How ‘Nosferatu’ Reinvented the VampireWhile the 1897 novel ‘Dracula’ launched a genre of literature and film about vampires, a 1922 knock‑off film cast the villain in a whole new light.Read more
How England Evacuated London’s Children Ahead of World War IIOperation Pied Piper organized the evacuation of some 800,000 children from urban “target” locations in anticipation of Nazi bombings.Read more
The Year Election Night First Became a TV EventIn 1952, news stations combined two new technologies—the TV and the computer—to forever transform how voters experience election night.Read more
Gettysburg: Ghost Stories From the Civil War BattlefieldFor more than a century, people visiting Gettysburg have claimed to hear phantom footsteps, ghostly drumbeats and echoes of musket fire.Read more
When John Adams Signed a Law to Authorize Deportations and Jail CriticsThe 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts called for deportation of people from ‘hostile’ nations and made it a crime to criticize the government.Read more
Why Are There 19 Statues in the Korean War Memorial?The 19 steel statues in the Korean War Memorial represent both a literal, and symbolic tribute to those who fought in ‘America’s Forgotten War.’Read more
Hurricane Science: Key Advances in Tracking the Deadly StormsThe first recorded hurricane forecast was issued by a Jesuit priest in 1875. A series of critical tools have since refined the science.Read more
The Army General Who Invented MuzakEisenhower installed ‘elevator music’ in the White House and NASA used it in astronaut training, but its inventor came up with many other, more impactful inventions in his lifetime.Read more
How the Empire State Building Was Built in Record TimeWorkers completed the 102‑story, Art Deco‑style landmark in an astonishing one year and 45 days.Read more
How President Grover Cleveland Won Two Non‑Consecutive TermsPresident Cleveland is the only U.S. president to lose his first reelection bid—then return four years later to win back the White House.Read more
7 ‘October Surprises’ That Disrupted US Presidential ElectionsWhen scandalous news emerged in the final weeks of these presidential campaigns, election outcomes were at stake.Read more
Why (and How) Engineers Drained Niagara Falls in 1969For five months in 1969, water flowing to the New York side of Niagara Falls was diverted, leaving a 100‑foot‑high dry cliff.Read more