Dave Roos

As the Donner Party fought to survive in the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, four brave rescue missions ensured some traumatized members made it out alive.

In 1804, Lewis and Clark set off on a journey filled with harrowing confrontations, harsh weather and fateful decisions as they scouted a route across the American West.

Horses were first introduced to Native American tribes via European explorers. For the buffalo-hunting Plains Indians, the swift, strong animals quickly became prized.

Elite Gilded Age families competed for status by building extravagant summer 'cottages' in Newport and throwing lavish parties.

At the close of the Civil War, people recently freed from slavery in Charleston honored fallen Union soldiers.

When scandalous news emerged in the final weeks of these presidential campaigns, election outcomes were at stake.

The explorers not only produced maps from their 1804-1806 expedition to the American West, they also recorded some 122 animals new to science.

In 1868, a U.S. Secretary of State promoted Greenland as a land that could empower the United States to 'command the commerce of the world.'

They include art looted by Nazis and antiquities snuck out of dig sites and auctioned. Museums are starting to repatriate the treasures.

Their ranks include daring criminals, a legendary pilot and a powerful union boss. None have been found.

The ancient office of the pope is rich in symbols and insignia. Here are some of the most visible and meaningful of the papal symbols.

Communist North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950 with the approval of Joseph Stalin and the promise of backing from China.

A 40-hour, five-day work week is now standard for full-time jobs in America, but that wasn't true until the 1930s.

Hungry bears—whether grizzly, black, brown or polar—can be shockingly brutal.

When a small, scrappy Mexican force handed the French army a surprise defeat in 1862, the Confederacy was denied a potential ally.

Eyewitnesses of the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake described fissures tearing open in the earth, rivers changing course, trees being swallowed up by liquefaction and solid ground rolling like waves in the ocean.

At the turn of the 20th century, there was life-changing money to be made in operating a “show cave.” Those prospects fueled fierce competition. 

Among seven Apollo moon landing missions, only one did not land men on the moon.

Humans have conceived versions of intelligent machines for centuries.

Details around the 1969 police shooting of Hampton and other Black Panther members took decades to come to light.

The Allied invasion of Normandy was among the largest military operations ever staged. Learn how many fighting forces took part, why it was called D-Day, stats on its planning, execution and more.

There have always been daredevils. But never has there been such a variety of creative ways to defy death—and break a few world records along the way.

The Founding Fathers had just broken free from one empire, and the idea that foreign power could influence their young democracy was a prominent source of anxiety.

The first strain of the 1918 flu wasn’t particularly deadly. Then it came back in the fall with a staggering death toll that eclipsed even the casualties of World War I.

After infecting millions of people worldwide, the 1918 flu strain shifted—and then stuck around.

Just weeks before the match, Soviet tanks and troops brutally crushed the short-lived Hungarian Revolution.

Opportunity in the United States beckoned—but first immigrants from Europe had to endure a grim journey.

With his political career in ruins after killing Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr set off to claim lands in the Southwest—and President Jefferson intended to stop him.

The 1914 conflict dealt a defeat so devastating that it drove a Russian general to suicide.

The history of U.S. presidential elections is filled with political conventions that were anything but predictable.

In the 1820s, no one had heard about an anti-establishment candidate—until Andrew Jackson's campaign invented it.

Mexican American families in California secured an early legal victory in the push against school segregation.

These eight objects played a role in the daily lives of people living in the cradle of Western civilization nearly 3,000 years ago.

Indigenous people routinely burned land to drive prey, clear underbrush and provide pastures.

Nearly 12,000 helicopters saw action in the Vietnam War and were critical for combat, scouting, rescue missions and more.

Gifted photographers and reporters captured images that conveyed the agony and violence of the Vietnam war, and the deep divisions it drove in American society.

Jesus wasn't the only one believed to have risen from the dead. Stories of resurrection appear in ancient cultures around the world.

From post-war recessions to the energy crisis to the dot-com and housing bubbles, some slumps have proven more lasting—and punishing—than others.

A 2,500-year-old mummy of a tattooed woman in a silk blouse was found in the remote Altai region of Central Asia. Who was she—and what does she reveal about her ancient people?

Early versions of a carpet cleaning device were pulled by a horse, but it was a janitor who came up with a portable model you could plug in.

The 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts called for deportation of people from 'hostile' nations and made it a crime to criticize the government.

Eggs offer an amazing package of nutrition—and humans have been poaching wild bird eggs since time immemorial. Keeping chickens to eat their eggs is a more recent (but still ancient) practice.

In a recession, the financial toll on households and businesses is significant, but manageable. In a depression, it’s overwhelming.

From a buck-toothed rodent to a shark that doesn't reach puberty until age 150, find out what creatures have the make-up for exceptional longevity.

"I am not the Catholic candidate for president,” JFK declared in 1960. “I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president, who happens also to be a Catholic."

Two of Christopher Columbus’ ships were so small that men had no refuge to sleep and poor food storage led to wormy meals.

Federalism, or the separation of powers between state and federal government, was entirely new when the founders baked it into the Constitution.

Some lame-duck presidents and lawmakers managed to pack in major, sometimes stinging initiatives during their final weeks in office.

These dietary staples were cultivated over thousands of years by Indigenous peoples of America.

Did humans first set foot in the Americas after walking—or sailing or paddling by sea?

From a magnet that can lift an aircraft carrier to a turbine blade longer than a football field, these brawny behemoths get the big jobs done.

From carefully staged speeches to radio to Twitter, U.S. presidents have always leveraged the cutting edge to connect directly with voters.

People living in this Bronze Age civilization crafted unique objects that shed light on life in ancient China some 3,200 years ago.

The shocking deaths of seven people in the Chicago area from tampered bottles led to a massive recall—and generated fears around candy poisonings.

Black Friday hasn't always been about shopping for sales at obscenely early hours the day after Thanksgiving.

The ancient Celts were a widespread group of tribes whose rich culture has been identified through burials, artifacts and language.

In the post-Civil War era, when many Americans were reeling from loss, a photographer claiming to capture ghosts on film enjoyed swift business.

Evidence of powerful earthquakes linked to the Vesuvius eruption adds to the story about why so many people perished at Pompeii in 79 A.D.

Way back in the 14th century, public health officials didn't understand bacteria or viruses, but they understood the importance of keeping a distance and disinfecting.

The town of Ferrara managed to avoid even a single death from the widespread contagion. How did they do it?

The vibrant network opened up exchanges between far-flung cultures throughout central Eurasia.

The wrenching images and first-hand testimonies of Dachau recorded by U.S. soldiers brought the horrors of the Holocaust home to America.

In the first half of the 20th century, U.S. educators shunned homework. The Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1 changed that.

A temporary solution to organize Germany into four occupation zones led to a divided nation under the Cold War.

The massive British corporation was founded under Queen Elizabeth I and rose to exploit overseas trade and become a dominating global player.

More than 35,000 volunteers from 52 countries poured into Spain to help fight fascist-backed Nationalists led by Francisco Franco.

To see the epic performances at Woodstock, attendees endured crowds, rain, minimal food and water—and lots of mud.

Woodstock 1969 was plagued by stormy weather and technical problems, but it produced a string of musical performances that resonate a half-century later.

Since the Civil War, forces have deployed aerial surveillance gadgets from balloons to robotic dragonflies.

Ancient historians describe Alexander offering prize money to those men who climbed towering cliff faces in the fastest time.

U.S. Supreme Court justices have generally deferred to precedent, but there have been notable exceptions.

Charles Richter worked with Beno Gutenberg to develop one of the first data-driven ways of comparing earthquakes.

The tsunami was the deadliest in recorded history, taking 230,000 lives in a matter of hours.

From pandemics to wars to natural disasters, these events took the highest tolls on American lives.

Wright designed the iconic home perched over a waterfall in 1934 as a full realization of what he called "organic architecture."

The longest cave system winds for more than 400 miles, but others on the list haven't even been fully explored yet.

Tanks—particularly the M1A1 Abrams—proved critical for U.S.-led coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War.

The document was designed to prove to the world (especially France) that the colonists were right to defy King George III's rule.

An estimated 30,000 Hessian troops were tapped by rulers in German territories. Some welcomed the journey abroad; others were forced to join the fight.

Neil Armstrong’s celebrated “one small step” was far from the most dangerous maneuver in the effort to send three men to the moon and return them home a week later. See a timeline of the entire mission.

A brash, self-made millionaire helped fund the fight for independence, but after the war, he ended up in debtor's prison.

Alexander used both military and political cunning to finally unseat the Persian superpower.

Hammurabi's Code may get all the attention, but barley and wool were the mainstays of Babylonian day-to-day life and commerce.

In April 1896, Thomas Edison rented a New York Vaudeville hall to show a film—an event that many consider to be America's first movie theater experience.

The Yippies found their voice by organizing an absurdist counter-convention—including nominating a pig for president.

A Senate impeachment trial is modeled on the criminal trial process—except the Supreme Court chief justice presides and senators act as jurors.

The 1980s battle over safety belt laws reflected widespread ambivalence over the role and value of government regulation.

In 1997, 39 members of a religious sect were found dead by suicide inside a San Diego mansion. Why did they do it?

The Kennedy patriarch amassed great wealth partly by selling alcohol, but he also made savvy deals and sales that became extremely lucrative.

Kingpins like Al Capone were able to rake in up to $100 million each year thanks to the overwhelming business opportunity of illegal booze.

Wars, oil crises and a pandemic have all played a part in driving up inflation over the past century in the United States.

After mounting tensions between Catholic nationalists and Protestant loyalists, particularly in Belfast and Derry, violence broke out in the late 1960s.

Oswald's would-be victim on April 10, 1963, was an ultra-conservative firebrand named Edwin Walker.

From the 17th century onward, European and colonial homeowners stashed odd objects in their houses as added security.

Armed with inexpensive tools, treasure-hunting hobbyists the world over have made some momentous and valuable finds.

Framers of the Constitution identified just three requirements. The 14th and 22nd Amendments added two more.

Some presidential elections have been decided by just a few thousand votes—or even a few hundred.

These presidents (including one who later became very unpopular) arrived at the White House with overwhelming margins of victory.

From songs to toys to cigarette packs, presidential candidates have found creative ways to reach the public.