A 1976 photo of a woman holding a pack of birth control pills.

Queen Elizabeth ll delivers her Christmas speech at Buckingham Palace on December 25, 1957 in London, England.

Teenagers dressed in long prom dresses and suits crowning the prom queen, with streamers radiating behind them like the rays of the sun

Prom Queen

George Whitefield preachingGeorge Whitefield preaching. English Anglican priest and a founder of Methodism. Preached during the Great Awakening in 1700s in Europe and American colonies. 16 December 1714  30 September 1770. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***

Lesley Kennedy is a features writer and editor living in Denver. Her work has appeared in national and regional newspapers, magazines and websites.

Lesley Kennedy

Lesley Kennedy is a features writer and editor living in Denver. Her work has appeared in national and regional newspapers, magazines and websites.

Lesley Kennedy Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

Colonial America was a vast land settled by Spanish, Dutch, French and English immigrants who established colonies such as St. Augustine, Florida; Jamestown, Virginia; and Roanoke in present-day North Carolina.

Colonial America

From raising families to leading armies, women such as Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Amanirenas, Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and countless others have played a vital role in history.

Women’s History

The 1950s were a decade marked by the post-World War II boom, the dawn of the Cold War and the civil rights movement in the United States. At this time the U.S. economy was booming and more (mostly white) Americans could afford new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods. But the 1950s also saw great conflict and division, from the nascent civil rights movement to the crusade against communism at home and abroad in the Korean War.

1950s

Explore the wars, battles, leaders, civilizations, regimes, prominent figures and major events from the continent that encompasses 2 percent of the Earth’s surface. From Stonehenge to the Great Awakening to the French Revolution to the rise and fall of Communism in Russia, see how Europe’s often tumultuous history unfolded.

European History

During the 1980s, conservative politics and Reaganomics held sway as the Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged, AIDS ravaged the United States, especially the gay male community, and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture.

Lesley Kennedy

Stories

How Prom Traditions Have Evolved Through History

How ‘Poor Laws’ Tried to Tackle Poverty in Colonial America

Reproductive Rights in the US: Timeline

Queen Elizabeth’s First Televised Broadcast Presented a New Type of Monarch