The 1902 McMillan Plan reimagined the National Mall as a formal, open civic space

See L'Enfant's original plan and vision for DC and the National Mall

In the 1790s, L'Enfant designed a capital defined by broad avenues, public squares, and long sight lines between major civic buildings. Much of his vision for the Mall was disrupted for decades and was finally realized through later 19th- and early-20th-century redesigns.

The National Mall once had canals and rail lines

In the 1800s, the National Mall looked nothing like it does today. Canals, rail lines, markets, and industrial uses crisscrossed the Mall before later redesigns cleared it into a unified civic landscape.

Take an architectural walking tour of the National Mall

Architect Nicholas Potts leads a walking tour of the National Mall, noting that many buildings adapt European neoclassical styles into an American form, such as replacing traditional motifs with corn cobs on the columns of the US Capitol building.

The Lincoln Memorial was almost never built

The Memorial faced years of opposition from Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon, who blocked it for nearly a decade, arguing that the swampy land west of the Mall was an unfit and undignified site to honor Lincoln.

The National Mall hosts one of the country's largest July Fourth fireworks shows

Each Independence Day, the National Mall hosts a massive fireworks display coordinated by the National Park Service, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to the nation's capital.

The unbuilt monuments of Washington, DC

The capital city of the United States famously was built in a swampy area, with dozens of memorials, monuments, and more spanning its vast and complex design. This video explores five monuments that were either built or were rejected as alternatives in the sprawling District of Columbia on the banks of the Potomac River.

Madison's Virginia Plan proposed a strong national government with population-based representation

Crafted by Madison and introduced at the opening of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Virginia Plan outlined a three-branch federal government and a bicameral legislature. This plan shaped the structure and direction of the debates that led to the creation of the US Constitution.

Edith Roosevelt's White House redesign created the modern West Wing

In 1902, first lady Edith Roosevelt oversaw a significant renovation that separated the family residence from official offices. Architect Charles McKim added the West Wing to house the president's staff—establishing the modern layout still used today.

Sheep once grazed on the National Mall and White House grounds

In the late 1910s, sheep grazed near the Lincoln Memorial and on the White House lawn. Under Woodrow Wilson, their wool was auctioned for charity, briefly making the grazing animals the subject of a federal cost-saving experiment.

The architecture of the Met

Curious how the Met came to occupy its incredible campus? This video, which was produced in association with the exhibition “Making The Met, 1970-2020,” tracks the history of the museum through the evolution of its architecture. From its temporary location in a private residence to its intended home in Central Park, the building now reflects the many different eras of design, including Victorian Gothic and Modernism, that have influenced its facade through the years.

Americans touring the Louvre were inspired to create their own grand museums

The one-time royal residence was first transformed into a public museum in 1793 amid the French Revolution. Americans visiting in the early 1800s were both turned off by the aristocratic grandeur and compelled by the open access to the public. James Fenimore Cooper, the author of "The Last of the Mohicans," apparently came and measured the length of galleries.

The National Park Service responded to the postwar influx of visitors with a massive project

As the American road trip evolved into a popular vacation option, the national parks became overwhelmed by the influx of tourists. The Mission 66 initiative was launched as a way to respond to the interest, improving and expanding the parks' facilities.

Mary Cassatt's mural from the 1893 World's Fair mysteriously disappeared

The massive mural was called "Modern Woman" and was displayed in the Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, better known as the Chicago World's Fair. When the fair closed in October of that year, the mural was put into storage, but it later went missing. It hasn't been located since. All that remains are black and white photos of it, like the one below.

The Leopold Report was an early blueprint for ecosystem management

The 1963 report, officially known as Wildlife Management in the National Parks, recommended wildlife management and ecological preservation. In 2012, a follow-up report built upon the original paper to guide future park service policies based on scientific findings.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

Urban planning in ancient Rome

Ancient Rome represents one of the earliest examples of coordinated urban planning from a central government for which researchers have access to contemporary records. This review from MIT showcases ancient Roman cities built on various types of grids, from rectangular outlines to those shaped around two intersecting axes, with several examples and maps provided for each.

A Thomas Moran painting inspired Yellowstone National Park

The 1872 painting provided viewers with a more accurate sense of the park's majesty than black-and-white photographs could provide. The painting was included in a packet of materials presented to Congress, which was taken with Moran's image and designated Yellowstone the first national park.

McCulloch v. Maryland upheld implied powers and blocked states from taxing the federal government

In 1819, McCulloch v. Maryland confirmed that Congress may use implied powers under the necessary and proper clause and ruled that states cannot tax federal institutions, reaffirming the supremacy of the federal government within its constitutionally delegated powers.

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

See inside the Boston Public Library, the first city-run free public library in the US

Founded in 1848, the McKim building opened in 1895 during a period of cultural optimism and social reform. Its Beaux-Arts architecture features marble staircases, murals by John Singer Sargent, and a Renaissance-inspired courtyard.

How Charles Blair Macdonald changed the design behind golf

Macdonald's contributions to golf course design, including 21 principles still used today, are just as legendary as the game's players. This deep dive into the mostly forgotten figure explores his legacy, including why he never charged for his services.

Madison Square Garden and Madison Avenue are indirectly named after James Madison

Madison Square Park was named for James Madison in the 1800s. Madison Avenue later took its name from the park, and Madison Square Garden was named after Madison Square, indirectly linking both landmarks to Madison.

Macy’s announced a series of pandemic-era store closures in January 2021

Specifically, as mall foot traffic declined, Macy’s sought to grow elsewhere (as did many other retailers around the same time).

The symbol of the American lawn

Trimmed, pure green lawns are the norm in US yards and require regular mowing, fertilizing, and weed whacking to keep in order. They are cherished for their simple aesthetic and as a soft area for walking or playing near the house. Still, they are also so-called monoculture zones with only one plant species, lacking biodiverse resilience. This article traces the history of the lawn in America and the contemporary debates over its future.

The billion-dollar ghost town in Baltimore

As a Rust Belt city looking to revitalize its economic core, Baltimore, Maryland, sought big investments from developers and municipalities. The so-called Baltimore Peninsula is a billion-dollar neighborhood in south Baltimore initially prompted by the investment of Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank. In 2025, the glossy, grand urban neighborhood is still empty, with fully-built condos and retail spaces.

Bills passed during the Civil War shaped postwar America

Despite the war with the South, Congress passed transformative laws like the Homestead Act and the Morrill Land-Grant College Act, which encouraged westward settlement and expanded higher education.

US marshals conducted the national census for nearly a century

From 1790 to 1870, US marshals handled the national census, gathering population data from every district. The responsibility was gradually transferred to a separate federal office that would officially become the Census Bureau in 1902.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

Trace how the Bill of Rights, inspired by centuries of political theory, took shape between 1774 and 1789.

Abraham Lincoln was almost assassinated weeks before his inauguration as he traveled from Illinois to DC through Baltimore in 1861; it took two independent claims for Lincoln to be convinced the threat was real

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

See a 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was home to an estimated population of 200,000 to 400,000.

The identity of the Tank Man in the iconic photo from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests remains unknown and was possibly killed.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

The Mona Lisa's celebrity status and repeated restorations have obscured what made the painting so revolutionary for its time

Stanford built a Google Maps for the Roman Empire, revealing how much it cost to travel in the ancient world

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

Mid-century modern graphic designers, known for their bright colors and bold lines in advertising, also found success with children's books.

Walt Disney's early film 'Alice's Wonderland' was a groundbreaking innovation in the silent film era

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

Visualize the path of every solar eclipse from 1900 to 2099 and see what each looks like when observed from different locations on Earth.

In 2025, four executives from large tech companies were given positions in the US Army Reserves—including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, which reinforced Palantir's ties with the US military and its role as a leading defense partner.

70 years ago today, city officials in Santa Cruz, California, banned rock 'n' roll to protect its youth from corruption after witnessing a 'provocative' concert the night before.

The US first hosted the World Cup in 1994, a tournament that lives in soccer infamy for its poor planning and the murder of Colombian player Andres Escobar, who'd accidentally scored on his own net.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

Recent research found that the brain doesn't seem to massively rewire following amputation—upending earlier beliefs about the cause of phantom limb pain.