Becky Little
Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Bluesky.
Latest from this author
When teenage boys vandalized towns on Halloween of 1933, town leaders created parties, parades and haunted houses to keep them occupied.
In the early 20th century, costumes were mostly meant to be spooky. Today, they often reflect the movies we like and the politicians we hate.
When two young sisters claimed to communicate with ghosts in the mid-1800s, they soon became celebrity mediums and unwittingly spurred a trend.
Rumors of ghosts haunt U.S. cemeteries, hotels and even the White House.
While the 1897 novel 'Dracula' launched a genre of literature and film about vampires, a 1922 knock-off film cast the villain in a whole new light.
A key ingredient in the flavor was discovered on ancient pottery shards in Indonesia, revealing it has been around for a long, looooong time.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates the culture, history and contributions of Native Americans. The holiday is usually celebrated on Oct. 12.
The controversial Shroud of Turin, which may have covered Jesus’ body, first appeared in the 1350s and is now available for online viewing.
The Shroud of Turin, a linen cloth bearing a man's image, is claimed to be the burial shroud of Jesus, though scientists refute that claim.
Some board games in Egypt date back 5,000 years.
Was the unpopularity of New Coke actually a blessing in disguise for Coca-Cola?
The tradition began during a time of national sorrow.
On 9/11 some evacuated the Pentagon—but kept going back inside.'We pledge to never leave a fallen comrade behind,' says a survivor.
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is primarily celebrated by followers of the Hindu, Sikh and Jain faiths.
These fast ships and navigational tools aided European sailors between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Many people associate aspirin with willow bark, but the pills in your cabinet don’t come from a tree.
Frogs, cows and the positions of the planets all played a part in weather folklore.
Colonial governors needed somewhere to buy their shoes, and also their wigs.
Since 1979, the United States has technically been in constant states of emergency.
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton focused on white women’s suffrage over voting rights for all women.
These apex predators ate whales, dolphins and maybe other megalodons.
Visit dig sites and hike trails for an up-close look at dinosaur fossils and more.
By the time Thanksgiving became an official U.S. holiday in 1863, wild turkeys had nearly disappeared. But Depression-era shifts in land use helped the animals rebound.
The ancient world was home to these long-lost species. One was even buried in a royal tomb.
Fire lookout towers rose across North America in the early 1900s in response to catastrophic wildfires like the infamous 1910 Big Blowup.
Native American tribes are still seeking the return of their children.
More than fifty years later, people are still trying to match the bizarre accident that was Woodstock ‘69.
Gertrude Ederle slathered herself in grease, wore a controversial two-piece bathing suit and ate chicken legs along the way.
Waitlists, bombings and restrictive U.S. immigration policies thwarted Anne Frank's family's chances of escaping the Holocaust.
A small news item in 1958 led to the modern version of the mythical wild man.
Ancient people may have been crafting an archetypal villain.
The first air conditioner debuted in 1902, but multiple men contributed to the technology’s development.
Why was part of the ‘Iliad’ buried with a mummy? Plus, four more Homeric discoveries.
The pledge, as recited by U.S. schoolchildren, wasn’t standardized until World War II, and didn’t contain “under God” until 1954.
Americans have long relied on the sturdy oak tree.
The vehicles could deliver supplies from ship to shore, but couldn’t cut it in rough waters.
Radar, computers, penicillin and more all came out of development during the Second World War.
Elizebeth Friedman’s codebreaking helped save the Queen Mary and capture a Nazi spy ringleader in Latin America.
The constitutional framers may have viewed Indigenous people of the Iroquois Confederacy as inferior, but that didn't stop them from admiring their federalist principles.
Black Americans could temporarily escape the Jim Crow laws at early vacation resorts that catered only to them.
Political, religious and practical considerations all played a role.
Sure, the Roman Empire had that extensive road system. But it helped that early Christians didn't paint themselves as an exclusive club.
A Hawaiian princess helped revive the ancient sport of surfing long before Gidget and Moondoggie hit the beach.
The Manhattan Project’s Trinity test—the first atomic bomb detonation—led to infant deaths, cancer and decades of health problems.
During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress became America's de facto government.
These human species lived at the same time as Homo sapiens.
After the Revolutionary War, a series of revolutions took place throughout Europe and the Americas.
As colonists grew increasingly defiant, the British government responded with punishing measures that only angered them more.
During World War I, Denmark finally sold Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix to the U.S. for $25 million in gold coin.
Outbreaks during World War II and the Korean War were likely linked to activities like digging trenches.
