Sarah Pruitt

Atlantis has been an object of fascination for thousands of years. Explore six theories behind Plato's account of the great, but doomed civilization.

In 1925, John T. Scopes—the defendant in the famous “Monkey Trial”—was indicted for teaching the theory of evolution in his high school science class.

In a must-win clash, Union forces halted the northern invasion of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army.

For soldiers on both sides, music was a vital source of inspiration and comfort.

This Celtic queen took no prisoners after Romans annexed her family's kingdom and raped her daughters.

From 1778 to 1871, the United States signed some 368 treaties with various Indigenous people across the North American continent.

Skeletons buried deep beneath a square in London yield information about how one of history’s deadliest plagues spread through 14th-century Britain.

The history of established feminist movements in the United States roughly breaks down into four different time periods.

The treaty that made the first Thanksgiving possible has a dark backstory.

From pagan fertility rituals to hallucinogenic herbs, the story of witches and brooms is a wild ride.

On April 22, 1970, a nationwide “teach-in” inspired millions of Americans to care more about the environment.

The assassination of “las Mariposas” (“the Butterflies”) fueled public outrage against one of the longest and most ruthless regimes in modern history.

Here are some of the most-wanted holiday toys of the past century.

On March 29, 1974, Chinese farmers digging a well near Xi’an made one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

A close look at an infamous baseball scandal.

Though the terms are often used interchangeably, socialism and communism are different in key ways.

As part of the U.S. Open’s third annual Military Appreciation Day, the tennis world remembers Joe Hunt, who won a dramatic victory in the 1943 men’s championship.

He is one of the most commonly painted figures in Western art. But what do we really know about his appearance?

Gospels recount that it was delivered on a platter to Herod Antipas. After that, things got murky.

What's really known about the Bible's most mysterious woman?

Once one of Jesus’s most trusted disciples, Judas became the poster child for treachery and cowardice.

Though International Women’s Day may be more widely celebrated abroad than in the United States, its roots are planted firmly in American soil.

Archaeologists working on the famed Terra Cotta Army in China believe their lifelike appearance could have been modeled on ancient Greek sculptures.

Scientists say wounds found on the heel of a man buried some 2,000 years ago in northern Italy suggest he had been nailed to a wooden cross.

By analyzing concrete used to build 2,000-year-old Roman structures, a team of scientists discovered why it's so durable.

The centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. are often referred to as the Dark Ages—but were they really?

It’s been an Olympic event since 1984, but the sport formerly known as synchronized swimming, has ancient origins.

The hippie counterculture reached its height during the escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and subsided as the conflict drew to a close.

Here are the 10 most revealing highlights from the 2,800 JFK assassination files declassified in October 2017.

Do the documents released in 2017 shed new light on the 1963 killing—or launch new conspiracy theories?

A computer analysis of the British monarch's writing supports the long-held belief that he suffered from a mental illness.

Revisit some of the most historic moments in the reign of Britain’s record-setting monarch.

The often-rocky relationship between Britain and the European Union stretches back nearly half a century.

The 'Iron Lady' earned her reputation for toughness when coal miners called a nationwide strike in 1984.

The ruthless power struggle in Queen Anne's court between her ladies-in-waiting Sarah Churchill and Abigail Masham had some sexual overtones.

Although his roots were as royal as they come, Philip was considered a controversial choice of husband for Queen Elizabeth II.

Once titled "defender" of the Catholic church, Henry's personal circumstances would drive him to break his Catholic ties and found the Church of England.

Declassified Cold War-era documents reveal how the Central Intelligence Agency used the epic novel <em>Dr. Zhivago</em> as a tool to undermine the Soviet Union.

Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover had made his career fighting the perceived threat of communism.

Long before he rose to become a ruthless dictator, the Nazi leader was a struggling young artist.

This icon of classical architecture perched atop the Acropolis has dominated the Athens skyline for 2,500 years.

“His death may be the most famous case of pseudothanatos, or false diagnosis of death, ever recorded.”

Here are the most fascinating finds of the year.

Along with the defeat of Robert E. Lee’s army at Gettysburg a day earlier, the Confederate surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4, 1863 would turn the tide of the Civil War.

Young women with short hairstyles, cigarettes dangling from their painted lips, dancing to a live jazz band, explored new-found freedoms.

The Great Sphinx of Giza, a giant limestone figure with the body of a lion and the head of a man wearing a pharaoh’s headdress, is the national symbol of Egypt—both ancient and modern—and one of the world’s most famous monuments. Despite its iconic status, geologists, archaeologists, Egyptologists and others continue to debate the Sphinx’s […]

Archaeologists hope a recently discovered stash of khipu, a system of strings and knots used by the ancient Inca civilization, will help them decode this mysterious mode of information storage.

The most important members of Inca society continued to be treated as living beings after death—and provided a powerful link to the gods.

William Jennings Bryan's campaign for the presidency courted the rural vote. Bryan lost—but lines were drawn.

After her husband was incapacitated in an accident, Emily Warren Roebling took over supervising the complex construction of the landmark.

Mexican and British researchers have uncovered a possible reason for the mysterious collapse of one of the Western Hemisphere's most advanced civilizations.

These writers were part of the larger cultural movement centered in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood and offered complex portraits of Black life in America.

The alleged motive behind Emmett Till's 1955 lynching may have been based on a lie, but the brutal crime inspired a new wave of activism.

The answer is more complicated than you might think.

Woodson dedicated his life to educating African Americans about the achievements and contributions of their ancestors.

With a focus on racial pride and self-determination, leaders of the Black Power movement argued that civil rights activism did not go far enough.

The Supreme Court ruling was met with inertia and, in many states, active resistance.

From a bus boycott to Freedom Rides to a march for fair housing, here are seven events that triggered change.

In his 1984 presidential run, Jackson sought to unite a multiracial, multicultural group of Americans.

Many of Philadelphia’s black residents stayed behind and were enlisted to care for the sick.

What was supposed to be the third space mission to land on the moon ended in disaster. But NASA learned from its mistakes.

America's earliest conspiracy included a plot to foil the Patriot rebellion—and perhaps even kill the future first president.

Jude Hall was one of the most revered Black veterans of the American Revolution. That didn't stop the kidnappers from targeting his boys.

It was supposed to be the third-ever moon landing. It turned into a rescue mission.

Uncovering the woman behind Dorothea Lange’s famous Depression-era photograph.

A new report provides insight into the amazing graveyard of fossilized whale skeletons unearthed during the construction of a Chilean highway.

After peacefully demonstrating in front of the White House, 33 women endured a night of brutal beatings.

Harry Burn reversed his anti-suffrage vote after receiving a plea from his mother.

In their battle to win the vote, early women's rights activists employed everything from fashion innovations to hungers strikes.

Going back in time—to play a famous man or woman from history—was the ticket to Oscar gold for these nine men and women.

Take a look back at the Lumière brothers and their groundbreaking invention, the Cinématographe.

Stories of killer whales have circulated on the high seas for generations.

These tantalizing archaeological finds may—or may not—offer material evidence of ancient locations, characters and stories written about in the Bible.

Scientists have confirmed that the Black Death and another huge plague epidemic in the sixth century were caused by different strains of the same bacterium.

The iron blade of an ornate dagger buried with Egypt’s King Tutankhamun in the 14th century B.C. likely came from a fallen meteorite, according to a new study.

From King Tut's tomb to the pyramids, here are the greatest archaeological finds from Egypt.

An Italian researcher has concluded that a painting some have called the ancient Egyptian equivalent of DaVinci’s “Mona Lisa” is probably a fake.

The venom of an asp—or even a cobra—supposedly killed the legendary queen of Egypt. Is it true?

Archaeologists say a pair of dismembered, mummified legs found inside an ancient Egyptian tomb are most likely those of the famed Queen Nefertari, consort of King Ramses II.

The ancient tombs contained a well-preserved woman and the priest responsible for embalming the pharaohs.

British scientists have uncovered a secret at the heart of ancient Egypt’s large cache of animal mummies—many of them contain no animal remains at all.

An upgrade of the Boy King's burial chamber took a decade.

The word “barbarian” originated in ancient Greece, and was initially used to describe all non-Greek-speaking peoples, including Persians, Egyptians, Medes and Phoenicians. The ancient Greek word “bárbaros,” from which it derives, meant “babbler,” and was onomatopoeic: In the Greek ear, speakers of a foreign tongue made unintelligible sounds (“bar bar bar”). Similar words exist in […]

Beginning in the late 19th century, around a dozen carved skulls made of clear or milky white quartz—also known as rock crystal—made their way into private and public collections around the globe. Since then, the origins of these “crystal skulls” have been the subject of ongoing mystery and controversy. According to the people who claimed […]

Archaeologists describe a technique that the ancient Rapa Nui may have used to leverage the hats on the island's giant stone statues.

New DNA research suggests a deadly form of salmonella may have been behind the collapse of the Aztec civilization.

The attack by a group of Islamic fundamentalists announced the growing threat of terrorism on US soil.

Timothy McVeigh developed his suspicion of government authority at a young age—but two pivotal events pushed him over the edge.

The Branch Davidians fell from public view after the disastrous raid of their compound, but they maintained a presence in Waco, Texas—and around the world.

President Reagan took three tries to get a Supreme Court nomination approved—and the outcome would have far-reaching consequences for the Court and the country.

The space shuttle Challenger blew apart some 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board.

The groundbreaking gender equity law made a lasting impact by increasing the participation of girls and women in athletics.

From the Hutchinson Papers to the Pentagon Papers to WikiLeaks, look back at some of the most significant leaks in history and their impact.

Explore some interesting facts you may not know about the 38th U.S. president, Gerald R. Ford.

The 15th Amendment was supposed to guarantee Black men the right to vote, but exercising that right became another challenge.

In one of the worst riots in US history, some 43 people lost their lives and thousands more were injured or arrested.

During Prohibition, gay nightlife and culture reached new heights—at least temporarily.

From new money to consumer culture to lavish parties, F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel depicted the heyday of the 1920s—and foreshadowed the doom that would follow.

The retail bonanza known as Black Friday is now an integral part of many Thanksgiving celebrations, but this holiday tradition has darker roots than you might imagine.

The three-day feast was about giving thanks, but it wasn't much like today's holiday.