Searched for
AMERICAN HISTORY DISCOVERIES
In 1795, Paul Revere helped bury a secret time capsule beneath Boston's State House; 219 years later, workers opened it to reveal coins, documents and a medalA 1795 time capsule buried beneath Boston's State House was recently opened. This capsule contained historical items from different periods...
In 1984, Lincoln's handwritten final public address emerged from a secret compartment in an antique table; the forgotten manuscript later sold for $231,000A remarkable manuscript discovery at New York City’s Morris-Jumel Mansion brought an overlooked piece of Revolutionary-era history back int...
Meet Mikaila Ulmer, the young entrepreneur who turned her family lemonade recipe into a growing business while donating part of her profits to help save endangered beesMikaila Ulmer turned two childhood bee stings into an unexpected business idea. After learning how important bees are to pollination, the y...
Strange 8.5-inch object found in California creek turns out to be 10,000-year-old mastodon tooth; scientist says, “I had chills and shivers up and down my spine”A researcher surveying a San Mateo County creek for a frog habitat stumbled upon a remarkably preserved Pacific mastodon molar, a rare Ice ...
In 1850, California became 31st state of United States, more than 170 years later home to Hollywood poses strict challenge to Donald Trump, becomes key US House race to watch in midterm elections 2026California’s proposed admission immediately became part of the national debate over slavery. The territory sought admission as a free state...
A 31,000-year-old fossil has challenged everything scientists thought about the extinct 'American cheetah' — its DNA and diet tell a surprising storyAncient DNA studies have rewritten the family tree of the "American cheetah," Miracinonyx trumani. Genetic evidence shows this extinct cat ...
Quote of the Day by George Lucas: ‘Everybody has talent, it is just a matter of moving around until…’ - Why discovering your talent may require trying, failing and moving beyond what you thought you wanted to do, as the Star Wars filmmaker learned when an early dream led him toward cinemaQuote of the Day by George Lucas: George Lucas maintained that true talent is revealed through exploration and venturing into new territori...
Tibetans adapted to live at high altitudes where oxygen is scarce; study suggests ancient interbreeding with an extinct human population may have given their ancestors a genetic advantage to survive in one of planet’s harshest environmentsTibetan highlander populations have distinct genetic variants in proximity to the EPAS1 gene, facilitating their adaptation to high altitud...
In 1961, Liberty Bell 7 sank after Gus Grissom's flight; 38 years later, crews recovered the capsule from more than 15,000 feet beneath the Atlantic OceanFor thirty-eight years, astronaut Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft lay lost beneath the waves. A skilled salvage expert ventured int...
In 1957, Vanguard TV3 rose about 4 feet before its rocket exploded; the 3-pound satellite was thrown clear, recovered, and now sits in the Smithsonian's Air and Space MuseumIn 1957, an American satellite launch ended in disaster when the rocket exploded on the launchpad. The salvaged satellite ultimately became...
In 1881, a rich silver vein turned Lake Valley, New Mexico, into a town of about 4,000; by 1902 only 150 remained, and the last residents left in 1994Silver mining in Lake Valley began in the 1870s and boomed after a major discovery in 1881. Lawlessness and a railroad spur followed the pr...
In 1947, the military sent fruit flies 67 miles into space to test radiation risks. 11 years later, NASA was founded in 1958, with animal flights underway in America now1947 mission was part of a larger American effort to understand whether living organisms could survive the journey into space. Beginning in...
In 1906, gold created Skidoo in Death Valley and drew 700 residents; after producing about $1.5 million, the mining town was finally abandoned in 1942In 1906, an accidental gold find near Death Valley led to the establishment of Skidoo. Miners Harry Ramsey and One-Eye Thompson stumbled up...
NASA sent a 77-year-old payload specialist back into space in 1998, 36 years after he became the first American to orbit Earth - not just to make history again, but to study how an older human body responds to microgravity, becoming the oldest person ever to fly in spaceJohn Glenn returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1998. He became the oldest person to travel into space at age seventy-seven. N...
In 1984, two shuttle-deployed satellites became stranded when their rocket stages failed; months later, Discovery astronauts captured both and returned them to the shuttleIn 1984, a space shuttle mission retrieved two communication satellites left in the wrong orbit. Insurance underwriters funded this unusual...
In 1949, Soviet Union detonated its first atom bomb, ending U.S. monopoly on atomic weapons, more than seven decades later United States and Russia together hold over 80 per cent of world's nuclear arms stockpileSoviet Union’s first atomic bomb test transformed the international security landscape. On August 29, 1949, the world entered a new stage i...
Iconic 1956 movie is suddenly finding new viewers 70 years later. It already has a place among AFI’s most celebrated filmsThe Ten Commandments, Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 biblical epic starring Charlton Heston, is finding new viewers nearly 70 years after its rele...
In 1975, a Nebraska man buried a brand-new Chevy with 5,000 other items. 50 years later, America finally saw what he had savedIn a remarkable throwback to 1975, a Nebraska man interred a brand new Chevrolet Vega along with 5,000 various items underground. This ambi...
In 1986, Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff; 36 years later, a TV dive team found a shuttle artifact with 8-inch tiles off FloridaDivers found a large, tiled object while filming a documentary series. This unexpected discovery was later identified as space shuttle Chal...
In 1848, a carpenter spotted a shiny rock in California. What followed changed the course of American history foreverJames Marshall’s discovery of gold in California in 1848 triggered a massive Gold Rush that changed the state and influenced the course of ...