Michael Shannon as James Garfield in Death by Lightning.

The Real Story Behind ‘Death by Lightning’ and the Assassination of President James A. Garfield

The series dramatizes the brief tenure of the 20th president, who was fatally shot by Charles Guiteau, a lawyer who believed he’d secured Garfield’s election.
Gouverneur Morris.

The One-Legged Founding Father Who Escaped the French Revolution

Gouverneur Morris wrote the preamble to the Constitution. Later in life, he rejected the foundational document as a failure.
Still from "Rustin" film, on steps of Lincoln Memorial.

The Real History Behind Netflix's 'Rustin' Movie

A new film finally spotlights Bayard Rustin, the gay civil rights activist who organized the 1963 March on Washington.
Moe Berg in his baseball uniform holding a catchers glove

The Baseball Player-Turned-Spy Who Went Undercover to Assassinate the Nazis' Top Nuclear Scientist

During World War II, the OSS sent Moe Berg to Europe, where he gathered intel on Germany's efforts to build an atomic bomb.
Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson at his desk in November 1957.

When Lyndon B. Johnson Chose the Middle Ground on Civil Rights—and Disappointed Everyone

Always a dealmaker, then-senator LBJ negotiated with segregationists to pass a bill that cautiously advanced racial equality.
Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara in a Cabinet meeting.

Juxtaposing Liberal Nationalism and International Politics: Lyndon Johnson on Vietnam War

How and why did Johnson consider American military involvement in Vietnam a worthwhile cause that would benefit American interests and American lives?