Person

John F. Kennedy

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Operation Mongoose: The Story of America's Efforts to Overthrow Castro

And how they helped seal America’s fate in Vietnam.

The Triumph and Near-Tragedy of the First Moon Landing

Across the cislunar blackness, we set sail for a landing that almost didn't happen.
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The Supply-Side Swindle

For decades, the GOP has used tax cuts to achieve its political goals. So why do Dems keep treating "supply-side" as an economic strategy?
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A Political Education

Ray Schoenke started campaigning for George McGovern in 1971 because he wanted to make a difference. The experience ended up changing his life.
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500 Years Ago Christianity Changed. It Changed Again in the 1960s.

That the 500th anniversary of Luther’s act has been noted without éclat may be something to celebrate.

The Power Historian

What was Arthur Schlesinger’s “vital center”?
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Even in the 1960s, the NRA Dominated Gun Control Debates

Lyndon Johnson wanted sweeping new gun control laws. Instead he got crumbs.

How Folk Rock Helped Crack the Iron Curtain

Fifty years ago, 160 young Americans defied State Department orders and partied on the streets of Moscow. The Cold War would never be the same.

Sputnik Launch 60 Years Ago Was Slow to Resonate With Americans

The 1957 launch of Sputnik wasn’t necessarily the start of the US-Soviet space race that Americans think of today.

Inside the Founding Fathers’ Debate Over What Constituted an Impeachable Offense

If not for three sparring Virginia delegates, Congress’s power to remove a president would be even more limited.

The NFL Has Officially Whitewashed Colin Kaepernick’s Protest

The co-opting of protests against racism has a storied history in our country.
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We Need a New Museum that Tells Us How We Came to Believe What We Believe

The answers are just as important as the stories that our history books tell.

Comparing Truman's Hiroshima Statement to Trump's North Korea Ultimatum

What to know before equating "fire and fury" to the "rain of ruin."
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The Executive Abroad

An interactive depiction of more than a century's worth of foreign travel by U.S. presidents and secretaries of state.

The Strange Secret History of Operation Goldfinger

In the sixties, the U.S. government ran a secret project to look for gold in the oddest places: seawater, meteorites, plants, even deer antlers.

The History Behind the Long-Dead Space Council Trump Wants to Revive

The new administration plans to bring back a committee that has tried over the years to guide policy—with mixed results.
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One Nation Under Gods

Despite what Steve King says, the U.S. was never a Christian nation.

Why America’s Founding Fathers Wanted the President to Take a Salary

One of the very reasons the framers wanted the president to take a salary, was to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

A Brief History of America’s ‘Love-Hate Relationship’ With Immigration

Donald Trump’s restrictive plan is reminiscent of legislation from 100 years ago.

How Medicare Both Salved and Scarred American Health Care

The 52-year-old federal program's successes reflect a complex legacy