Becky Little Archives ‑ History.com

Who Invented Buffalo Wings?

The origin story of spicy, saucy chicken wings has more than one hero.

5 of the Most Daring Bank Heists

Why rob banks? Because that’s where the money is. It’s a saying often inaccurately attributed to U.S. bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton, but it’s true. Banks have historically been big targets for robbers because of all the money in their vaults, as well as all the jewelry, stock certificates and other valuables in their safe‑deposit […]

Why Congress Can Intervene in Some Union Negotiations

Negotiations between unions and employers usually don’t involve the participation of the U.S. president and Congress. Yet there are two industries in which the federal government can intervene: railways and airlines. This is because in 1926, Congress passed the Railway Labor Act as one of the first labor laws in the country. This law gives […]

Pearl Harbor Wasn’t Japan’s Only Target

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, a naval base in the U.S. territory of Hawai’i. The attack killed more than 2,400 people, injured 1,000 and damaged many military ships and planes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, calling the attack “a date which will live in infamy,” used it as a […]

How America’s First Third Party Influenced Politics

The Anti‑Masonic Party existed for only a decade, but promoted anti‑establishment sentiment in its opposition to the dominance of Freemasonry in American politics.

How a Hoax by Two Sisters Helped Spark the Spiritualism Craze

In March 1848, two young sisters in Hydesville, New York came up with what they may have considered a fun prank. Teenager Maggie Fox and her younger sister Kate claimed that there was a spirit communicating with them by making otherworldly raps on the walls and furniture of their house. When their mother asked how […]

How G.I. Joe Jump‑Started the Action Figure Craze

In the late 1970s, smaller ‘Star Wars’ action figures took over.

How the Coercive Acts Helped Spark the American Revolution

In 1774, the British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, a group of measures primarily intended to punish Boston for rebellion against the British government—namely, the Boston Tea Party. However, the impact of these acts stretched far beyond Massachusetts. The four acts, along with the Quebec Act, became known as the Intolerable Acts among the 13 […]

The 1877 Strike That Brought US Railroads to a Standstill

Thousands of rail workers in states across the country protested poor pay and working conditions in a massive—and violent—uprising.

How a Malaria Scare at the Start of World War II Gave Rise to the CDC

You’ve probably heard of the Cat and the Hat, but you may not have heard of “Bloodthirsty Ann.” Ann, another character created by Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss), was a mosquito who transmitted malaria, and she first appeared in a 1943 booklet for American troops during World War II. By the time Bloodthirsty Ann was […]

8 Treasures Discovered in Attics, Barns and More

You never know what will turn up when you’re browsing at a flea market, searching through your attic or basement, going through an old barn or even looking through a boarded‑up projection booth. Here are eight of the most surprising historical objects that people have ever found by accident. WATCH: Full episodes of ‘Pawn Stars […]

How Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Organized for Nuclear Disarmament

As a survivor of history’s deadliest atomic bombing, Setsuko Thurlow has a powerful case to make against nuclear weapons. On the morning of August 6, 1945, the 13‑year‑old Thurlow reported to a military office in Hiroshima, along with other girls recruited to help with Japan’s wartime code breaking. While listening to an officer speak, she saw […]