All articles tagged with #history
An op-ed argues the White House’s 160-page report accusing the National Museum of American History of “ideological capture” is itself biased and selective, misreading evidence on race and immigration, and aimed at enforcing a single celebratory narrative of American exceptionalism, while praising the Smithsonian for presenting diverse perspectives and prompting critical questions about the nation’s past.
The White House released a 162-page report, Saving America’s Story, under a 2025 executive order aimed at removing ‘improper ideology’ from Smithsonian museums, accusing the National Museum of American History of extreme political activism and erasing America’s heritage, signaling intensified political pressure on the institution.
The NYT Upshot’s 10-Minute Challenge invites readers to spend 10 uninterrupted minutes looking at Grand Central Terminal’s star-filled ceiling, a celestial mural of 2,500 stars and zodiac signs inspired by 17th‑century star atlases and designed in the early 1900s by Paul Helleu with input from James Hewlett and Harold Jacoby. The piece recounts the ceiling’s history—from the 1913 opening and a later misorientation when the projection differed from overhead viewing, to the asbestos-replaced 1940s ceiling and 1990s cleaning—while blending art and science and inviting reflection on why we look up. It also notes a forthcoming golden-hour view this weekend and explains the photograph stitching used to produce a high-resolution panorama.
Trump’s July 4 speech celebrating America’s 250th anniversary mixed grandiose history references (D-Day, the Civil War) with self-promotion, drawing skepticism that he distorted founding principles and rehabilitated Confederate imagery while making the celebration about himself.
New York Post excerpts Fox Weather’s note that Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 enjoyed near-ideal summer weather: about 68°F at dawn, 72.25°F by 9 a.m., 76°F around 1 p.m., and 73.5°F in the evening; Thomas Jefferson meticulously logged daily temperatures and even bought a thermometer that day. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration’s final wording on July 4, and delegates formally signed it on Aug. 2 under skies around 80°F.
The United States flag was adopted in 1777 with 13 red-and-white stripes and a blue field of stars, colors that have remained constant even as states joined the union. Although the 1777 resolution didn’t assign color meanings, Charles Thomson later linked red to valor, white to purity, and blue to vigilance, perseverance, and justice. The flag’s design briefly featured 15 stars and 15 stripes in the 1790s, then the 1818 Act fixed 13 stripes and allowed the star field to grow with new states, until Hawaii’s 1960 admission produced the current 50-star, 13-stripe flag.
Myth-busting the Fourth: American independence was declared on July 2, the Declaration was adopted on July 4 and signed on August 2; not all famous founders signed it; the Liberty Bell did not ring to celebrate independence on that day; there are no hidden messages in the Declaration; Americans were not universally in favor of independence, and Native Americans had mixed loyalties with many aligning with different sides during the conflict.
Slate’s Sam Adams compares Young Washington and Minions & Monsters for the July box-office, faulting Young Washington for its partial history and a MAGA-aligned outreach campaign, while praising Minions & Monsters for its playful yet insightful look at Hollywood’s origins and American mythmaking, concluding it’s the stronger, more meaningful pick for the nation’s 250th celebration.
About 117 billion people have ever been born; with roughly 8 billion alive today, that’s ~7% of everyone who has ever lived. The figure comes from a model by demographers Haub and Kaneda and is inherently uncertain due to sparse historical data, relying on assumptions about how long humanity has existed, past populations, and birth rates. Because life expectancy was very low for most of history, recent population growth has made the living share larger, with estimates for those who reached 65 ranging roughly from 5.5% to 9.5% of all who ever lived.
Ken Burns urges a nuanced, intimate way to mark America’s 250th—favoring origin stories, shared moments, and a long view of history over partisan spectacle. He emphasizes complex causes behind the Revolution, notes PBS will stream The American Revolution for free through July 12 ahead of Independence Day specials, and highlights the series’ strong streaming reception as evidence that history can inspire unity amid polarization.
Spain is pursuing a sixth mass legalization of irregular migrants, building on past waves in 1986 and the 2000s, with the 2005 measure having legalized roughly 576,500 people. The current effort has drawn far more applicants and is fueling debate about the scale and impact of migrant regularization in Spain.
A BuzzFeed list curates 29 vintage 1980s photos, from Walkmans and early computers to iconic packaging and household gadgets, offering a nostalgic tour of how design and consumer culture looked four decades ago.
A Washington Post feature explains that the Declaration of Independence, kept under glass at the National Archives, is increasingly hard to read due to age, humidity and decades of handling. It bears stains, creases and a visible handprint as archivists fight to slow its decline, balancing visible display with conservation to keep the founding document legible while reminding readers that it—like the nation—has endured imperfections.
On the 150th anniversary of the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, Heather Cox Richardson links Custer’s defeat to a long history of broken treaties, massacres, and westward expansion—from the 1862 Santee uprising and Sand Creek to the Bozeman Trail and the Black Hills gold rush—dramatizing how federal aims to subdue Indigenous lands and protect rails and mines culminated in Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse’s rally and the Lakota defeat of a divided U.S. force (263 U.S. dead vs. about 40 Lakota).
Five-part Netflix documentary The American Experiment, executive produced by Tom Hanks, surveys the founding of the United States with a calm, bipartisan, fact-forward approach. Featuring expert interviews and period re-enactments, it aims to educate a broad audience about America's ideals and flaws, tracing the arc toward justice while noting ongoing tensions that color modern politics—and it moves at a measured pace rather than flashy flair.