LK

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.

Latest from this author

Fireworks over the Washington Monument on Saturday, July 4, 2020.

One famous festival began as a way to drive off angry spirits.

A damaged vehicle is being loaded onto a tow truck, with people in the background observing the scene.

'I honestly think they believed I was dead.'

Bubbles In The Car

Amusements included the license plate game, I Spy and Mad Libs.

an array of antique forks

They were once viewed as unnecessary and even 'devilish.'

The U.S. Capitol is seen through American flags flying at half staff.

The death of a sitting member of Congress prompts a series of protocols to honor their service and address the resulting vacancy.

A Navy A-7 Corsair jet is pulled down Broadway in NYC as sailors rejoice on the wings during the Operation Welcome Home ticker tape  parade during the 10 June 1991 celebration for returning Gulf War troops.

Flexing of military muscle is a longstanding tradition.

What Is the U.S. National Guard?

The reserve force of men and women traces its roots to Colonial America.

A glass carafe filled with refreshing lemonade

From ancient Egyptian beginnings to global popularity, lemonade may just be the original soft drink.

Pride protest

For more than 50 years, the LGBTQ+ community has celebrated 'Pride' in June with parades, marches and events.

Firefly in a jar in the forest

Mermaids, National Asteroid Day and the return of fireflies.

Trump Says He Plans To Reopen Alcatraz As A Federal Prison

Alcatraz Island, located in San Francisco Bay, is best known as the site of the notorious former federal prison, but its history extends far beyond that. Here, we answer six common questions about the national landmark.

Chinese Immigrants Building the Transcontinental Railroad

At first railroad companies were reluctant to hire Chinese workers, but the immigrants soon proved to be vital.

The Vatican Swiss Guard Are Sworn In

Five facts about the world's smallest army and their time-honored traditions.

Peter The Apostle And The Prophet Jeremiah

Since 1555, every pope has changed his name upon election, symbolizing a new beginning and hinting at the papacy’s future direction.

A close-up view of a hook-and-loop fastener.

After inspecting burrs that had stuck to his dog’s fur, a Swiss engineer got an idea.

Ceremonial soldiers parade during 79th anniversary of the Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia on May 9, 2024.

Learn why the holiday is so significant in Russia—and what distinguishes it from V-E Day.

Pope Benedict XVI is formally installed as Pope in an open-air Mass in St Peter's Square in Rome, Italy on April 24, 2005. His big gold "fisherman's ring" is see on his right hand.

The tradition has practical and symbolic reasons.

German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger blesses the coffin of Pope John Paul II during his funeral mass in St Peter's Square at the Vatican City on April 8, 2005.

Centuries of history and symbolism inform the tradition.

Charles Manson

Paul McCartney said the song was about a playground slide, but Manson claimed the music incited a race war and murder.

Immigration in America

The act put an end to long-standing national-origin quotas that favored those from northern and western Europe.

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

Since the early 1800s, U.S. federal and state governments have taken steps both securing and limiting access to contraception and abortion.

Why Was Joan of Arc Burned at the Stake?

The French heroine and saint was labeled a heretic, fraud, sorceress and cross-dresser.

Titanic by the Numbers: Its Construction, Sinking and Discovery

More than just facts and figures, these statistics highlight the massive scale of Titanic's ambition—and of its tragic sinking.

James Madison

The founding father worried that trying to spell out all of Americans' rights in the series of amendments could be inherently limiting.

FDR

Before the 22nd Amendment, presidents could run for more than two terms—but only FDR managed to win more than two consecutive elections.

Desegregation Busing

After a 1954 ruling declared that segregated schools were unconstitutional, a decades-long effort to integrate them through busing was often met with violent protests.

D.B. Cooper

After he parachuted from a 727 passenger plane with ransom money—and disappeared—newspapers started receiving weird letters, some with coded messages.

Nanai stele depicting Nanai worshiping the Gods Osiris and Anubis, the dead deity who holds the key of life, ankh-shaped (Ankh). Limestone painted. End of the 18th dynasty. 14th century BC. Egyptian Museum, Turin, Italy (Photo by Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

Architecture, agriculture, art and more first blossomed in these cultures.

Black and white engraving showing a grassy quadrangle surrounded by colonial-era buildings, with a small handful of top-hatted colonial students traversing the area.

His privileged childhood on a Virginia plantation gave him access to a rich education. He fell in love with Enlightenment ideas.

Aerial view of a major league baseball field, showing a pitcher about to throw to the batter, from an opening day game between the Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds

Presidential first pitches. Wacky stunts. Parades and banner raising. Every spring, baseball opens a fresh season with plenty of fanfare.

Rubik's Cube

Power dressing. ’Eatertainment.’ Fad toys that sparked near-riots. Which trends did you participate in?

Nixon and Clinton

There are many reasons, but part of the explanation comes down to timing.

A vintage engraving of a 19th-century lacrosse game between Canadians and Iroquois. / Getty Images

The sport, which dates to 1100, was a social event and sometimes played to settle disputes.

Why the 19th Amendment Did Not Guarantee All Women the Right to Vote

Despite the adoption of the 19th Amendment, many women of color, immigrant women and poorer women continued to face barriers at the polls.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman

The classic short story is considered an example of early American folklore. But tales of headless horseman have been around since the Middle Ages.

The Lithuanian Immigrant Who Launched the First Women’s College Basketball Game

On March 22, 1893, 15 months after Canadian-born James Naismith invented basketball, Senda Berenson pitted Smith College freshmen and sophomore teams against each other.

In the 2000 Election, Vote Counting Disputes Led to 36 Days of Uncertainty

As Florida's electoral votes became too close to call, controversy ensued over hanging chads, dimpled chads and butterfly bullets.

6 Things You May Not Know About the White House

Answers to top questions about the executive residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Jim Jones at Jonestown

The over 900 deaths in Guyana under cult leader Jim Jones were more mass murder than suicide.

The Manson Family and Spahn Ranch

The former Western movie set provided shelter—and isolation—as Charles Manson and his followers plotted the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and others.

Flames from burning jet fuel on the waters off of Long Island from the TWA Flight 800 Boeing 747-100 aircraft that exploded on July 17, 1996 near East Moriches, New York.

Speculation fueled theories that a terrorist act had caused the crash that killed the 230 on board, but an investigation later concluded it was a tragic mechanical error.

Women on a parade car

Some claim the earliest Mardi Gras celebration was in Mobile, Alabama, not New Orleans, but it depends on a few technicalities—and who's answering the question.

Traditional lunar new year food.

Foods enjoyed during New Year are similar to those eaten throughout the year, but with special emphasis on bringing good fortune.

From superhyped decathlete Dave Johnson's bronze-medal showing to gymnast McKayla Maroney's slip, here's when American performances didn't meet heightened expectations.

Ted Kaczynski

From the Unabomber to Bonnie and Clyde, these 13 terrorists and outlaws triggered some of the most massive manhunts in criminal history.

Prehistoric Periods

For roughly 2.5 million years, humans lived on Earth without leaving a written record of their lives—but they left behind other kinds of remains and artifacts.

A political cartoon criticizing FDR's judge selection

When his New Deal legislation kept getting struck down, FDR proposed a law targeting justices over the age of 70.

A protester against the Moscow summer Olympics, on February 14, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.

Disapproval over wars, invasions, apartheid and doping scandals have all prompted countries to pull out of the Games.

Lying in State: The History Behind the Ceremony

The tradition, bestowed as a final tribute, began in 1852, with the death of Henry Clay.