Dave Roos Archives

How Movie Theaters Got Their Start in America

In April 1896, Thomas Edison rented a New York Vaudeville hall to show a film—an event that many consider to be America’s first movie theater experience.

America’s Long History of Trying to Acquire Greenland

In 1868, Secretary of State William Seward promoted Greenland as a land with so many natural resources it would empower the United States to ‘command the commerce of the world.’

Why the US Returned the Panama Canal

After decades of strained relations, treaties signed in 1977 paved the way to ending American management of the 51‑mile‑long waterway.

The California Water Wars: How LA Got Its Water Supply

When the L.A. Aqueduct was completed in 1913, it was celebrated as an engineering marvel, but it drained distant watersheds to ensure its own precarious survival.

How the Great Fire of 1910 Changed How the US Fought Wildfires

When a historic fire roared over more than 3 million acres in Montana, Idaho and Washington, the US Forest Service called for suppressing all fires.

The Destruction and Construction That Created New York’s Central Park

Building New York City’s 843‑acre park involved sledgehammers, gunpowder and thousands of plantings. The project also forced out a community of African American residents.

The 5 Longest Caves in the World

The longest cave system winds for more than 400 miles, but others on the list haven’t even been fully explored yet.

5 Times That Martial Law Was Declared

From the Civil War to the rule of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, find out how martial law has been enforced—and exploited.

6 of the Longest‑Living Creatures on Earth

From a buck‑toothed rodent to a shark that doesn’t reach puberty until age 150, find out what creatures have the make‑up for exceptional longevity.

The 19th‑Century Rush to Log Thousands of California’s Giant Sequoias

A single giant sequoia could supply 500,000 board feet of lumber, a bonanza for profit‑hungry logging companies—or so it was thought.

How the ‘Lucy’ Fossil Rewrote the Story of Human Origins

The stunning 1974 discovery offered proof that ancient hominins were walking around on two feet some 3.2 million years ago.

When John Adams Signed a Law to Authorize Deportations and Jail Critics

The 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts called for deportation of people from ‘hostile’ nations and made it a crime to criticize the government.