrooms.Read more
Black Americans Who Served in WWII Faced Segregation Abroad and at HomeSome 1.2 million Black men served in the U.S. military during the war, but they were often treated as second-class citizens.Read more
The Contentious 1896 Election That Started the Rural-Urban Voter DivideWilliam Jennings Bryan’s campaign for the presidency courted the rural vote. Bryan lost—but lines were drawn.Read more
5 Black Suffragists Who Fought for the 19th Amendment—And Much MoreObtaining the vote was just one item on a long civil rights agenda.Read more
How a New Polio Vaccine Faced Shortages and SetbacksThe 1955 announcement of a new vaccine was met by jubilation. But doubts and problems soon followed.Read more
How the Electoral College Was Nearly Abolished in 1970The House approved a constitutional amendment to dismantle the indirect voting system, but it was killed in the Senate by a filibuster.Read more
Geraldine Ferraro’s 1984 VP Nomination Was Historic, But Failed to Clinch a WinWith their presidential ticket, Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro made history in 1984. But that didn’t help them win.Read more
When Fears of Tuberculosis Drove an Open-Air School MovementIntended to curb the spread of tuberculosis, open-air schools grew into a major international movement in the early 1900s.Read more
The 8 Oldest Presidents in HistoryThe Founding Fathers only set an age minimum for U.S. presidents—not a maximum.Read more
5 Vice Presidential Candidates Who Made an ImpactSome undid the work of their running mate, others bolstered their ticket.Read more