History

on October 17, 2021 at 11:13 am

The Mystery of Bosnia’s Ancient Pyramids. An amateur archaeologist says he’s discovered the world’s oldest pyramids in the Balkans. But many experts remain dubious

on October 16, 2021 at 6:09 pm

Cavalieri's principle was originally called the method of indivisibles, the name it was known by in Renaissance Europe.Cavalieri developed a complete theory of indivisibles, elaborated in his […]

on October 16, 2021 at 12:44 am

The first pyramids (called step pyramids) were formed of large squares stacked one on top of the other, squares which became smaller and smaller close to the top of the pyramids. Archaeologists […]

by Melinda Beck on October 15, 2021 at 9:23 pm

Some 200 years before the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, courts in Europe were convicting men—and some women—of transforming into werewolves and mutilating and eating children. […]

by John Banks on October 15, 2021 at 4:53 pm

In the depths of the Depression, Joe Engel, the "Baron of Baloney," would do almost anything to promote his minor league baseball team. The owner of the Chattanooga (Tennessee) Lookouts traded a […]

by Karen Juanita Carrillo on October 15, 2021 at 1:46 pm

Latino inventors have created revolutionary devices that have transformed our everyday world—and often changed how we live. These innovations have helped advance technological, pharmaceutical […]

on October 15, 2021 at 9:14 am

The Egyptian Pyramids at Giza provide an opportunity to explore the history of archaeology and to learn about some of the modern methods shaping the discipline today. This introductory course will […]

by History.com Editors on October 14, 2021 at 8:23 pm

On April 14, 1996, third-round leader Greg Norman loses a six-shot lead in the final round of the Masters golf tournament and finishes second—one of the worst collapses in sports history. Nick […]

by History.com Editors on October 14, 2021 at 5:33 pm

On March 29, 1982, 19-year-old North Carolina freshman Michael Jordan makes a 16-foot jump shot with 15 seconds left to give the Tar Heels a 63-62 win over Georgetown for the NCAA Tournament […]

by Christopher Klein on October 13, 2021 at 11:07 pm

Aviation accidents are so rare that they naturally make front-page news. Some plane crashes, however, have left lasting imprints due to their unique circumstances or indelible images. Although not […]

by Christopher Klein on October 13, 2021 at 6:46 pm

The first baseball player from Latin America to collect 3,000 hits, Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente won four batting crowns, 12 Gold Glove Awards and the 1966 National League Most Valuable Player […]

by Chris Mueller on October 13, 2021 at 3:24 pm

The Hail Mary is one of the most dramatic plays in sports, an all-or-nothing proposition that can stun a crowd into silence or bring it to its feet. The play didn’t acquire a nickname that […]

by Elizabeth Yuko on October 13, 2021 at 1:55 pm

Among superstitions, one of the oldest and most enduring is that crossing paths with a black cat will bring on bad luck. The dark-colored felines have also been folded into modern Halloween symbols, […]

on October 13, 2021 at 10:06 am

So, in honor of the Moon landings, which may or may not have happened (please hold your judgments until the end) here is the most compelling evidence, obviously compiled by an expert, that the ...

on October 13, 2021 at 9:09 am

It is only seven months since NASA's made a bold decision to send Apollo 8 all the way to the moon on the first manned flight of the massive Saturn V rocket. Now, on the morning of July 16, Apollo 11 […]

on October 13, 2021 at 12:26 am

The Moon Landing. The historic event captivated the world—and helped people look to the future. On July 20, 1969, millions of people gathered around their televisions to watch two U.S. […]

on October 12, 2021 at 9:13 pm

A Moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon.This includes both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, […]

on October 12, 2021 at 5:24 pm

Timeline of the 1969 Moon Landing. At 9:32 a.m. EDT on July 16, with the world watching, Apollo 11 took off from Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael ...

by History.com Editors on October 12, 2021 at 5:10 pm

On March 16, 1955, NHL president Clarence Campbell suspends Montreal Canadiens star Maurice “Rocket” Richard for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs after he attacks an […]

by Lesley Kennedy on October 12, 2021 at 4:15 pm

Women's sports were widely condemned in the 1890s. Modern Olympics Games founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin called the activities "indecent," and even bicycle riding by women was decried as "vicious" […]

by Kieran Mulvaney on October 12, 2021 at 3:39 pm

At first, none of the passengers panicked. Few even showed much alarm. Most of the 45 on board were in their late teens and early twenties, members of a rugby team traveling from Uruguay to play an […]

by History.com Editors on October 12, 2021 at 2:59 pm

On March 22, 1934, the first Masters golf championships tees off in Augusta, Georgia. The Augusta National Golf Club course presents difficulties for many of the golfers, but Emmet French, Jimmy […]

by Becky Little on October 12, 2021 at 2:21 pm

The construction of the Statue of Liberty was a joint project between France and the United States. France was supposed to build the copper statue of a woman raising a torch, and the United States […]

on October 12, 2021 at 9:10 am

The Apollo Moon Landing was a Hoax. In July of 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins landed on the moon along with their rocket Apollo 11. While this was literally a huge […]

on October 11, 2021 at 1:07 pm

The Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969 was one of the most astonishing achievements in human history. That day, an estimated 530 million TV viewers watched U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and ...

by Lakshmi Gandhi on October 8, 2021 at 7:49 pm

Construction on the Transcontinental Railroad began on January 8, 1863 in Sacramento, when workers for the Central Pacific Railroad first broke ground for the track. Eleven months later, their […]

by Sam Robinson on October 7, 2021 at 7:39 pm

On Christmas Eve 1950, in wind chill that made the temperature feel close to zero, one of the greatest football games in NFL history was played between the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns. The […]

by History.com Editors on October 7, 2021 at 4:59 pm

The Knights of Labor was founded as a secret society of tailors in Philadelphia in 1869. It grew in size and prominence in the early days of the American labor movement from the mid- to late-1800s […]

by Dave Roos on October 7, 2021 at 3:51 pm

In a way, the American Revolution was also a civil war. By 1774, American colonists were divided into two camps: patriots and loyalists. Hotheaded patriots like the Sons of Liberty wanted to rid […]

by Christopher Klein on October 7, 2021 at 1:24 pm

The World Series has produced many moments of incredible drama, but only in 1960 has the Fall Classic ended with a Game 7 home run. That World Series was among the wildest in baseball history as the […]

by History.com Editors on October 6, 2021 at 8:12 pm

On November 7, 1775, John Murray, fourth Earl of Dunmore and governor of the British colony of Virginia, wrote the document known as Dunmore’s Proclamation. It promised freedom to any […]

by History.com Editors on October 6, 2021 at 3:09 pm

On March 15, 1869, Cincinnati attorney Aaron Champion hires former cricket player Harry Wright to organize, manage and play for the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who become the first professional […]

by Phil Sheridan on October 6, 2021 at 2:04 pm

The seventh-inning stretch, when fans rise from their seats for a brief break after the top of that inning is complete, is as much a part of Major League Baseball as beer at ballparks and […]

by History.com Editors on October 5, 2021 at 4:07 pm

On March 9, 1979, the 26 Major League Baseball teams are ordered by MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn to allow equal access to all reporters, regardless of sex. The commissioner’s order comes […]

by History.com Editors on October 5, 2021 at 3:28 pm

On March 22, 1893, the first women’s college basketball game is played at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. With each made basket counting as one point and the game lasting two […]

by History.com Editors on October 5, 2021 at 2:42 pm

On March 5, 1966, Marvin Miller, the 48-year-old assistant to the president of the United Steelworkers of America, is elected the first full-time executive director of the Major League Baseball […]

by Elizabeth Yuko on October 5, 2021 at 1:43 pm

While belief in an afterlife is a cornerstone of many ancient and modern religions and cultures worldwide, the idea that it’s possible to communicate with the dead never reached the same level […]

by Becky Little on October 5, 2021 at 12:18 pm

What does the oldest known art in the world tell us about the people who created it? Images painted, drawn or carved onto rocks and cave walls—which have been found across the […]

by Sarah Pruitt on October 4, 2021 at 2:14 pm

In early 1692, several girls in the colonial Massachusetts village of Salem began exhibiting strange symptoms, including twitching, barking, and complaining of being pinched or pricked by invisible […]

by Christopher Klein on September 30, 2021 at 7:44 pm

Before gaining his greatest fame with the New York Yankees, Babe Ruth was a star with the rival Boston Red Sox. As an ace pitcher and slugging outfielder, Ruth helped Boston win three World […]

by History.com Editors on September 30, 2021 at 3:23 pm

On March 4, 2004, Mianne Bagger, a golfer from Denmark, makes history at the Women’s Australian Open as the first transgender athlete to compete in a professional golf tournament. Bagger shoots […]

by Christopher Klein on September 30, 2021 at 3:16 pm

For thousands of years, mankind has engineered remarkable structures such as the pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China. More recently, visionary engineers have undertaken massive […]

by History.com Editors on September 30, 2021 at 2:53 pm

On March 4, 1990, Loyola Marymount University star senior forward Hank Gathers sprints down the court during a West Coast Conference tournament game, leaps and catches an alley-oop pass, slams down […]

by Chris Mueller on September 29, 2021 at 8:04 pm

Most rivalries in professional sports don't have the intensity or tradition of historical college matchups, many of which date to the late 19th century. Nearly every college has a rivalry game, but […]

by Pat McManamon on September 28, 2021 at 4:59 pm

John Heisman may be best known for the college football trophy that bears his name. But the Ohio-born man's impact on the game went far beyond the award given annually to the top player in college […]

by Chris Mueller on September 27, 2021 at 8:51 pm

NFL quarterbacks before 1960 played under different rules than their modern counterparts, who play a game much more heavily tilted to favor offense. But these pre-1960 quarterbacks—all […]

by Sarah Pruitt on September 27, 2021 at 8:37 pm

At the center of the Salem witch trials were a core group of accusers, all girls and young women ranging in age from nine to 20, who screamed, writhed, barked and displayed other horrifying symptoms […]

by History.com Editors on September 27, 2021 at 5:55 pm

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. In its wake came the separation of […]

by Lesley Kennedy on September 27, 2021 at 4:36 pm

The Renaissance, roughly spanning the 14th to 17th centuries, marked a time of cultural, intellectual and scientific advances. From European discoveries of continents and shipping routes to new views […]

by Lesley Kennedy on September 27, 2021 at 2:55 pm

Sometimes Hollywood gets portrayals of real-life characters and events right. But movie makers often spin a story for their benefit at the box office. Here are seven famous sports movies and the real […]

by History.com Editors on September 24, 2021 at 6:45 pm

On January 17, 1995, after years of poor attendance at home games and poor on-field performance, Los Angeles Rams ownership announces the team will move to St. Louis. The relocation, which the league […]

by Lakshmi Gandhi on September 24, 2021 at 6:38 pm

Hundreds of years before there was the American cowboy, there was the vaquero, an expert horseman who could adeptly herd cattle and whose skills with a lasso were legendary. First trained by the […]

by History.com Editors on September 24, 2021 at 6:18 pm

On January 19,  1972, 36-year-old Sandy Koufax, the former Los Angeles Dodgers star, becomes the youngest player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. "This is the only thing that's made […]

by History.com Editors on September 24, 2021 at 5:32 pm

On January 14, 1973, the Miami Dolphins achieve something no NFL team has  repeated: a perfect season. Despite a gaffe by kicker Garo Yepremian that has earned its own place in history, the […]

by Christopher Klein on September 24, 2021 at 4:38 pm

Frosty temperatures are typical for National Football League playoff games, but never have football fans and players shivered as much as they did on January 10, 1982, when the Cincinnati Bengals […]

by History.com Editors on September 24, 2021 at 3:26 pm

On January, 9, 1972, the longest winning streak in major professional sports is snapped at 33 games when the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-104. A 39-point performance by the […]

by History.com Editors on September 24, 2021 at 2:33 pm

At an energetic rally on the evening of January 19, 2004, Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean emits a noise that many will claim ended his career in electoral politics. The “Dean […]

by Patrick J. Kiger on September 23, 2021 at 7:20 pm

The 13 British colonies that eventually became the United States in some ways were more different than they were alike. They were founded for a diverse range of reasons, from the pursuit of fortunes […]

by History.com Editors on September 23, 2021 at 3:10 pm

On February 13, 1923, the New York Renaissance, the first all-Black professional basketball team, is organized. The Renaissance, commonly called the Rens, become one of the dominant teams of the […]

by History.com Editors on September 23, 2021 at 2:01 pm

On February 22, 1969, 19-year-old Barbara Jo Rubin becomes the first female jockey to win a race at an American thoroughbred track when she rides Cohesion to a victory by a neck over Reely Beeg in […]

by History.com Editors on September 22, 2021 at 7:55 pm

On February 18, 2006, Shani Davis becomes the first Black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympics history, capturing the men's 1,000-meter speedskating race. American Joey Cheek […]

by John Banks on September 22, 2021 at 5:06 pm

The longest game in NFL history featured 13 future Hall of Fame players, two future Hall of Fame head coaches, starting quarterbacks who would finish their careers with a combined three Super Bowl […]

by History.com Editors on September 22, 2021 at 3:23 pm

On February 8, 1936, at Philadelphia’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel, University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger, the first Heisman Trophy winner, is picked No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia […]

by History.com Editors on September 21, 2021 at 8:25 pm

On October 29, 1965, nine months after its subject’s assassination, The Autobiography of Malcolm X is first published. The non-traditional autobiography of a singular figure in Black history, […]

by History.com Editors on September 21, 2021 at 6:50 pm

Mathew B. Brady is the most famous photographer of the American Civil War. Although best known for his photographs of the war, Brady had established himself as one of the country’s preeminent […]

by History.com Editors on September 21, 2021 at 4:37 pm

An enormous crowd consisting mostly of African American men demonstrates on the National Mall on October 16, 1995, an event known as the Million Man March. Driven by their desire to see Congress act […]

by History.com Editors on September 21, 2021 at 4:21 pm

American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos ascend the podium to receive the gold and bronze medals for the men’s 200-meter race at the Mexico City Olympics on October 16, 1968. Once their […]

by History.com Editors on September 21, 2021 at 4:08 pm

Five years of lobbying comes to fruition on September 1, 2001, as the U.S. Postal Service releases the first American stamp celebrating Muslim holidays. A blue stamp featuring gold calligraphy […]

by History.com Staff on September 20, 2021 at 8:50 pm

On January 2, 1965, quarterback Joe Namath spurns the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals to sign with the American Football League’s New York Jets. The contract, reportedly for  $427,000, is the […]

by Dave Roos on September 20, 2021 at 8:10 pm

The Silk Road wasn’t a single route, but rather a vibrant trade network that crisscrossed central Eurasia for centuries, bringing far-flung cultures into contact. Traveling by camel and […]

by Christopher Klein on September 20, 2021 at 7:49 pm

The accomplishments of Muhammad Ali are renowned: Olympic gold medalist, heavyweight boxing champion, humanitarian, civil rights activist. But would you believe he also was a Grammy Award nominee in […]

by History.com Editors on September 20, 2021 at 5:38 pm

On January 8, 1972, the NCAA grants freshmen eligibility in its two biggest team sports, basketball and football. An overwhelming majority of representatives at the annual NCAA convention vote for […]

by Sam Robinson on September 20, 2021 at 4:36 pm

The Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants rivalry intensified during the 1960 season. Intent on ending New York’s two-year reign atop the NFL’s Eastern Conference, Philadelphia carried a […]

by History.com Editors on September 17, 2021 at 6:22 pm

On January 3, 1973, a 12-member group headed by George Steinbrenner purchases the New York Yankees for $10 million from Columbia Broadcasting System, which owned the team since 1964. The group […]

by Chris Mueller on September 17, 2021 at 5:50 pm

For at least the first half of the 20th century, college football was more popular than the professional version. So, when powerhouses met then, the games often had a larger-than-life quality. On […]

by Phil Sheridan on September 17, 2021 at 4:43 pm

Thousands of touchdown passes have been thrown in NFL history. But only a few—each tossed in the waning seconds of a pressure-cooker playoff game—have earned nicknames that have withstood […]

on September 17, 2021 at 12:53 pm

World Book Advanced Webquest: Moon Landing. For centuries, people have dreamed of exploring the wonders of space. In the mid-1900's, these dreams were realized when advances in technology allowed […]

on September 16, 2021 at 8:04 pm

Life on Earth came to a standstill when man first stepped on the moon.Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins were fulfilling the vision laid out by President John F. Kennedy in ...

by History.com Editors on September 16, 2021 at 5:00 pm

On January 1, 2008, with snowflakes falling around him in Buffalo, Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby slips a shot past Ryan Miller to win the NHL’s inaugural Winter Classic—the first […]

by History.com Editors on September 16, 2021 at 4:25 pm

On January 1, 2006, following a New England Patriots touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, Doug Flutie enters the game for what initially appears to be a two-point conversion play. After getting his […]

by History.com Editors on September 15, 2021 at 2:54 pm

An early convert to Mormonism, Brigham Young succeeded founder Joseph Smith as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1847; he led the church until his death in 1877. […]

by Christopher Klein on September 15, 2021 at 1:48 pm

Except for one fairytale season in 1969, when they won the World Series, the New York Mets were largely synonymous with futility for the first quarter-century of their existence. The Mets languished […]

by Phil Sheridan on September 15, 2021 at 1:44 pm

Boston's Fenway Park and Chicago’s Wrigley Field—Major League Baseball's oldest ballparks—are charming testaments from the sport's early 20th century. Some of the peers of those […]

by Johanna Fernández on September 15, 2021 at 1:30 pm

In 1969, a group of New York City youth known as the Young Lords demanded change in the way the largest city in the United States handled sanitation. The initiative, known as the Garbage Offensive, […]

by History.com Editors on September 14, 2021 at 6:08 pm

On September 17, 2011, hundreds of activists gather around Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan for the first day of the Occupy Wall Street Movement—a weeks-long sit-in in New York City’s […]

by John Banks on September 14, 2021 at 4:24 pm

Foul weather, from ice, snow and below-freezing temperatures to downpours and excessive heat, has adversely affected NFL games since the dawn of the league more than 100 years ago. But no game in NFL […]

by Bob Zeller on September 14, 2021 at 1:38 pm

In October 1862, a shocking and unique photo exhibition opened at Mathew B. Brady’s Broadway gallery in New York City. A small placard at the door advertised “The Dead of Antietam,” […]

by Nadra Kareem Nittle on September 14, 2021 at 1:21 pm

In the center of downtown Atlanta, a handful of streets intersect, forming what locals know as Five Points. Today, a park, a university, high-rise buildings and throngs of motorists and pedestrians […]

by Sarah Pruitt on September 13, 2021 at 7:15 pm

Perched on the southwestern part of the Iberian peninsula, Portugal turned to the boundless Atlantic Ocean as its only outlet to the wider world. As early as 1341, Portuguese sailors had made their […]

by History.com Editors on September 13, 2021 at 4:33 pm

On December 9, 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency details a vast "institutional conspiracy" involving Russian officials and more than 1,000 athletes in systematic doping at major athletic […]

by History.com Editors on September 13, 2021 at 2:33 pm

On December 10, 1922, the Canton Bulldogs defeat the Toledo Maroons, 19-0, and are declared the first NFL champion. Canton finishes the season 10-0-2, allowing 15 points and producing nine shutouts. […]

by History.com Editors on September 10, 2021 at 8:13 pm

On December 15, 1974, Oakland's Jim "Catfish" Hunter is ruled a free agent by arbitrator Peter Seitz—the first free agent in modern baseball history—after A's owner Charles O. Finley […]

by History.com Editors on September 10, 2021 at 4:09 pm

On December 9, 1934, the New York Giants win the NFL championship by beating the Chicago Bears, 30-13, in the famous "Sneakers Game." With the temperature at 9 degrees and the Polo Grounds field a […]

by History.com Editors on September 10, 2021 at 3:38 pm

On December 19, 1990, Los Angeles Raiders running back Bo Jackson is named to the AFC Pro Bowl team as a reserve, becoming the first athlete chosen for all-star games in Major League Baseball and the […]

by Sam Robinson on September 10, 2021 at 2:51 pm

College football has been a staple of American culture for more than a half-century longer than the NFL. The professional game owes much of its success to the foundation built by the college sport. A […]

by History.com Editors on September 10, 2021 at 2:32 pm

Between 1642 and 1651, armies loyal to King Charles I and Parliament faced off in three civil wars over longstanding disputes about religious freedom and how the “three kingdoms” of […]

by History.com Editors on September 9, 2021 at 9:34 pm

General John Joseph “Black Jack” Pershing began his rise through the ranks of the U.S. Army with distinguished service in the Spanish-American War and the Philippines. After leading U.S. […]

by Becky Little on September 9, 2021 at 8:46 pm

The Iron Age was the period in which the use of iron became widespread in Europe, Asia and parts of Africa. Because the adoption of iron didn’t happen at the same time in every part of the […]

by History.com Editors on September 9, 2021 at 5:53 pm

On the morning of October 21, 1966, a landslide of coal waste crashes into a small Welsh mining village, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The accident left just five survivors and wiped out half […]

by History.com Editors on September 9, 2021 at 4:12 pm

On December 23, 1982, Chaminade, an NAIA school with only 900 students, beats top-ranked Virginia and 7-foot-4 center Ralph Sampson, 77-72, in Honolulu in one of the greatest upsets in sports […]