History Lessons
William Becknell: Father of the Santa Fe Trail
How a debt-ridden Missouri frontiersman’s desperate gamble opened a 900-mile highway to the American Southwest and helped knit two nations together through commerce.
Read MoreThe Battle of Bull Run: The First Major Battle of the Civil War and the End of Early Illusions
Explorer, soldier, and the first Republican presidential nominee — discover John C. Frémont’s expeditions and complicated legacy in the West.
Read MoreSojourner Truth: The Voice That Refused Silence
Explorer, soldier, and the first Republican presidential nominee — discover John C. Frémont’s expeditions and complicated legacy in the West.
Read MoreApollo 11: The Journey That Changed Our View of Earth—and Our Future in Space
On July 16, 1969, millions of people around the world watched as a towering Saturn V rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the spacecraft were three astronauts—Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins—beginning what would become one of humanity’s greatest achievements: the Apollo 11 mission to…
Read MoreThe Fourteenth Amendment: History, Meaning, and Lasting Civic Impact
Explorer, soldier, and the first Republican presidential nominee — discover John C. Frémont’s expeditions and complicated legacy in the West.
Read MoreJohn C. Frémont: America’s Restless Pathfinder
Explorer, soldier, and the first Republican presidential nominee — discover John C. Frémont’s expeditions and complicated legacy in the West.
Read MoreThe Great Seal of the United States: Six Years, Three Committees, and One Enduring Symbol
On the afternoon of July 4, 1776, the same day the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, the delegates turned immediately to another urgent matter: the new nation needed a face. It needed a symbol that would announce to the world not merely that a revolution had occurred, but that a sovereign republic had…
Read More“Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall” — The Speech That Became a Cold War Turning Point
On June 12, 1987, standing before the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech that would echo far beyond the crowd gathered that day. With the Berlin Wall looming behind him—an unmistakable symbol of division between East and West—Reagan issued a direct challenge to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear…
Read MoreTreaty of Paris (1783): How America Won Independence and Ended the Revolutionary War
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, formally ended the American Revolutionary War and marked one of the most significant turning points in modern history. Under the agreement, Great Britain officially recognized the United States’ independence, bringing an end to eight years of conflict between the American colonies and the British Crown. More…
Read MoreBreaking News: How CNN Changed Television and the 24-Hour News Cycle
On June 1, 1980, a new television network signed on with an ambitious and untested idea: broadcasting news twenty-four hours a day. Founded by media entrepreneur Ted Turner, CNN challenged traditional television journalism and transformed how Americans experienced breaking news, politics, and major world events. More than four decades later, the launch of CNN remains…
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