The airship Hindenburg burning after it crashed on May 6, 1937 in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Engraving of the Roman emperor Commodus (161-192), a brutal ruler who precipated the decline of 84 years of prosperity and stability in the empire.

Al Capone in Alcatraz: How Public Enemy No. 1 Spent His Time in the Famous Prison

Detail, 'Interview between Francois I and Henry VIII at the Field of the Cloth of Gold on 7 June 1520,' Painting by Friedrich August Bouterwek, 1845

Thomas Jefferson. (Credit: VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)

How an Anti-Obscenity Crusader Policed America's Mail for Decades

Hand-colored advertisement from the 1910s showing four children in pajamas holding giant toothbrushes leaning over a giant tube of toothpaste. Caption says: "Armed to the teeth."

Royal Vinolia Toothpaste, 1910s.

A crowd of smiling graduates in black capes standing outside a university building, throwing their caps in the air.

Celebration of the University Bonn: Traditional throwing of the graduate caps in front of the university building.

William K. Hale Held for Murder

Animatronic pirate figures with realistic looking heads and robotic bodies lean over to be seen by visitors to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride

Greg Daugherty, a&nbsp;longtime magazine editor and frequent contributor to HISTORY.com, has also written on historical topics for Smithsonian, National Geographic Traveler, and other outlets.

Greg Daugherty

Greg Daugherty, a&nbsp;longtime magazine editor and frequent contributor to HISTORY.com, has also written on historical topics for Smithsonian, National Geographic Traveler, and other outlets.

Greg Daugherty Archives | HISTORY

Home

HISTORY

https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/02/gregdaughertyphoto-2.jpg?width=150&height=150&crop=1:1

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

The Roman Empire, led by rulers such as Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, Caligula and Nero, was a vast and powerful domain that gave rise to the culture, laws, technologies and institutions that continue to define Western civilization.

Ancient Rome

Native American history spans an array of diverse groups and leaders, including Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Tecumseh, and events like the Trail of Tears, the French and Indian War and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Native American History

Listicle

During the 1920s (often referred to as the "Roaring Twenties"), a surging economy in the U.S. created an era of mass consumerism, as Jazz-Age flappers flouted Prohibition laws and the Harlem Renaissance redefined arts and culture.

1920s

Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.

Crime

The history of art and entertainment tells the complex story of human civilization through visual art, design, literature, music, film and television. It ranges from cave drawings of the Neolithic period to Renaissance masterpieces to rock 'n' roll and video games.

Arts & Entertainment

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.

Inventions & Science

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

19th Century

Explore the wars, battles, leaders, civilizations, regimes, prominent figures and major events from the continent that encompasses 2 percent of the Earth’s surface. From Stonehenge to the Great Awakening to the French Revolution to the rise and fall of Communism in Russia, see how Europe’s often tumultuous history unfolded.

European History

The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. Explore topics on the era, from the stock market crash of 1929, to the Dust Bowl, to FDR’s response to the economic calamity—the New Deal.

Greg Daugherty ‑ Stories

Thomas Jefferson’s Lavish Lifestyle—and Struggle With Debt

8 Tech Innovations That Have Fueled Disney’s Rise

William Hale’s Brutal Role in the Osage Murders

The History Behind ‘Pomp & Circumstance’ and 8 Other Graduation Traditions

How Humans Took Care of Their Teeth Through History

How Toys Changed After World War II

Was Commodus the Worst Emperor in Ancient Roman History?

What Are the Origins of the Comstock Act?

The Hindenburg Disaster: Why the Giant Dirigible Burst Into Flames

How Al Capone Spent His Time in Alcatraz

The Rise and Fall of Telephone Operators

When Henry VIII Wrestled the King of France—and Lost