German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) composing the 'Missa Solemnis', February-April 1820. Oil painting by August Klober. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

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

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

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HISTORY

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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

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played vital roles in shaping the nation—from building the Transcontinental Railroad to advocating for labor law changes to fighting in multiple wars. They made these contributions while also facing persistent discrimination and violence throughout U.S. history.

Asian American and Pacific Islander History

In the 15th century, Europeans began to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new routes to China and the East, but in the process they discovered what they labeled a "New World," although Indigenous people had lived there for centuries. Other explorers have pushed the limits of flight and seafaring, and traversed the frozen Continent of Antarctica.

Exploration

Prehistory, the vast period of time before written records or human documentation, includes the Neolithic Revolution, Neanderthals and Denisovans, Stonehenge, the Ice Age and more.

Pre-History

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

South America is a large continent with a rich history including fascinating people and places like the Inca, Machu Picchu, Che Guevara, Augusto Pinochet, Easter Island and more.

South American History

Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art, literature and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.

Art, Literature and Film History

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

The Middle Ages, the medieval period of European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance, are sometimes referred to as the "Dark Ages."

Middle Ages

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

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

Jimmy Carter’s Life in Photos

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

When Did Humans Start Waging Wars?

Did Polynesian Voyagers Reach the Americas Before Columbus?

Why Did the Vikings Disappear From Greenland?

How Did Beethoven Die?