A primary source timeline of US history (1600-1968)

Travel in time to how people felt about major US events

Pollsters track more than just politics: From civil rights to war declarations, go back and see how people felt about major events in the US with this timeline.

Slavery in the US: a timeline

In 1619, a ship with 20 captives landed at Point Comfort in Virginia, ushering in the era of American slavery. Scroll through this timeline to learn more about slavery in the US and its long lasting effects.

Track the changes in US immigration law throughout history

This interactive timeline tracks the development of US immigration law, overlaid with time-series data on percentages of the foreign-born population. Explore how each major policy development correlated with immigration levels, revealing the relationship between legislation and demographic change.

See a timeline of colonial settlement in North America

This interactive timeline uses archival maps, illustrations, and documents to trace early American history—from the failed 1590 Roanoke colony and Indigenous accounts of a devastating smallpox epidemic to the political tensions that culminated in the Revolutionary War.

An interactive timeline of history, from beginning to middle

The history of humanity is a long, winding road, and the history of everything else is even more complex and interwoven. This interactive timeline takes users through the history of the world and includes links to related videos, blurbs, and events. Each event in history is represented by a dot, providing users with a glittering horizon filled with moments of intrigue and impact.

Explore a comprehensive archive of US presidential election data

This University of California, Santa Barbara archive compiles presidential election data from 1789 to the present, including popular vote totals, turnout figures, and contextual resources that explain how the electoral process and political landscape have evolved.

Explore the different experiences of immigrant communities arriving in the US

Immigrant communities experienced varied paths to entry and assimilation in America, depending on their arrival time and context. This Library of Congress resource provides detailed accounts of the experiences of major immigrant groups, drawing on primary sources.

The National Archives history resources for teachers

This free (with registration) resource provides a range of historical and primary source documents and tools for history teachers, compiled by the National Archives.

Newspaper headlines from a century ago today

The Library of Congress' Chronicling America project is dedicated to providing access to information about historic newspapers, with the goal of digitizing these windows into the country's past. This (among other archives) lets you explore a number of different local papers' front pages from a century ago on today's date.

Read through the actual text of the US Constitution

This helpful guide from the US Congress includes annotations that provide valuable insights into the background, crafting, and legacy of each article in the document. Additionally, the resource offers accessible legal analysis and interpretations.

37 maps that explain the American Civil War

This collection of 37 maps tells the story of the American Civil War as well as any historical account. See how and where the war began and why, and where the major battles were fought. Discover how the North achieved victory and the many ways the war changed America forever.

The United States is the world's oldest continuously operating federal system under a written constitution

The US pioneered federalism in the late 18th century, and many countries later adopted federal systems to manage conflict and share power. This resource features interactive maps that trace the spread of federal systems worldwide from 1900 to the present.

A detailed timeline of cross-strait relations

The contentious history between China and Taiwan is neatly detailed in this BBC News timeline. Stretching back over 300 years, see important historical periods and points that stand out in Taiwan's and the region's background. From its original annexation by China during the Qing Dynasty to the present day, get a better grip on Taiwan's identity and history.

Hear firsthand accounts from the 1963 March on Washington

This video features stories from people who attended the 1963 March on Washington—the largest demonstration in US history at the time—capturing what it felt like to witness a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights movement as it unfolded.

The US Constitution is widely regarded as the longest-standing written national constitution still in force—see how it has influenced rights worldwide.

Explore early Thanksgiving documents, from recipes to early proclamations

History buffs will love this trove of original documents related to the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving, including 18th-century recipes, one of Sarah Josepha Hale’s appeals to President Lincoln to establish the national holiday, and a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s original 1863 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. You can also find illustrations and photos of historical Thanksgiving celebrations over the years.

See a timeline of commercial radio history

Radio, as we know it, began in the 1910s. This FCC timeline traces the evolution of the medium over the century that followed, highlighting groundbreaking broadcasts, speeches, and technological breakthroughs.

A timeline of Wall Street's history

Wall Street's historical timeline starts with Wall Street getting its name in the 1600s and ends with details about the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011.

Take a multimedia journey through the thirteen days that nearly ended the world

In October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the US and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war. This interactive archive from the JFK Library reconstructs those tense days through documents, photos, and secretly recorded conversations from the Kennedy White House.

Explore a timeline of US dependence on crude oil from 1850 to 2023

Oil dependence began with the rise of oil as a commodity, followed by an era of geopolitical competition for the resource after World War II. The domestic fracking boom, which started around 2006, was driven by a desire to reduce the nation's dependence on international adversaries for energy.

A primer on USAID under the Trump Administration

The Congressional Research Service is a nonpartisan group dedicated solely to responding to questions and providing deeply researched explanations to members of Congress and their staff. The overview lays out the establishment of the US Agency for International Development in 1961, legal restrictions on its elimination, and options to restructure or fold USAID into other departments.

This year's first leaf and first bloom in the US, mapped

Spring tends to arrive within a range of dates in the contiguous US. See a map illustrating the most recent year's first leaf and first bloom in relation to historical averages to see how early or late the season arrived.

Most common jobs in the US

Most US government organizations list roughly 500 primary occupations that most Americans fall into, such as teachers and cashiers. Using data from the 2018 through 2022 American Community Survey, these graphics break down the most common jobs in the US by age, gender, and more. See the graphics here.

Hear a narrative account of Marshall's 'simple' life and great impact

This podcast traces Marshall's rise from a frontier upbringing to chief justice, examining how a "country boy" born in a log cabin became the most important figure in the early Supreme Court.

All US presidents, by generation

Every president is a member of a generation, and Baby Boomers have held the Oval Office since 1992 (with the exception of Joe Biden, of the Silent Generation). But what about in the early days? Turns out the generation with the most presidents is the Transcendental Generation (born between 1792-1821), which includes Abraham Lincoln. Check out the full list (and what are most likely very new generational terms) with this fun overview.

See a timeline of landmark discoveries in the field of genetics

From the first genetic map of fruit fly genes in 1911 through the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, scientists have built upon each other's discoveries to further our knowledge of the human body and the genetic instructions that inform our traits and disease risks.

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.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with Cuba since its 1959 revolution, highlighted by a nuclear crisis and a decades-long trade embargo.

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

A century of Billboard issues documenting the evolution of popular music.

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

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

Roughly 43 million US borrowers owe roughly $1.7T in student debt, the second-largest source of consumer debt behind mortgages.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

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

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

The story of Dollree Mapp, whose legal challenge over her 1957 conviction for possessing "obscene material" led to a major strengthening of the Fourth Amendment

Learn more about the history of fireworks, which dates back to an accidental invention during an alchemist's quest for information about immortality.

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

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

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

Researchers believe the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and plans for the future during dream states