Becky Little | HISTORY Becky Little Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Bluesky. Latest from this author Landmarks 5 Places You Can Still See Dinosaur and Mammoth Fossils in the US Visit dig sites and hike trails for an up-close look at dinosaur fossils and more. 1960s Woodstock 1969: How a Music Festival That Should’ve Been a Disaster Became Iconic Instead More than fifty years later, people are still trying to match the bizarre accident that was Woodstock ‘69. Women’s History The First Woman to Swim the English Channel Beat the Men’s Record by Two Hours Gertrude Ederle slathered herself in grease, wore a controversial two-piece bathing suit and ate chicken legs along the way. Holocaust How Anne Frank’s Family Was Denied a Chance at U.S. Immigration Waitlists, bombings and restrictive U.S. immigration policies thwarted Anne Frank's family's chances of escaping the Holocaust. Advertisement Mysteries & Folklore How the Bigfoot Legend Began A small news item in 1958 led to the modern version of the mythical wild man. Mysteries & Folklore Why Dragons Appear in So Many Cultures Ancient people may have been crafting an archetypal villain. Inventions & Science Who Invented Air Conditioning? The first air conditioner debuted in 1902, but multiple men contributed to the technology’s development. Ancient Greece 5 Archaeological Finds That Illuminate Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’ Why was part of the ‘Iliad’ buried with a mummy? Plus, four more Homeric discoveries. Advertisement Advertisement Cold War Why Eisenhower Added ‘Under God’ to the Pledge of Allegiance During the Cold War The pledge, as recited by U.S. schoolchildren, wasn’t standardized until World War II, and didn’t contain “under God” until 1954. Early U.S. Why the Star-Spangled Banner is Played At Sporting Events The tradition began during a time of national sorrow. Natural Disasters & Environment Why the Oak Is America’s National Tree Americans have long relied on the sturdy oak tree. World War II Duck Boats Offered a Unique Solution to a World War II Problem The vehicles could deliver supplies from ship to shore, but couldn’t cut it in rough waters. Advertisement World War II 6 World War II Innovations That Changed Everyday Life Radar, computers, penicillin and more all came out of development during the Second World War. World War II The Female World War II Codebreaker Who Busted Nazi Spy Rings Elizebeth Friedman’s codebreaking helped save the Queen Mary and capture a Nazi spy ringleader in Latin America. Native American History The Native American Government That Helped Inspire the US Constitution The constitutional framers may have viewed Indigenous people of the Iroquois Confederacy as inferior, but that didn't stop them from admiring their federalist principles. Early 20th Century U.S. Before the Green Book, These Resorts Offered Hidden Safe Havens for Black Americans Black Americans could temporarily escape the Jim Crow laws at early vacation resorts that catered only to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 21st Century Why Did US Forces Bury Osama Bin Laden’s Body at Sea? Political, religious and practical considerations all played a role. 21st Century What Happened at the Pentagon on 9/11? On 9/11 some evacuated the Pentagon—but kept going back inside.'We pledge to never leave a fallen comrade behind,' says a survivor. Ancient Rome 5 Ways Christianity Spread Through Ancient Rome Sure, the Roman Empire had that extensive road system. But it helped that early Christians didn't paint themselves as an exclusive club. Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander History Hawai’ian Surfers Have Been Riding Waves Since the 17th Century A Hawaiian princess helped revive the ancient sport of surfing long before Gidget and Moondoggie hit the beach. Advertisement Cold War The Atomic Bomb’s First Victims Were in New Mexico The Manhattan Project’s Trinity test—the first atomic bomb detonation—led to infant deaths, cancer and decades of health problems. American Revolution What Did the Three Continental Congresses Do? During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress became America's de facto government. Prehistory 6 Ancient Human Species That Once Shared Our World These human species lived at the same time as Homo sapiens. American Revolution How the American Revolution Spurred Independence Movements Around the World After the Revolutionary War, a series of revolutions took place throughout Europe and the Americas. Advertisement Advertisement American Revolution How the Coercive Acts Helped Spark the American Revolution As colonists grew increasingly defiant, the British government responded with punishing measures that only angered them more. Latin American & Caribbean History The U.S. Bought 3 Virgin Islands from Denmark. The Deal Took 50 Years During World War I, Denmark finally sold Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix to the U.S. for $25 million in gold coin. Ancient Americas 6 Extinct Animals That Once Lived Alongside Ancient Civilizations The ancient world was home to these long-lost species. One was even buried in a royal tomb. World War II Hantavirus Outbreaks: From War Trenches to Cruise Ships Outbreaks during World War II and the Korean War were likely linked to activities like digging trenches. Advertisement Early 20th Century U.S. How the Nazis Were Inspired by Jim Crow To craft legal discrimination, the Third Reich studied the United States. Holocaust This Teenager Killed Nazis With Her Sister During WWII Freddie and Truus Oversteegen sometimes ambushed Nazi officers from their bicycles—and never revealed how many they had assassinated. Crime Did Serial Killer H.H. Holmes Really Build a ‘Murder Castle’? Holmes allegedly killed as many as 200 by luring visitors to his lair during the Chicago World's Fair. Observances & Traditions 9 Outrageous Pranks in History In 1957, a TV broadcaster shared footage of harvesting "an exceptionally heavy spaghetti crop" in a town near the Italian border. Try to top that—and other historic, outrageous pranks—this April Fools' Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Natural Disasters & Environment The Deadliest Volcanic Eruption in History It killed 100,000 people in the direct impact. But it led to tens of millions more deaths later. Ancient China The Deadliest Earthquake Ever Recorded Estimates say it killed 830,000 people. Natural Disasters & Environment How the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Became the Deadliest US Natural Disaster The U.S. Weather Bureau got the forecast completely wrong. Religion The Shroud of Turin: 7 Intriguing Facts The controversial shroud that might have covered Jesus’ the body first appeared in the 1350s and is now available for online viewing. Advertisement Religion Shroud of Turin Isn’t Jesus’ Burial Cloth, Claims Forensic Study A 2018 forensic analysis adds to a centuries-long debate over the Shroud of Turin’s authenticity and whether Jesus was buried in it. Natural Disasters & Environment The Deadliest Natural Disasters in History: 6 Devastating Storms Millions of people died because of these six catastrophic natural disasters around the world. 1980s What Sparked the Satanic Panic of the 1980s? Fear of satanic cults and secret rituals swept the nation across music, media and even day care centers. Inventions & Science Behind the Photo: Einstein Sticks Out His Tongue On March 14, 1951, Albert Einstein was celebrating his 72nd birthday at the Princeton Club in New Jersey when a group of photographers asked to take a photo. Advertisement Advertisement Prehistory The Megalodon: What Happened to the Ocean’s Fiercest Predator? These apex predators ate whales, dolphins and maybe other megalodons. Cold War How America Jump-Started Iran’s Nuclear Program Thanks to a Cold War strategy called ‘Atoms for Peace,’ President Eisenhower laid the foundations for the Iranian nuclear weapons program. 1990s The Plane Crash That Killed JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy The son of the famous president died in the 1999 accident, along with his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette. Women’s History 9 Groundbreaking Women Inventors Women inventors are behind a wide range of key innovations, from Kevlar to dishwashers to better life rafts. Advertisement Civil War Violence in Congress Before the Civil War: From Canings and Stabbings to Murder Nineteenth-century congressmen went to work carrying pistols and bowie knives—and sometimes used them on colleagues. Inventions & Science Who Invented Aspirin? Many people associate aspirin with willow bark, but the pills in your cabinet don’t come from a tree. 19th Century How Presidential Polling Got Its Start The first modern U.S. presidential poll was a 1936 Gallup survey. But informal straw polls started much earlier. 19th Century 5 Dark Realities 'Wuthering Heights' Reveals About the Victorian Era The infamous novel tackled child labor, racial identity, abusive marriages and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arts & Entertainment How ‘Nosferatu’ Reinvented the Vampire While the 1897 novel 'Dracula' launched a genre of literature and film about vampires, a 1922 knock-off film cast the villain in a whole new light. Prehistory Where's the Oldest Cave Art in the World? Hand stencils, animal drawings and narrative paintings make up some of the oldest known cave art. Advertisement