Modern History Stories

The extraordinary flier's strange tale fascinates, decades later.

This man went from an unwilling, pacifist draftee to Sergeant York, military hero and legend.

During the War of 1812, no one wanted to come face-to-face with the Kentuckians.

Historian Walter Lord recounts the bombing of major U.S. battleships and the heroics of the men on board.

The Doughnut Girls of World War I delivered a taste of home when it was needed most, boosting morale and the popularity of the Salvation Army.

Then and now, Pripyat's eerie charms call out to visitors from around the world.

Meet two hard-partying geniuses that became Cold War operatives.

Rediscover what America has meant from 1776 to the modern day.

While their men fought on the front lines, women fought their own battle at home and in the workforce—and helped bring the Allied Powers to victory.

The Napoleon House lay awaiting its infamous tenant.

Gilbert Bates toured the South and England on foot in Union uniform, flag in hand.

Lieutenant General Hal Moore left behind the legacy of a brave soul and a kind heart.

20 winners will receive a copy of 999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Jewish Transport to Auschwitz.

30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, look back at the conflict that defined a generation.

Memorialize the lives lost at Wounded Knee with the story behind Dee Brown's iconic work.

Bombing by balloon had been outlawed by the Hague Convention of 1899, but Italian forces found a workaround.

Explore the history of America's deadliest conflict with gripping fiction and nonfiction.

Even a 300,000 Franc bounty couldn't bring him down.

The Day the Bubble Burst examines one of the greatest financial disasters—the 1929 stock market crash—through the eyes of those involved.

Court-martialed after the sinking of the cruiser, Captain McVay's innocence was proven by Hunter Scott in 1996.