HISTORY.com Editors

Preserved by icy waters, the majestic wooden ship of the infamous 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition is revealed in images from the deep of the Weddell Sea.

Christopher Columbus' 1492 arrival in the Americas controversially changed the world and the lives of the Indigenous people he encountered.

See the actor’s six-decade journey from stage to screen.

The practice can be traced to the ancient Celts, early Roman Catholics and 17th-century British politics.

When Neil Armstrong stepped down a ladder and onto the moon on July 20, 1969, the nation achieved an audacious vision. But there were surprising moments along the way and not everything went as expected.

Some have connected the site with the alleged government coverup of an alien spacecraft crash. Others claim the moon landing was filmed there. If that's not true, what is?

D-Day was a historic World War II invasion, but the events of June 6, 1944 encompassed much more than a key military victory.

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, these 250 people stand out as among the most influential in shaping America.

Revisit history’s defining conflict, from the rise of fascism to Hiroshima, through new insights and human stories. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 destroyed Black Wall Street in Greenwood, Tulsa.

The March 17 holiday is steeped in myths. These St. Patrick’s Day facts share the fun, surprising truth about the celebration.

Aileen Wuornos, Ed Gein and Dennis Rader left infamous legacies.

These standout titles don’t just recount battles.

These 12 trailblazers in government, arts, advocacy, business and sports helped shaped American history.

From 'I Have a Dream' to 'Beyond Vietnam,' revisit the words and messages of the legendary civil rights leader.

On December 7, 1941, a surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor shocked America. These are the stories of veterans who were there.

On the morning of December 7, 1941 Paul Kennedy found himself staring straight at an incoming Japanese aircraft.

Perfect picks for the wanna-be time traveler on your list.

As a first-grader, her image became an emotional symbol for civil rights and educational equality.

Before we carved pumpkins, the Irish chiseled creepy faces onto turnips.

From pagan rituals to costumes and candy corn, discover how Halloween—and its associated traditions—has evolved through the ages.

U.S. presidents have received elaborate welcomes by the British monarchy since 1918.

From its colors to the rendering of a snake-eating eagle, the Mexican flag is packed with symbolism and history.

These people went off the beaten track. Then things went horribly wrong.

These aircraft, tanks, rocket launchers and more serve as the workhorses of American warfare. One has even earned the nickname "the finger of God."

Chris Mellon believes the government should more aggressively gather intel on military UFO sightings, some of which were captured on video.

Civil War secrets found in a battlefield garbage pile. A jewel thief in a powdered wig who hastened Marie Antoinette’s downfall. A Supreme Court showdown started by barmaids. Discover 25 fascinating—and often overlooked—moments that made history.

A brutally drawn-out election in 1271 led to the formation of the secretive, secluded conclave—and quicker elections.

A look back at some pivotal moments in the complicated relationship between the two superpowers.

Which famous French explorer is credited with naming them?

Their backstories may surprise you.

Halloween's focus on horror and make believe has spawned creepy legends, ghost stories—and hoaxes.

From witches to zombies to creepy clowns, the season's hair-raising legends all formed from decades—to centuries—of lore.

The Woodstock music festival may not have been a smoothly run event, but it featured electric moments—musical and otherwise—that made it unforgettable.

A diplomat who used the power of paperwork, a 16-year-old girl who shot Nazis from her bicycle and a teacher who hid Jewish children in baskets were among those who risked their lives to save others during World War II.

The 20-foot piece of the NASA space shuttle was found off the coast of Florida during the filming of the new HISTORY Channel series, 'The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters.'

Images show devastation during the 2001 terror attacks, and the tragic aftermath.

Watch videos about the attacks of 9/11 and the aftermath.

The struggle for LGBTQ rights dates at least as far back as 1924 and accelerated in the wake of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising.

He's America's first president. The icon we all think we know. But in reality, he was a complicated human being.

If you’ve ever received an anonymous flower basket at your doorstep on the first day of May, you may have been the recipient of a May Day basket.

This HISTORY Channel podcast, produced in partnership with WNYC Studios, was honored with a 2024 Peabody Award.

Meet the standout soldiers, spies and homefront forces who fought in American conflicts, from the Revolution to World War II.

'After Auschwitz, the human condition is no longer the same. After Auschwitz, nothing will ever be the same.' —Elie Wiesel.

On the morning of 9/11 in New York City, ordinary people picked up video cameras and recorded. This is what they saw—and how they reflected on the experience years later.

The first Indigenous cabinet member in U.S. history, Haaland hails from a lineage of 35 generations based in New Mexico.

These videos showcase the vision and hope John F. Kennedy inspired in Americans—and the immense national grief they shared upon his death.

Stories of a ghostly President Lincoln wandering the corridors and rooms of the White House have persisted for more than a century.

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between Western democracies and communist nations such as China and the Soviet Union.

The Civil War began in 1861 after years of tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states rights and westward expansion.

The Holocaust was the persecution and murder of millions of Jews, Roma, political dissidents, homosexuals and more by Hitler's Nazi regime.

The Super Bowl football game takes place each year to determine the NFL champion. The 2027 Super Bowl LXI will take place February 14 2027.

Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is the start of the Chinese calendar, and February 6, 2027, begins the Year of the Fire Goat (or Ram).

The NASA shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986, killing all 7 crew members, including Christa McAuliffe.

Roe v. Wade was a 1973 legal decision in which the Supreme Court struck down a statute banning abortion, effectively legalizing abortion.

Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, declaring that enslaved people in some states shall be forever free.

The Civil Rights Movement was a struggle for justice and equality for Black Americans that took place mainly in the 1950s and 1960s.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a social activist and a leader of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s until his assassination in 1968.

The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, were inventors and aviators who achieved one of the first flights with a powered airplane.

The ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution–which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors–ushered in a 13-year period in American history known as Prohibition.

Prior to the 25th Amendment, presidential succession procedures existed, but they were vague and didn’t cover every contingency.

Since the Constitution was ratified in 1789, hundreds of thousands of bills have been introduced attempting to amend the nation's founding document. But only 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution have been ratified, out of 33 passed by Congress and sent to the states. See summaries of all 27.

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest staged on December 16, 1773, when American colonists dumped British tea into Boston harbor.

The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution protecting the rights of citizens, were ratified on December 15, 1791.

The Battle of the Bulge occurred from December 1944 to January 1945, when Germany launched a blitzkrieg against Allied forces in Europe.

The winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year. In 2026, in the Northern Hemisphere, it takes place on December 21.

Most New Year’s festivities begin on December 31, New Year’s Eve, and last into January 1, New Year’s Day. The holiday has ancient roots.

Kwanzaa is a one-week holiday that ends on New Years Day. Founded in 1966, Kwanzaa combines aspects of several African harvest celebrations.

The 1980s were a decade of political conservatism, such as Ronald Reagan’s Reaganomics, and of blockbuster movies, MTV music and technology.

The Nanjing Massacre, or the Rape of Nanjing, was the 1937 sacking of Nanjing by Japanese forces during the early years of World War II.

The Russian Revolution was a series of uprisings from 1905 to 1917 led by peasants, laborers and Bolsheviks against the czarist Romanovs.

From Spanish colonialism and civil rights laws to Supreme Court decisions on immigration, here's a timeline of events in Hispanic history.

Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama—also known as the Buddha—more than 2,500 years ago in India, has up to 500 million followers.

The Dust Bowl, the drought-stricken Southern and Central Plains during the 1930s, was one of the worst disasters in U.S. history.

Hinduism may be the world’s oldest religion, dating back more than 4,000 years, and is the third-largest behind Christianity and Islam.

Francisco Franco ruled Spain as a dictator from 1939 to 1975, rising to power in the Spanish Civil War and repressing political opponents.

Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base in Hawaii that was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading the U.S. to enter World War II.

The 8-day Jewish holiday known as Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt.

The Black Death was a devastating pandemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s, killing about 50 million people.

The Tea Act of 1773 was a British tax on tea imported into the American colonies. It led to the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War.

Christopher Columbus, an explorer who stumbled upon the Americas, started centuries of colonialism and the exploitation of Native Americans.

The Tet Offensive of 1968 was a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks against more than 100 cities and outposts in U.S.-supported South Vietnam.

Operation Rolling Thunder (Mar 2, 1965 – Nov 1, 1968) was the codename for an American bombing campaign during the Vietnam War.

The fall equinox is the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Arriving in September, the day has spawned rituals in many cultures.

The Fertile Crescent, known as the “cradle of civilization,” is the crescent-shaped region comprising ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia, a region of southwest Asia in the Tigris-Euphrates river valley, is in the Fertile Cresent and "the cradle of civilization."

The Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest written legal codes, was established by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who reigned 1792—1750 B.C.

In August 1964, after two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin were attacked by North Vietnamese forces, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorized President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate. The resolution became the legal basis for the United States to enter the Vietnam War.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, fought from March 13 to May 7, 1954, was a decisive Vietnamese military victory that brought an end to French colonial rule in Vietnam.

A guide to the complex political and military issues involved in a war that would ultimately claim millions of lives.

The Townshend Acts were a series of measures passed by the British Parliament in 1767 that taxed goods imported to the American colonies.

Who Was Daniel Ellsberg? In 1967, at the request of U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, a team of analysts working for the Department of Defense prepared a highly classified study of the U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam from the...

Vietnam War protests began among antiwar activists and students, then gained prominence in 1965 when the U.S. military began bombing North Vietnam heavily.

Vietnamization was a strategy that aimed to reduce American involvement in the Vietnam War by transferring all military responsibilities to South Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S military engaged in an aggressive program of chemical warfare codenamed Operation Ranch Hand.

The Vietnam War was a divisive conflict that pitted North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States.

Santa Claus, otherwise known as St. Nicholas or Kris Kringle, has a long history steeped in Christmas holiday traditions.

Germany is credited with popularizing Christmas trees as we know them today, and by the 1800s, this tradition made its way to America.