Eddie Aikau: The Rad Life of a Hawaiian Surfing Legend
Eddie Aikau was a surfing legend during a time when Hawaiian legends were being resurrected. As a lifeguard, he attempted more than 500 daring rescues.
Before Flint: How Americans Chose Lead Poisoning
The United States, unlike other Western nations, did not take a firm stance on lead-based products until much later--despite knowing the health risks.
A Formerly Enslaved Woman Successfully Won a Case for Reparations in 1783
In one of the earliest examples of reparations, an ex-slave named Belinda petitioned the government and was granted an annuity.
What It Was Like To Be an African-American Soldier During the Civil War
What was it like to be one of the 186,017 African Americans who served in the Union Army during the Civil War?
Why Don’t Americans Eat Whale?
Whales have been used for everything but meat in this country. Why is that?
The Secret Order Behind the Underground Railroad
William Lambert and George De Baptiste, free-born black men, used the underground railroad to help slaves escape to British Canada.
Why Do Some States Have Citizen Militias While Others Don’t?
The occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon and subsequent arrest of Ammon Bundy has once again drawn ...
Aaron Burr: Most Hated Man in American History
A more sympathetic look at Aaron Burr, the man who killed Alexander Hamilton.
How the Chinese Fought Discrimination in 19th Century Arizona
Chinese immigrants in the American West faced legal discrimination and fought back against it using other laws.
Margaret Sanger’s Eugenics Defense
Margaret Sanger's belief in eugenics stemmed from her interest in individual choice—an idea that brought birth control into the mainstream of American life.