US History - History Defined

Inside Abscam: The FBI Sting to Expose Corruption in Congress

In the 1980s, the FBI launched a courageous initiative to combat fraudulent behavior in Congress: The Abscam operation. Its daring undercover sting featured agents pretending to be wealthy Arab sheiks and businessmen, successfully resulting in numerous indictments of Congress members and other public officials on accounts of bribery. It’s an incredible story that illustrates how […]

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Charles Robert Jenkins, A US Defector To North Korea

Cold War tensions between the USSR and the United States hit an all-time high during the 1960s. Events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the building of the Berlin Wall were just a few examples of how extreme things were. In Asia, North, and South Korea were only a decade past the terrible Korean War

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Joe Profaci: The life of the olive oil king

Joe Profaci was a man of many talents. A business genius, a successful entrepreneur, a generous philanthropist, and above all — one of the most influential figures in organized crime in the United States during the early 20th century. Joe Profaci left a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. From his humble

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Inside Eastern State Hospital: America’s first official mental hospital

Eastern State Hospital, founded in 1773 in Williamsburg, Virginia, has the unique distinction of being the first hospital built in America specifically for the confinement and treatment of the mentally ill. Before the construction of this facility, individuals who suffered mental illness were not diagnosed by a physician knowledgeable in such conditions but judged by

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A journey through time: Colorized photos of the US in the 1940s

From World War II to the beginning of the Cold War, the 1940s was a period of change and transformation in the United States. While many of us have only seen this era through the lens of black-and-white photographs, technology now allows us to see these moments in a whole new light. Through the process

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The most unforgettable images from the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was one of the most contentious conflicts of the 20th century. Yet, at the same time, it was one of the most well-documented, with photographers capturing powerful and striking images of the war and its impact on soldiers and civilians alike. These photographs have become essential to our collective memory of the

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The life of Joe Bonanno, one of the Mafia’s most successful leaders

The life of Joe Bonanno spanned decades of mafia history. One of the founding dons of the American Mafia, “Joe Bananas,” as he was also known, rose to prominence out of the New York mob wars of 1930. Joe Bonanno became the youngest boss of the five families in New York, forming The Bonanno Family.

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The Strange Plot to Kidnap Abraham Lincoln’s Body

In 1876, the world witnessed one of the most bizarre crimes in history. Graverobbers attempted to steal the corpse of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln had died over ten years before, raising several important questions. Why would anyone try to steal his body after such a long time? Why did

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The Meteoric Rise of Snoopy: An American Pop Icon

On October 2, 1950, a relatively unknown cartoonist named Charles M. Schulz introduced America to the comic strip world of Peanuts, initially inhabited by just three kids: Charlie Brown, Shermy, and Patty. Two days later, however, on October 4, a fourth character, an unnamed dog, joined the little gang. Though remaining unnamed until the November 10

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The Milgram Experiment: Testing Blind Obedience to Authority

The 1950s and 1960s were the proverbial heydays for behavioral psychology experiments in the United States. Harry Harlow’s Rhesus Monkey Experiments tested the effects of maternal separation and social isolation. The Solomon Asch Conformity Experiments tested the power of conformity in groups. Finally, the New York Child Development Center’s Child Development Twin Study examined the effects of twins raised apart. These

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