At 3 pm on Memorial Day, Americans are asked to pause for one minute of silence

The devastation of the American Civil War led to the establishment of Memorial Day

Tracing its origins to the post-Civil War era, Memorial Day began as local tributes to those who lost their lives in the war. Originally taking place annually on May 30, it was moved to the final Monday in May in 1971.

Thousands of musicians play 'Taps' simultaneously at 3 pm on Memorial Day

Taps Across America launched in 2020 when pandemic closures canceled parades and ceremonies. Tens of thousands of musicians now participate each year, playing the 24-note bugle call from porches and lawns across the country.

Bill of Rights Day is commemorated annually in the United States on Dec. 15

The date marks the 1791 ratification of the first 10 amendments. President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially established Bill of Rights Day in 1941, on the document's 150th anniversary. Hear the speech he gave on that day.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt turned the National Mall into a public memorial in 1987

First displayed on the National Mall, the AIDS Memorial Quilt comprised thousands of handmade panels honoring individuals who had died of AIDS. Its placement on the Mall was intended to force public recognition of the human cost of AIDS amid widespread government inaction.

Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest travel weekends of the year in the United States

In 2026, AAA estimated over 45 million Americans planned to travel over the long weekend, with approximately 87% of those trips made by car.

George Washington's birthday was a federal holiday until it was moved to the third Monday in February in 1968

Washington's February 22 birthday became a federal holiday in 1879. A 1968 law moved it to the third Monday in February, and decades of advertising popularized the unofficial name "Presidents' Day," which the federal government never formally adopted.

In the 1930s, Congress nearly passed a constitutional amendment requiring a national vote before declaring war

The Ludlow Amendment, proposed amid rising isolationism after World War I, would have required a national referendum before Congress could declare war, except in cases of direct attack. It was defeated 209 to 188 in 1938 after Roosevelt lobbied against it.

Creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day took 15 years of political advocacy

After Dr. King’s assassination, activists—including his wife Coretta Scott King—spent 15 years pushing Congress to create a federal holiday in his honor, facing repeated resistance before it was finally signed into law in 1983.

They lost loved ones on 9/11. Hear the heart-wrenching voicemails they'd leave for them.

NPR set up an old phone booth in Brooklyn Bridge Park — across the river from the new World Trade Center — and invited people to leave a voicemail for someone they lost that day.

How NATO responded to 9/11

The collective defense clause of the NATO constitution has only been invoked one time: after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States. This video explores the immediate actions NATO took to respond to the attacks to support the United States. These firsthand clips from 2001 give a sense of the magnitude of the moment and the difficult decisions facing NATO leaders at the time.

What would you have done on Armistice Day?

Armistice Day (now known as Veteran's Day in the United States), November 11, 1918, marked the end of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I. This collection of interactive videos and recordings of United Kingdom residents who fought in the war or supported those who did provides perspective on how individuals experienced that great day for themselves.

FDR stayed composed as he absorbed the news of Pearl Harbor

This video reconstructs Roosevelt’s steady, methodical response on Dec. 7, 1941, from his first briefing to drafting his speech to Congress. It demonstrates how FDR maintained composure and moved rapidly to prepare the nation for war.

Explore every War Powers Resolution report submitted to Congress since 1973

This NYU School of Law project catalogs all unclassified 48-hour reports submitted by presidents since the War Powers Resolution was enacted, with search options by president, location, and claimed legal authority.

Reactions inside the House chamber during the State of the Union are highly choreographed

Applause, silence, and coordinated standing—or refusal to stand—are deliberate signals during the State of the Union, used by lawmakers to broadcast allegiance or dissent. At the same time, military leaders and Supreme Court justices largely avoid reacting to preserve institutional neutrality.

'Through this unique means, I convey to you and all mankind, America’s wish for peace on Earth and goodwill to men everywhere.'

- President Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) sending a message from space

A 1990 law forced museums and federal agencies to return Native remains and sacred objects

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act required federally funded institutions to inventory and return Native American human remains and sacred items to descendant tribes.

The National Parks System is a popular attraction in the US

More than 16 billion people have visited the US National Park System since 1904. Curious about how something like World War II affected park visitation? This table of annual recreational visits spans the early 20th century through 2023, demonstrating the slow-but-steady rise in visitors over the decades.

The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in 1924

It was originally intended to promote Macy’s upcoming holiday sales. Although it took place on Thanksgiving Day, the parade was initially called the Macy’s Christmas Parade—the name didn’t change until 1927.

Alcohol often accompanies memorial ceremonies around the world

“Pouring one out” for the dead is something that exists across the globe, in various cultures and forms. From the Irish wake to the Korean Sangnye, alcohol is frequently used as a way to honor the deceased and comfort the living.

Norman Rockwell had a 21st-century resurgence

For decades, he was written off by the art world as a simplistic commercial artist, but critics began to reconsider Rockwell's work many years after his death. Arguably, the height of that resurgence came in 2011, when President Barack Obama hung "The Problem We All Live With" (on loan from the Norman Rockwell Museum) in the White House to mark the 50th anniversary of Ruby Bridges' desegregation walk.

Mother's Day is one of the restaurant industry's biggest days

Brunch is a popular activity for the holiday, leading to large parties, long lines, and big checks—in 2023, the National Retail Federation anticipated $5.6B spent on a meal or outing. That's made Mother's Day a notorious day for service workers, with CNN calling it "The most hated day in the restaurant industry."

More than 40 states have passed versions of the Uniform Declaration of Death Act

The 1981 model law, now enacted in most states, is the legal basis for death in the US. There have been many efforts to amend this law, citing the need for more transparency to improve trust between families and the medical profession, though none have moved forward. Alterations to the law could have implications for organ donations and removing life support.

Presidents have temporarily transferred power under the 25th Amendment during medical procedures

Section 3 of the 25th Amendment lets presidents temporarily transfer authority—without permanently giving up the office. Reagan, George W. Bush, and Biden each invoked it during medical procedures, briefly making their vice presidents acting president.

Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 for perjury and obstruction of justice

The House impeached President Bill Clinton over charges related to his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The Senate acquitted him on both counts in 1999, allowing him to finish his second term in office.

Watch a USA Memory Champion answer questions about memory

Six-time USA Memory Champion, Nelson Dellis, answers popular questions about memory, from how sleep, stress, emotion, and attention influence memory to ways techniques like the memory palace, mnemonics, and the PAO system can dramatically improve recall.

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

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.

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

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

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

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

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 concept of phantom limbs, the perception that amputated limbs are still present, dates back to a French military surgeon in the 16th century.

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.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

Brandi Chastain, the star of the 1999 US victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup, was a last-second choice to take the penalty kick that sealed the victory.

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.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by over 1.5 million Muslims.

A small portion of The Winstons' 'Amen, Brother,' an obscure '60s gospel record, is the basis for thousands of hip-hop tracks, making it one of the most sampled records ever that's informally known as 'the Amen break.'

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.