As the First Lady of the Black Press, Ethel Payne wielded her first amendment right to ask the tough questions and hold those in power to account.

Thurgood Marshall, the most successful civil rights lawyer of all time and America’s first Supreme court Justice, was instrumental in the fight for equality in the United States.

She’s known as a savior of the enslaved – but few know that during the American Civil War, Harriet Tubman was an exceptionally capable Union Army spy.

Victoria Woodhull ran for President of the United States before most American women were even allowed to vote.

Despite losing an arm in the US Civil War, John Wesley Powell was one of the great explorers of the American West, and made history as the man who mapped the Grand Canyon.

They empowered US Army medics to save countless lives – but how did the humble medical kit evolve with the American Civil War?

At a time when women were expected to know their place, activist and businessperson Victoria Woodhull blazed a trail as a fierce advocate for women's suffrage and empowerment.

Jonathan Zimmerman is Professor of Education and History and Director of the History of Education Program, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He also holds an appointment in the Department of History of NYU's...

Abolitionist and social reformer Frederick Douglass believed that the U.S. could become the greatest nation in history – if it accepted the defining principles set out in his speech, Composite Nation.

Although half of Americans are female, women make up just 25% of Congress. In fact, women have been treated unfairly in America since day one – but what are the causes of that inequality and what are the effects?

Study word stress and three-syllable words that have stress on the last syllable: volunteer, guarantee. How many words can you come up with? Add to the list in the comments below.

Good deeds – they happen all the time. Those little acts of kindness that make the world a better place but unless they go viral, they can go unnoticed. Which is why it’s time to celebrate Bob Fletcher: the greatest good Samaritan you've...

By taking on the US government and winning, Wong Kim Ark ensured that the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution granted citizenship to every American by birth, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Investigating high temperature materials critical to everyday electronics



Renowned chemist, geochemist and materials scientist Alexandra Navrotsky has become a pioneer in her field over the last 50 years. She even has...

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was the biggest protest America had ever seen. It culminated in Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. But the man who made it all possible, chief...

Sold into slavery by her parents, Polly Bemis faced discrimination as a Chinese immigant in America – but became something of a pioneer of the West.

This film is about the most important events of Watkins Harper’s early life, highlighting her early achievements as a writer.

Lasers aren't just for sci-fi fans. We use them to scan barcodes in shopping malls, conduct surgeries, even remove tattoos! All thanks to the very first, the Ruby Laser.

She was known as the Reindeer Queen – and one of the richest women in Alaska. So how did Changunak Antisarlook use her remarkable wealth to benefit the Inupiat community?

Meet Frances Oldham Kelsey - a true American hero! Frances was a pharmacologist working for the FDA who stood up to the big drug companies and ultimately saved thousands of American lives in the process.

Killing zombies online is fun, right? But imagine you could only shoot one bullet at a time. You’d be TOAST! This is the story of the American five-shot Colt Paterson: a handgun that changed history.

The story of the A7L Space Suit worn by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 moon landing.

The National Science Foundation celebrates its 66th year of funding groundbreaking science and engineering.

Sally Hemings was an enslaved woman who had several children with Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. Her story of agency and eventual emancipation remains an inspiration.