May 05 Why the notorious Alcatraz prison closed By Ed White, Associated Press President Donald Trump says Alcatraz, now part of the National Park Service, suddenly is needed to house America’s “most ruthless and violent” criminals. Continue reading
May 04 Watch 5:50 ‘Spitfires’ chronicles the daring flights of American women pilots during WWII By John Yang, Harry Zahn, Juliet Fuisz Wednesday is the 80th anniversary of VE Day, marking Germany’s unconditional surrender and the end of WWII in Europe. A new book “Spitfires” tells the little-known contribution American women made to that outcome by flying combat aircraft — not for… Continue watching
May 02 Watch 6:26 Conservative offers perspective on Trump’s effort to exert authority over history and art By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport President Trump has accused the Smithsonian and other museums of promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” Previously, Jeffrey Brown spoke with a historian critical of the president’s moves. Now, he has a different… Continue watching
May 01 Watch 7:28 Exploring the efforts to control how U.S. history is presented in museums and monuments By Jeffrey Brown, Simon Epstein The Trump administration has put its mark on the nation’s cultural sector. One focus is on how American history is told and presented in museums and monuments. That has roiled many in the academic and art worlds. Jeffrey Brown explores… Continue watching
Mar 30 Watch 2:22 The history and symbolism of Washington’s iconic cherry blossoms By Lisa Desjardins, Veronica Vela The Tidal Basin, the entry point to Washington, D.C. and home to the Jefferson Memorial, is at its most colorful and vibrant this weekend. The city’s historic cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Lisa Desjardins has more on the history… Continue watching
Mar 29 Watch 7:46 The women lighthouse keepers who saved countless lives from coast to coast By John Yang, Lorna Baldwin, Zoie Lambert For generations, women have been operating lighthouses across the country, saving lives and keeping history. John Yang reports from the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the U.S. Pacific coast. Continue watching
Mar 23 Tuberculosis was once a disease in decline, but a resurgence in cases has health officials puzzled By Karen Dobos, Marcela Henao-Tamayo, The Conversation Tuberculosis is the leading infectious cause of death around the world, outpaced only by COVID-19 during the first three years of the pandemic. Reports of TB date back to the time of Hippocrates, but modern outbreaks shows that the disease… Continue reading
Mar 22 Watch 6:22 A look inside the U.S. Mint’s creation of a quarter celebrating Ida B. Wells By John Yang, Lorna Baldwin, Claire Mufson This Women’s History Month, we’re taking a look at a special series of quarters honoring notable American women. This is the final year of the program, and one of the coins for 2025 features journalist and civil rights activist Ida… Continue watching
Mar 16 Why the color of St. Patrick’s Day changed from blue to green By Bryan McGovern, The Conversation St. Patrick’s Day usually conjures images of partying, Catholicism, Irish nationalism and, perhaps most famously, the color green: green clothes, green shamrocks, green beer and green rivers. But the holiday used to be a solemn feast day when you’d be… Continue reading
Mar 04 Trump sets record for longest address to joint session of Congress By Associated Press It wasn’t even close. Continue reading