Hispanic History Archives ‑ History.com

7 Groundbreaking Inventions by Latino Innovators

Latino inventors have created revolutionary devices that have transformed our everyday world—and often changed how we live. These innovations have helped advance technological, pharmaceutical and environmental products that we use daily. Below are a list of inventions by Latinos in the United States and those born in Latin America. 1. Color TV The upgrades from […]

When the Young Lords Put Garbage on Display to Demand Change

In 1969, a group of New York City youth known as the Young Lords demanded change in the way the largest city in the United States handled sanitation. The initiative, known as the Garbage Offensive, wasn’t the group’s original plan of action, but it proved highly effective in calling out the needs and rights of […]

When a Fallen Mexican American War Hero Was Denied a Wake, a Civil Rights Push Began

After a Texas funeral home refused to let Felix Longoria’s family use its chapel in 1949, Senator Lyndon Johnson stepped in.

The Mariel Boatlift: How Cold War Politics Drove Thousands of Cubans to Florida in 1980

After Fidel Castro loosened emigration policies, some 125,000 Cubans landed on U.S. shores over a span of five months.

How the Chicano Movement Championed Mexican‑American Identity and Fought for Change

In the 1960s, a radicalized Mexican‑American movement began pushing for a new identification. The Chicano Movement, aka El Movimiento, advocated social and political empowerment through a chicanismo or cultural nationalism. As the activist Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales declared in a 1967 poem, “La raza! / Méjicano! / Español! / Latino! / Chicano! / Or whatever I […]

5 Latino‑Led Labor Strikes That Championed Rights for American Workers

They had a profound effect on the massive world of American food production.

Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms

The terms Latino, Hispanic and Latinx are often used interchangeably to describe a group that makes up about 19 percent of the U.S. population. While it’s now common to use umbrella terms to categorize those with ties to more than 20 Latin American countries, these words haven’t always fostered a sense of community among the […]

How Cesar Chavez Joined Larry Itliong to Demand Farm Workers’ Rights

In the late 1960s, grapes grabbed national attention—and not in a good way. Newly organized farm workers, fronted by Mexican‑American civil‑rights activist Cesar Chavez, asked Americans to boycott the popular California fruit because of the paltry pay and poor work conditions agricultural laborers were forced to endure. Using nonviolent tactics like marches and hunger strikes, […]