HISTORY.com Editors

Aileen Wuornos, Ed Gein and Dennis Rader left infamous legacies.

These standout titles don’t just recount battles.

Before we carved pumpkins, the Irish chiseled creepy faces onto turnips.

From pagan rituals to costumes and candy corn, discover how Halloween—and its associated traditions—has evolved through the ages.

The practice can be traced to the ancient Celts, early Roman Catholics and 17th-century British politics.

Christopher Columbus' arrival in North America in 1492 undoubtedly changed the world and lives of the Indigenous people he met. But was it for the better?

U.S. presidents have received elaborate welcomes by the British monarchy since 1918.

From its colors to the rendering of a snake-eating eagle, the Mexican flag is packed with symbolism and history.

Preserved by icy waters, the majestic wooden ship of the infamous 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition is revealed in images from the deep of the Weddell Sea.

These people went off the beaten track. Then things went horribly wrong.

Who was the real St. Patrick? Was that legend about the snakes true? And why did so many St. Patrick's Day traditions start in America?

D-Day was a historic World War II invasion, but the events of June 6, 1944 encompassed much more than a key military victory.

These aircraft, tanks, rocket launchers and more serve as the workhorses of American warfare. One has even earned the nickname "the finger of God."

Chris Mellon believes the government should more aggressively gather intel on military UFO sightings, some of which were captured on video.

Civil War secrets found in a battlefield garbage pile. A jewel thief in a powdered wig who hastened Marie Antoinette’s downfall. A Supreme Court showdown started by barmaids. Discover 25 fascinating—and often overlooked—moments that made history.

As a first-grader, her image became an emotional symbol for civil rights and educational equality.

A brutally drawn-out election in 1271 led to the formation of the secretive, secluded conclave—and quicker elections.

A look back at some pivotal moments in the complicated relationship between the two superpowers.

Which famous French explorer is credited with naming them?

Their backstories may surprise you.

Halloween's focus on horror and make believe has spawned creepy legends, ghost stories—and hoaxes.

From witches to zombies to creepy clowns, the season's hair-raising legends all formed from decades—to centuries—of lore.

The Woodstock music festival may not have been a smoothly run event, but it featured electric moments—musical and otherwise—that made it unforgettable.

A diplomat who used the power of paperwork, a 16-year-old girl who shot Nazis from her bicycle and a teacher who hid Jewish children in baskets were among those who risked their lives to save others during World War II.

The Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma had flourished as a neighborhood built by Black people, for Black people. In 1921 it was destroyed by a white mob. Get the facts on the attack and subsequent coverup.

The 20-foot piece of the NASA space shuttle was found off the coast of Florida during the filming of the new HISTORY Channel series, 'The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters.'

Images show devastation during the 2001 terror attacks, and the tragic aftermath.

Watch videos about the attacks of 9/11 and the aftermath.

The struggle for LGBTQ rights dates at least as far back as 1924 and accelerated in the wake of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising.

He's America's first president. The icon we all think we know. But in reality, he was a complicated human being.

If you’ve ever received an anonymous flower basket at your doorstep on the first day of May, you may have been the recipient of a May Day basket.

This HISTORY Channel podcast, produced in partnership with WNYC Studios, was honored with a 2024 Peabody Award.

Meet the standout soldiers, spies and homefront forces who fought in American conflicts, from the Revolution to World War II.

'After Auschwitz, the human condition is no longer the same. After Auschwitz, nothing will ever be the same.' —Elie Wiesel.

On December 7, 1941, a surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor shocked America. These are the stories of veterans who were at the naval base that morning.

On the morning of 9/11 in New York City, ordinary people picked up video cameras and recorded. This is what they saw—and how they reflected on the experience years later.

The first Indigenous cabinet member in U.S. history, Haaland hails from a lineage of 35 generations based in New Mexico.

These videos showcase the vision and hope John F. Kennedy inspired in Americans—and the immense national grief they shared upon his death.

Stories of a ghostly President Lincoln wandering the corridors and rooms of the White House have persisted for more than a century.

From 'I Have a Dream' to 'Beyond Vietnam,' revisit the words and messages of the legendary civil rights leader.

When Neil Armstrong stepped down a ladder and onto the moon on July 20, 1969, the nation achieved an audacious vision. But there were surprising moments along the way and not everything went as expected.

Some have connected the site with the alleged government coverup of an alien spacecraft crash. Others claim the moon landing was filmed there. If that's not true, what is?

On the morning of December 7, 1941 Paul Kennedy found himself staring straight at an incoming Japanese aircraft.

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers. The Christian faith centers on beliefs regarding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Native American Heritage Month is a federal observance held each November to honor American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Ancient Greece, the birthplace of democracy, was the source of some of the greatest literature, architecture, science and philosophy in Western civilization, and home to stunning historical sites like the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Democracy in ancient Greece established voting rights for citizens, a supervising council and a jury system.

Anna Harrison (1775-1864) was an American first lady (1841), the wife of William Henry Harrison, ninth president of the United States, and grandmother of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president. She was the first First Lady to receive a formal education, ...

Lucretia Garfield was an American first lady and the wife of James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States.

U.S. presidential elections have been held every four years for nearly two centuries.

James Garfield became president in 1881 and died that same year from an assassin’s bullet.

From a plea to a founding father, to the suffragists to Title IX, to the first female political figures, women have blazed a steady trail towards equality in the United States.

Greek mythology, and its ancient stories of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters, is one of the oldest and most influential groups of legends in human civilization.

The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States.

The Trail of Tears was the deadly route used by Native Americans when forced off their ancestral lands and into Oklahoma by the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

The Russian Revolution was a series of uprisings from 1905 to 1917 led by peasants, laborers and Bolsheviks against the failed rule of the czarist Romanovs.

Hinduism is a compilation of many traditions and philosophies and is considered by many scholars to be the world’s oldest religion, dating back more than 4,000 years. Today it is the third-largest religion behind Christianity and Islam.

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is an American white supremacist terrorist hate group founded in 1865. It became a vehicle for white southern resistance to the Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for Black Americans.

Slavery in America was the legal institution of enslaving human beings, mainly Africans and African Americans. Slavery existed in the United States from its founding in 1776 and became the main cause behind the country's bloody Civil War. Slavery officially ended in America with the passage of the 13th Amendment following the Civil War's end in 1865.

Jim Crow laws were state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation. Enacted after the Civil War, the laws denied equal opportunity to Black citizens.

What Is Obstruction of Justice? Simply put, obstruction of justice is defined as the offense of interfering with the administration or process of law in a criminal or civil matter; withholding key information or information; giving false testimony; or h...

George W. Bush (1946-), America’s 43rd president, served in office from 2001 to 2009. He led the country during the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq War.

The American Revolutionary War was an insurrection by Patriots in the 13 colonies against British rule, resulting in American independence.

Steeped in history, Mexico is home to over 100 million people.

Ellen Wilson (1860-1914) was an American first lady (1913-14) and the first wife of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States. Although far less well-known than her husband’s second wife, Edith Galt Wilson, Ellen is perhaps best remembered...

Edith Wilson (1872-1961) was an American first lady (1915–21) and the second wife of Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States. The couple married just a year after the 1914 death of Wilson’s first wife, Ellen. Though Edith admitted she had no...

The history of Christmas trees goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome and continues with the German tradition of candlelit Christmas trees first brought to America in the 1800s.

Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the encampment of General George Washington and thousands of troops of the Continental Army during the winter of 1777-1778.

Santa Claus—otherwise known as Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle—has a long history steeped in Christmas traditions.

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon.

The Super Bowl is an enormously popular sporting event that takes place each year to determine the championship team of the National Football League (NFL). Broadcast in more than 170 countries, the Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, with elaborate halftime shows, celebrity appearances and cutting-edge commercials

Holi, often called the "festival of colors," is a vibrant Hindu celebration.

The Pilgrims were the people who arrived in Massachusetts via the Mayflower in 1620 and formed the first permanent settlement of Europeans in New England.

Presidents' Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February.

The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a grassroots movement for Indigenous rights, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group has organized many high-profile protests and occupations, and was a driving force behind the Native American civil rights movement of the 1970s.

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2025 occurs on Thursday, November 27.

2016 Candidates: Hillary Clinton (Democrat), Donald Trump (Republican), Jill Stein (Green Party), Gary Johnson (Libertarian) Winner: Donald Trump Popular Vote: 65,844,610 (Clinton) to 62,979,636 (Trump) Electoral College: 227 (Clinton) to 304 (Trump) Th...

The Electoral College, devised during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, is a voting system in which electors represent a particular presidential candidate.

The Nuremberg trials were carried out in Nuremberg, Germany, between 1945 and 1949 to try those accused of Nazi war crimes.

Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, was a prolonged series of violent attacks on Jewish people, homes, businesses and synagogues in 1938 Germany.

Famous Filibusters Actor James Stewart made the filibuster famous in the 1939 film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In the movie, Stewart plays a young senator who talks for nearly 24 hours to delay a vote on a corrupt public works bill. A real-life senat...

The Founding Fathers and the Senate Although the U.S. Senate in its present form dates back to 1789, the year Congress as it is currently constructed met for the first time, it was not part of the original unicameral (“one chamber”) legislature establis...

The most famous address in America is also perhaps the country’s most famous haunted house.

Proposed by Alexander Hamilton, the Bank of the United States was established in 1791 to serve as a repository for federal funds and as the government’s fiscal agent. Although it was well managed and profitable, critics charged that the First Bank’s fis...

Samhain is a pagan religious festival originating from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition.

WHAT IS WICCA? Wicca is considered a modern interpretation of pre-Christian traditions, though some involved claim a direct line to ancient practices. It may be practiced by individuals or members of groups (sometimes known as covens). Wicca also has so...

The Devil, also known as Satan, Lucifer or Baphomet, is a mythic figure who embodies evil. He has appeared in different forms in many cultures throughout history.

Witches were perceived as evil beings by early Christians in Europe, inspiring the iconic Halloween figure.

Families welcome back souls of deceased relatives for a reunion.

Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Learn more about its origins, traditions, facts, scary movies and more.

Elizabeth “Bess” Truman (1885-1982) was an American first lady (1945-53) and the wife of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States. An intensely private woman, Bess reluctantly agreed to attend political events with her husband throughout...

Rosalynn Carter was a trusted adviser to her husband, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and remained committed to humanitarian issues after leaving the White House.