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NPR History Dept.
J.R. Hardman, dressed for Civil War re-enactment.

The Battles Of A Civil War Re-Enactress

Jun 09, 2015
Refused at first as a re-enactor, J.R. Hardman turned to historic, real-life pioneers for inspiration.
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NPR History Dept.
A Chinese basketball team from the YMCA in San Francisco, 1919.

Chinese Basketballers Of Yesteryear

Jun 04, 2015
In the early 20th century, Chinese athletes in the U.S. sometimes found social liberation on the basketball courts.
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NPR History Dept.
YMCA camp leaders at Camp Dudley in New York. Sumner Dudley, founder of the camp, sits in the center with a mallet.

How The YMCA Helped Shape America

Jun 02, 2015
Many of today's fitness trends can be traced back to the pioneering programs of the YMCA.
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NPR History Dept.
A man shows his pitted windshield to a police officer in Seattle in 1954

The Windshield-Pitting Mystery Of 1954

May 28, 2015
For some strange reason, people across America began to notice that thousands of automobile windshields were dotted with teeny-tiny pockmarks.
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NPR History Dept.

When 'Petting Parties' Scandalized The Nation

May 26, 2015
In post World War I America, young people shocked their elders with jazz music, jitterbug dancing and public displays of affection.
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NPR History Dept.
Telegraph operator, 1908.

Muddled Messages In America's Past

May 21, 2015
Communication breakdown is not a new phenomenon. American history features a mass — and a mess — of misunderstood messages.
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NPR History Dept.
Ma Maison menu cover by David Hockney.

The Repast Is Not Even Past: Old LA Menus

May 19, 2015
By culling through the culinary offerings of thousands of old menus in the Los Angeles Public Library's collection, we can learn a lot about a city and its history.
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NPR History Dept.
The Dirigo Vintage Base Ball Club in Maine.

The Curious World Of Baseball Re-Enactors

May 14, 2015
When John Coray and other vintage "ballists" gather to compete using 19th century rules and trappings, the base ball diamond becomes a field of dreamers.
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NPR History Dept.

Do We Talk Funny? 51 American Colloquialisms

May 12, 2015
American English has a rich history of regionalisms — which sometimes tell us a lot about where we come from.
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NPR History Dept.

4 Hot-Button Kids' Books From The '50s That Sparked Controversy

May 06, 2015
Mostly forgotten or out of print, these picture books triggered conversations about integration.
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NPR History Dept.
Story Hour at the Carnegie-built Webster branch of the New York Public Library, circa 1910.

Do We Really Need Libraries?

May 05, 2015
Between 1886 and 1919, Andrew Carnegie planted nearly 1,700 libraries across America. Over the years they grew. Now they are trying to survive.
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NPR History Dept.
First lady Grace Coolidge receives a May basket from young children in 1927.

A Forgotten Tradition: May Basket Day

Apr 30, 2015
For at least a century or so, April flowers led to showers of May baskets on the front-door knobs of American homes.
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NPR History Dept.

Nazi Summer Camps In 1930s America?

Apr 28, 2015
In the 1930s, the Nazi movement was on the rise in Europe — and at summer camps for kids in the United States.
NPR
NPR History Dept.

7 Lost American Slang Words

Apr 23, 2015
Remembering cool words that are no longer cool — or even used much.
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NPR History Dept.
Addiction.

Addiction In American History: 14 Vivid Graphs

Apr 17, 2015
How certain words related to addictive behavior have shifted over the centuries — in 14 colorful charts.
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NPR History Dept.
Dr. Albert B. Sabin, right, and Dr. Jonas Salk in Washington, 1955.

Defeating The Disease That Paralyzed America

Apr 10, 2015
On April 12, 2015, the world will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Jonas Salk's vaccine that led to the eradication of polio.
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NPR History Dept.
A golfer wears a long black skirt in mock protest of the USGA ban on golfing shorts in tournament play, 1953.

When Wearing Shorts Was Taboo

Apr 07, 2015
In certain places in American history, showing a little leg has been illegal — for men and women.
NPR
NPR History Dept.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking in Kingstree, S.C., as seen in the video clip.

After Selma, King's March On Ballot Boxes

Apr 02, 2015
Tucked away in the archives of the University of South Carolina is a video clip of a rousing King speech.
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NPR History Dept.
Mickey Mantle was the subject of a newspaper hoax in 1961. Here he is that year taking practice swings at Yankee Stadium.

Media Mischief On April Fools' Day

Mar 31, 2015
When news organizations make fun of the news, it can be funny — or not.
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NPR History Dept.

Board Games That Bored Gamers

Mar 26, 2015
Strolling through the board games of yesteryear we find some that succeeded and some that faded away.
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NPR History Dept.

Old-Timey Slang: 'Polking' Was A Vulgar Word

Mar 24, 2015
Slang words come and go — and some stay on forever.
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NPR History Dept.

When The KKK Was Mainstream

Mar 19, 2015
In 1920s America the insidious Invisible Empire was not only visible, it participated in otherwise polite society.
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NPR History Dept.
Grant and Amanda Engler celebrate in jet packs at their wedding ceremony in 2012 in Newport Beach, Calif.

7 Creative Wedding Ideas From History

Mar 17, 2015
Couples nowadays are tying the knot in original ways — like some pioneering newlyweds in America's past.
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NPR History Dept.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965.

A King Speech You've Never Heard — Plus, Your Chance To Do Archive Sleuthing

Mar 13, 2015
For 50 years, this little-known archive of civil rights activities has gone pretty much untouched and untapped.
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NPR History Dept.

Who Takes 3,000 Photos Of NYC's Doors?

Mar 10, 2015
In the mid-1970s, photographer Roy Colmer cruised the streets of New York City. The result: A very particular perception of doors.

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