The first presidential inauguration was held on April 30, 1789, in what was then the nation’s capital of New York City. On a second floor balcony of Federal Hall, George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States. With one hand on the Bible, ...read more

When photographer Frank Hurley signed on to document British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to the South Pole in 1914, he knew he’d be capturing some of the earliest images of Antarctica’s bleak and beautiful unexplored terrain. But after Shackleton’s ship, HMS ...read more

In early August 1945, warfare changed forever when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, devastating the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and killing more than 100,000 people. America’s immediate goal was to hasten Japan’s surrender, end World War II and avoid ...read more

The New York City neighborhood of Harlem was the center of a cultural explosion from late 1910s through the mid-1930s. During the Great Migration, Harlem became a destination neighborhood, particularly for African Americans who had left the south in search of new opportunities. ...read more

When the United States entered World War II after the 1941 attacks on Pearl Harbor, men shipped overseas by the millions to serve in the war. This left many of the civilian and military jobs on the home front unfilled—and that's when women stepped in. Before the war, some women ...read more

In February of 1942, just 10 weeks after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government issued Executive Order 9066, calling for the internment of Japanese-Americans. Intended initially to prevent Japanese spies from receiving intel, this order authorized their removal from ...read more

One evening in 1958, photographer Flip Schulke was covering a rally at a Black Baptist church in Miami where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was speaking. Schulke had spent the past few years documenting the Civil Rights Movement for publications like Life, Time, Newsweek, Jet and ...read more

Celebrating Christmas in the White House has been a tradition since 1800. President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams were the first to throw a Christmas party in the president’s official residence, but it was not as we know it today. These were intimate gatherings with ...read more

In the early 1900s, photographer Edward S. Curtis set out on an epic mission: to capture the experiences of Native Americans throughout the American West. Over the span of 30 years, Curtis documented more than 80 tribes west of the Mississippi, from the Mexican border to northern ...read more

World War II was more destructive than any war before it. During the six-year conflict, millions of people were injured, landmarks were destroyed and an estimated 45-60 million people lost their lives. Adolf Hitler's rise to power had spelled disaster for Germany and threatened ...read more

The Egyptian pyramids are some of the most incredible man-made structures in history. More than 4,000 years after their construction, the pyramids still stand as some of the most important and mysterious tombs in the world. Their design remains a true testament ...read more

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, large numbers of people from northern and western Europe traveled in overcrowded ships to immigrate to the United States. They arrived to escape famine and religious discrimination, to buy farmland and cash in on the ...read more

New immigrants to New York City in the late 1800s faced grim, cramped living conditions in tenement housing that once dominated the Lower East Side. During the 19th century, immigration steadily increased, causing New York City's population to double every decade ...read more

When Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, antisemitism was leveraged to an extreme, eventually leading to the deaths of millions. Hitler and the Nazi regime set up networks of concentration camps before and during World War II to carry out a ...read more

When Britain and France went to war with Germany in 1939, Americans were divided over whether to join the war effort. It wouldn't be until the surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 that the United States would be thrust into World War II. Once U.S. ...read more

Ancient Greek ruins that survive today are among the most iconic landmarks in the world. Grand structures like the Acropolis in Athens are a testament to a culture defined by advancement and innovation, especially in art and architecture. In the middle of 5th ...read more

The R.M.S. Titanic has gone down as one of the most famous ships in history for its lavish design and tragic fate. It was a massive 46,000-ton ship, measuring 882 feet long and 175 feet high. The "Ship of Dreams" included a swimming pool, gym, Turkish baths, a ...read more

After opening in 1892, Ellis Island became known as the gateway to America and a symbol of a chance at the American dream. In the 62 years it was open, the island facility processed more than 12 million immigrants. It has been estimated that close to 40 percent of current U.S. ...read more

The attacks of September 11, 2001 killed almost 3,000 people, shocked the world and forever seared 9/11 into memory as a date filled with tragedy, loss and heroism. Artifacts recovered from the attacks, meanwhile, became imbued with solemn significance. By ...read more

On August 29, 2005, the lively city of New Orleans was changed forever as Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast of the United States in the early morning hours. Over the course of the day, the storm gained steam, increasing from a category 3 to category 5 storm in a ...read more

On August 14, 2003 the East Coast of the United States, and even parts of Canada, went dark at around 4:10 p.m. Twenty-one power plants shut down in just three minutes, leaving an estimated 50 million people without power—in 90-degree heat. In large cities, including New York, ...read more

Getting the perfect shot in wartime is not only about weapons. With over 30 countries involved in World War II and the loss of over 50 million lives, war photography captured the destruction and victories of the deadliest war in history. Lead by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, over one ...read more

How much planning and work goes into a picture-perfect royal event? From creating a balanced guest list that won’t offend any allies to enlisting local law enforcement to control the crowds and hiring a battalion of designers and decorators, there is much to be organized. Queen ...read more

The Industrial Revolution brought not only new job opportunities but new laborers to the workforce: children. By 1900, 18 percent of all American workers were under the age of 16. For employers of the era, children were seen as appealing workers since they could be hired for ...read more

For centuries black communities around the world have created hairstyles that are uniquely their own. These hairstyles span all the way back to the ancient world and continue to weave their way through the social, political and cultural conversations surrounding black identity ...read more

It may be the age of the photo selfie, but with the recent unveiling of the presidential portrait of Barack Obama at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, Americans are again reminded that official renderings of our top leaders tend to come in the most ...read more

Whether a victory march, a commemoration of past conflict or a showy flexing of military muscle, the tradition of soldiers publicly parading with their weapons goes back for millennia. Long designed to stir flag-waving fervor and impress enemies, such lockstep ...read more

Modern science fiction, George Lucas is your father. After introducing audiences to a galaxy far, far away more than 40 years ago with the film Star Wars in 1977, Lucas changed the landscape of sci-fi films, television and media in general for years to come. But the creative ...read more

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has become as much of an American tradition as turkey and stuffing. Every year since 1924 the streets of New York have been dazzled by floats, marching bands and later, oversized balloons and the Rockettes. These photographs ...read more

While the commercialization of Halloween began in the United States in the 1900s, it wasn’t until first lady Mamie Eisenhower that witches, goblins, broomsticks, and jack-o’-lanterns made their way into the White House. Since the Eisenhower days, every president ...read more