Civil War
Before Fort Sumter, Americans Were Already Killing Each Other in Kansas
Most Americans think the Civil War began at Fort Sumter in 1861, but a guerrilla conflict on the Kansas prairie had already been raging for years — and historians now argue it…
Charles I Wore Two Shirts to His Beheading — and Broke Royal Power Forever
On 30 January 1649, Charles I pulled on two shirts before his execution — a final act of pride capping…
Eastern Han Dynasty Detected Earthquakes—Then Collapsed Into Civil War
The Eastern Han dynasty was the most scientifically advanced society on earth at its peak, producing the seismograph and revolutionizing…
American Battlefield Trust Saved 55,000 Acres the Suburbs Nearly Erased
As postwar sprawl paved over millions of acres of Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields, the American Battlefield Trust rose…
Mexican-American War Forged the Generals Who’d Tear America Apart
The Mexican-American War of 1846–1848 seized California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona from Mexico—and forged the very generals who would soon…
The Taiping Rebellion Killed 30 Million — and the West Forgot It
When Hong Xiuquan failed his imperial exams and woke from a fever convinced he was Jesus Christ's brother, he ignited…
Ken Burns’ Civil War Drew 40M Viewers—Then Ignited a Cultural War
Ken Burns' The Civil War became the most-watched series in PBS history when it aired in September 1990, but the…
Best American Civil War Movies: What Hollywood Gets Right and Wrong
Hollywood has staged the Civil War for over a century — sometimes with shattering accuracy, sometimes with pure invention. Here's…
Newton Knight Led an Interracial Revolt Against the Confederacy in Mississippi
In 1863, Newton Knight deserted the Confederate Army and organized an interracial guerrilla militia in Mississippi's piney woods — defying…
Dred Scott: The Ruling That Protected Slavery and Sparked Civil War
In 1857, Chief Justice Roger Taney's Dred Scott ruling declared Black Americans could never be citizens and stripped Congress of…