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U. S. History

Rope’s Role in Colonial America’s Tarring and Feathering

he Bostonian's Paying the Excise-Man, or Tarring & Feathering. Copy of mezzotint attributed to Philip Dawe, 1774. Public domain.

by Tim Queeney

Tim Queeney, author of Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the…
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Richard Nixon’s Call for a Cosmic Hoedown

Apollo 11 launch from Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969.

by Jeffrey Kluger

Few authors have had as big an impact on space journalism as Jeffrey…
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To Look Them in the Face: Bunker Hill 250

Map of The Battle of Bunker Hill.

by Jack Kelly

As part of the ongoing celebration of the birth of the United States…
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This Is a Pretty Country We Live In: The Trial of Anne Royall

Ducking stool illustration

by Jack Kelly

In honor of Anne Royall's birthday (June 11, 1769), author Jack Kelly shares…
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Ben Franklin Gets Juiced With a Little Hemp

Ben West's painting of Benjamin Franklin drawing electricity from the sky.

by Tim Queeney

In June of 1752, with some sources specifically saying the tenth of June, Benjamin Franklin conducted…
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The MKULTRA Conspiracy

by John Lisle

Project Mind Control's John Lisle explains how something as classified…
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Lincoln’s First Responder

by Tom Clavin

Earlier this week—April 14th—was the 160th anniversary of our Sixteenth…
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Featured Excerpt: Project Mind Control

DCI Allen Dulles on the cover of Time magazine in 1953, the year that he established MKULTRA.

by John Lisle

In Project Mind Control, John Lisle reveals inside story of the CIA’s secret mind control project,…
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The Tragic Fire and Sinking of the General Lyon Steamer

The Rock Island Argus Newspaper

by Tom Clavin

March 31st is the 160th anniversary of one of the…
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Featured Excerpt: The Ride

John Singleton Copley, Portrait of Paul Revere. c. 1768–1770, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

by Kostya Kennedy

Timed for the 250th anniversary of one of America’s most…
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U. S. History

The Landmarks of Mary Ann Patten’s Maine

by Tilar J. Mazzeo

New York Times bestselling author Tilar J. Mazzeo gives a behind-the-scenes look…
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Dolly Parton Knows Who She Is

Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, 1969.

by Martha Ackmann

Lifelong fan Martha Ackmann shares with The History Reader why she felt drawn…
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Featured Excerpt: Tom Paine’s War

Painting of Thomas Paine by Laurent Dabos. National Portrait Gallery (London). Public domain.

by Jack Kelly

In 1776, Tom Paine's words—and the determination of American patriots—allowed our nation to…
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Three New History Books to Read This January

January 2026 Upcoming History Books
With a new year comes a new set of history books publishing this month. Whether you've…
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Featured Excerpt: The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz

Auschwitz gate

by Anne Sebba

An instant USA Today bestseller, The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz …
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Featured Excerpt: JFK: Public, Private, Secret

Jackie Bouvier and John F. Kennedy married in Newport, Rhode Island, on September 12, 1953.

by J. Randy Taraborrelli

J. Randy Taraborrelli shares with The History Reader an excerpt from his…
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Featured Excerpt: The Sea Captain’s Wife

Neptune's Car Clipper Ship.

by Tilar J. Mazzeo

In The Sea Captain's Wife, New York Times bestselling author Tilar J.…
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The Curious Case of Nuremberg’s Hangman

View of the defendants in the dock at the International Military Tribunal trial of war criminals in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. November 1945. Public domain. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

by Tim Queeney

In his book Rope, author Tim Queeney takes readers on a unique and…
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