Becky Little

Becky Little

Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Bluesky.

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First-grade students at Public School 60 in Baltimore say the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag in June 1955.

The pledge, as recited by U.S. schoolchildren, wasn’t standardized until World War II, and didn’t contain “under God” until 1954.

From Asia to the United States, 'eighth wonders' span the globe.

Flowers left outside the home of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy on N. Moore St. in New York City.

The son of the famous president died in the 1999 accident, along with his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette.

The concept of a third world war has been around for a long time—not as something that might happen, but something that <em>will</em>.

While the war raged overseas, soldiers and civilians worked furiously to protect the capital against rising waters.

How the Flu Became Endemic

Since the 1940s, the World Health Organization has worked with different countries to keep the flu endemic by identifying strains and watching for signs of a pandemic.

Congress gets a record number of women, The U.K. “brexits” and we commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Maurice Hilleman

By the time the virus reached the U.S., the country already had a vaccine ready.

Doctors, army officers, and reporters wear surgical gowns and masks at a hospital to observe Spanish influenza treatment of patients

Once it was over, no one wanted to talk about it.

If not for the former White House counsel, Nixon might never have resigned.

Think acronyms are a product of the digital era? Think again.

The Elephant Man

For over a century, the famously deformed 27-year-old’s final resting place was a mystery. One of his biographers believes she’s finally found his burial plot.

19th-century congressmen went to work carrying pistols and bowie knives—and sometimes used them on colleagues.

Fugitive Slave

Unlike the northern free states, Mexico didn’t agree to return people who had fled slavery.

Esther Peterson

Esther Eggertsen Peterson was a driving force behind the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and also pushed for better child care resources.

A staged photo of a U.S. postman carrying a baby boy along with his letters, circa 1900s. (Credit: Vintage Images/Getty Images)

In the early days of U.S. parcel service, there weren’t clear guidelines about what you could and couldn’t mail.

Calvin Coolidge and Native American group at White House

Native Americans won U.S. citizenship in 1924, but the struggle for voting rights stretched on for much longer.

After the election went to the House of Representatives, an anonymous letter accused two of the candidates of making a 'corrupt bargain.'

Tom Torlino

Once they returned home, Native American children struggled to relate to their families after being taught that it was wrong to speak their language or practice their religion.

Freddie and Truus Oversteegen sometimes ambushed Nazi officers from their bicycles—and never revealed how many they had assassinated.

Augustus Caesar

Augustus told Romans he was the only one who could save Rome. And they believed him.

President Nixon's 'Honor America Day' featured the Rev. Billy Graham and Bob Hope in an Independence Day event that critics saw as a pro-Vietnam War rally.

The tradition began during a time of national sorrow.

The Women’s Voluntary Services provide tea and sandwiches at the Liverpool Street station in October 1940.

As Hitler bombed London, its citizens set up makeshift beds in rail cars, on escalators and even in tunnels to get a night's sleep.

Detail from a painting of Saint George slaying the dragon, 1434-35 by artist Bernat Martorell.

Ancient people may have been crafting an archetypal villain.

Every president since Kennedy has carried the nuclear football, but none have ever used it.

Cave paintings found in the Cave of Altamira.

Tiny hand stencils and other clues point to children’s participation in cave art.

DNA discovery, X-ray diffraction, 1952

The photo, captured by Franklin in 1952, is among the most significant in scientific history and lent vital clues to how DNA functions.

Why Did US Forces Dump Osama Bin Laden’s Body at Sea?

Political, religious and practical considerations all played a role.

Whitman Mission

Missionaries laid the foundation for communities and governance in the American frontier.

Colorized reconstructions of classical Greek bronze statues found near Riace, Italy at an exhibit of colorized reproductions.

The statues were meant to be vivid and lifelike. They were covered in paint, decorated in wreaths and even scented with perfume.

Pumpkin Spice

A key ingredient in the flavor was discovered on ancient pottery shards in Indonesia, revealing it has been around for a long, looooong time.

Claims the Apollo 11 mission was staged began soon after astronauts first set foot on the moon in 1969.

In 1931, a Commission of crime families began running New York City rackets, initiating an era of colorful nicknames and violent power struggles.

After the assassination, King's family did not trust the findings of the FBI, which had harassed the civil rights leader while he was alive.

A woman is flanked by portraits of Soviet leaders Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. Lenin was the USSR's first ruler; Stalin served the longest.

From Stalin's reign of terror to Gorbachev and glasnost, meet the eight leaders who presided over the USSR.

Candy Corn

The tri-colored confection was designed to look like chicken feed and came out at a time when about half of Americans worked on farms.

Shroud of Turin

The controversial shroud that is claimed to have once covered the body of Jesus first appeared in the 1350s and is now available for online viewing.

The Shroud of Turin- A Fake?

The latest analysis adds to a centuries-long debate over the shroud’s authenticity.

Why the Roaring Twenties Weren’t 'Roaring' for Everyone

For some, the Great Depression began in the 1920s.

Rodney Alcala

Rodney Alcala won a 1978 episode of 'The Dating Game' in the middle of a murder spree.

Newt Gingrich was offended that Clinton hadn't talked to him on Air Force One.

NASA created simulations that mimicked everything from the moon’s gravity to its landscape.

The shocking disaster delayed the speech for one week.

Number 18 of the Arthur Murray Girls, a professional women's baseball team, in action, at a game in 1953. The team was formed on Long Island six years earlier.

The league was supposed to be temporary, but went on for 12 seasons.

'Arsenic and Old Lace': The Real Murders Behind the Halloween Classic Film

The writer behind the play, which was made into a Cary Grant film, had studied the records of convicted murderer Amy Archer-Gilligan.

Haunted House

People were outraged when teenage boys vandalized towns on October 31, 1933—so they found a way to keep them inside.

Julius Caesar invading Britain

At its peak, Rome stretched over much of Europe and the Middle East.

Nixon with the Watergate transcripts

After President Nixon refused to release his secret tapes, Congress ruled that they were the government’s property, not his.