Weave together the many narratives of world history with our highly curated and expanding selection of diverse, fascinating resources designed to showcase the breadth and richness of Earth's story, from the earliest traces of human civilization to the dramatic developments of contemporary cultures.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
The Erie Canal was one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in American history. Many have said such an effort would be impossible today. This article explores why that is the case and ponders the future of large-scale American infrastructure development.
The 1789 US Constitution remains the oldest active written national constitution. Older systems exist—such as San Marino’s statutes or the Magna Carta—but they are not single, codified constitutions. See how other countries compare in this visualization.
On October 20, 1973, President Nixon ordered the firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox—prompting the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy AG William Ruckelshaus. This NBC News special report shows the immediate aftermath of the decision.
Beginning with the June 17, 1972 break-in, the scandal progressed through Senate hearings in 1973, the explosive revelation of Oval Office tapes, and culminated in Nixon’s resignation by August 1974.
Ancient Greek art is replete with humans with muscular physiques, but there is very little evidence they knew much about proper weightlifting. There are just a few stones with inscriptions hinting at their weightlifting use. This article exposes some of our modern assumptions about muscle development, suggesting the Greeks thought differently about strength than we do today.
To cover the distant war efficiently, rival New York newspapers pooled resources to share reports from the front—forming what became the Associated Press. The war marked a turning point in how Americans received real-time news about foreign conflicts.
North Carolina’s Outer Banks at the turn of the 20th century were not the summer resort destinations they are today. The brothers sought privacy as they toyed with their aviation designs, camping in Kill Devil Hills and using its sand dunes as launch points for early glider designs.
When Apollo 11 astronauts stepped onto the moon in July 1969, it marked a dramatic win in the US–Soviet space race. The televised landing—broadcast across the globe—showcased American technological supremacy.
This interactive map challenges users to guess the years of various historical events. Click on a country and answer 10 questions per location that ask you about major happenings of the past. Be careful—wrong answers cost you years!
It now spans beyond the initial 30-kilometer radius around the nuclear plant to include surrounding areas found to have significant radioactive contamination. Aside from a handful of elderly self-settlers, permanent residency is banned, and access remains tightly controlled due to lingering radioactive contamination.
