Modern History Stories

Robert Smalls commandeered a ship, freed dozens of other slaves, and convinced President Lincoln to allow black men to serve in the Union Army.

The 86-year-old biographer, actress, and journalist died in April from COVID-19 complications.

A so-called coward made his most infamous move on April 3, 1882.

A Dutch pro-China group was secretly filled with anti-communist agents for decades.

Take your mind off the current world with riveting true accounts of history's most poignant moments.

Arm yourself with the facts.

History has proven the power of unchecked disease many times before.

Discover the essential account of the men who raised the flags during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Thanks to the advances of modern medicine, coronavirus shouldn't join their ranks.

Greyhound, written by and starring Tom Hanks, is coming this June.

These books examine the burdens of battle, from the Revolutionary War to modern day Iraq.

These hired fighters didn't just disappear—but what happened to them may surprise you.

A treasonous radio personality despised by US forces.

These hardworking generals outperformed the showboats at every turn.

Henry Flipper, born a slave, beat astonishing odds and overcame classmates' racism to become the first black graduate in 1877.

The legendary performer carved a path of politics and persistence.

Squirrel Week resulted in some 100,000 rodent casualties.

Although outnumbered five-to-one, this battalion held their ground and killed more than 4,000 opposing German soldiers.

The woman who helped hundreds of enslaved people find freedom.

Get a handle on the decade of instability that changed France—and the world—for good.