Person in Pony Express costume riding horse (AP Images)

Horses fast. ‘Talking wires’ faster…on this day

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." That’s the unofficial...
A mixed-race family (Courtesy of Mike Tauber)

Who are Americans? It’s complicated, especially in terms of race

“Where are you from?” The question, seemingly simple, is anything but clear in the United States. It could be asking where you were born, where...
People in downtown area (State Dept.)

Far from home, but still connected: American diaspora communities

Global Diaspora Week honors the 232 million people who live outside their country of birth.  More live in the United States than in any other...
Aerial view of march for LGBT rights

Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., they put LGBT rights on...

They gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on October 14, 1979 — gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and their straight allies, 75,000 strong — to demand...

President Washington finally gets a monument…on this day

It may have taken 100 years, but the first U.S. president, George Washington, finally got a monument in his honor on October 9, 1888....
An infographic that suggests the importance of libraries in the U.S. by comparing the number of libraries and McDonald's restaurants

Books over burgers: The importance of libraries

Although Americans have a reputation for snacking on fast food rather than savoring world literature, the U.S. has more libraries than McDonald's restaurants. From the...
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Thinkstock)

Immigrant bodybuilder turned actor becomes California governor…on this day

Of the many immigrants who reinvented themselves in the United States, few can boast of a more complete transformation than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Born in...
Justice Thurgood Marshall

Marshall breaks racial barrier as first U.S. Supreme Court black justice…on...

A major civil rights activist and noted jurist, Justice Thurgood Marshall became the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and...
Arches National Park

Photo of the day: Utah’s otherworldly arches

Arches National Park in southern Utah's canyon country is home to 2,000 natural arches — the largest such concentration in the world. Millions of years...