CBS's Presper Eckert and Walter Cronkite, Election Night, 1952.

Elections Presidential .Supercalculateur Univac Computer Used For The American Elections: Presper Eckert And Walter Cronkite. 1952.Usa.

A public school room in Washington, D.C. circa late 1800s.

New Years Eve celebration at Times Square.

Jordan Friedman is a writer and editor based in New York City. His work has appeared in publications including Fortune Magazine, USA TODAY, U.S. News &amp; World Report and Mental Floss. You can find his work at <a href="https://www.jordanmatthewfriedman.com/">jordanmatthewfriedman.com</a>.

Jordan Friedman

Jordan Friedman is a writer and editor based in New York City. His work has appeared in publications including Fortune Magazine, USA TODAY, U.S. News &amp; World Report and Mental Floss. You can find his work at jordanmatthewfriedman.com.

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HISTORY

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America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

U.S. Government and Politics

The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.

Civil War

From religious and patriotic holidays to celebrations of ethnic pride, explore the history of Easter, Passover, New Year's Day, Veterans' Day, Memorial Day and more annual observances.

Annual Observances

Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.

Inventions & Science

The 1950s were a decade marked by the post-World War II boom, the dawn of the Cold War and the civil rights movement in the United States. At this time the U.S. economy was booming and more (mostly white) Americans could afford new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods. But the 1950s also saw great conflict and division, from the nascent civil rights movement to the crusade against communism at home and abroad in the Korean War.

Jordan Friedman

Stories

How Timekeeping Innovations Turned New Year’s Into a Midnight Celebration

The Rise and Rapid Fall of the First US Department of Education

The Year Election Night First Became a TV Event