Open plain with cracked mud and clear sky

A screenshot from the 'Daisy' 1964 campaign ad by Lyndon B. Johnson's campaign team.

Albie Pokrob fights minus-20-degree temperatures at Mount Washington Observatory in 1982.

Tattooing on the hand of a Chancay individual who lived 1,200 years ago.

Beer Hall Putsch Commemoration German Chancellor Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945), Hermann Goering and Werner von Blomberg lead a procession of Nazis to the Munich Burgerbrau Cellar, to commemorate the Munich Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Germany, 10th November 1937. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Jesse Greenspan is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and the environment.

Jesse Greenspan

Jesse Greenspan is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and the environment.

Jesse Greenspan Archives | HISTORY

Home

HISTORY

https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/08/jesse-greenspan.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

Ancient Greece, the birthplace of democracy, was the source of some of the greatest literature, architecture, science and philosophy in Western civilization, and home to beautiful historical sites like the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Ancient Greece

Listicle

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

U.S. Government and Politics

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

Landmarks and monuments, the physical record of human civilization, include spectacular structures like the Eiffel Tower, Mount Rushmore, the Panama Canal, the Brooklyn Bridge and more.

Landmarks

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War

Ancient Egypt was home to one of the greatest empires in history, with leaders like Tutankhamen (King Tut), Cleopatra, Ramses II and landmarks like the Great Pyramid at Giza and the Sphinx.

Ancient Egypt

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

Ancient America was home to sophisticated civilizations such as the Maya, Inca, Olmec and Aztec societies, and mysterious ruins like Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Serpent Mound, Tikal, Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines.

Ancient Americas

Natural disasters and changes in the environment, such as global warming, the San Francisco Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the Galveston Hurricane, the Krakatoa eruption and others, have profoundly shaped human history. Explore both the sudden and long-term impacts of natural and human-made disasters.

Jesse Greenspan ‑ Stories

When Did Humans First Get Tattoos?

The 1875 Expedition That Found the Deepest Part of the Ocean

Jimmy Carter’s Life in Photos

What Was the Strongest Wind Gust Ever Recorded in America?

7 Withering Droughts That Changed Human History

The 6 Most Active Volcanoes in the United States

The 5 Deepest Lakes in the US

How Ancient Egypt Advanced Medicine

The 1964 Campaign Ad That Leveraged Cold War Fears

How Hitler’s Failed Beer Hall Putsch Helped Fuel His Rise

How ‘Dune’ Imagined Climate Disaster—and Inspired Environmental Activism

Vikings Had Terrible Teeth