Patrick J. Kiger has written for GQ, the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, PBS NewsHour and Military History Quarterly. He's the co-author (with Martin J. Smith) of Poplorica: A Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions, and Lore that Shaped Modern America.

Patrick J. Kiger

Patrick J. Kiger has written for GQ, the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, PBS NewsHour and Military History Quarterly. He&#8217;s the co-author (with Martin J. Smith) of Poplorica: A Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions, and Lore that Shaped Modern America.

Patrick J. Kiger Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

Patrick J. Kiger has written for GQ, the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, PBS NewsHour and Military History Quarterly. He's the co-author (with Martin J. Smith) of Poplorica: A Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions, and Lore that Shaped Modern America.

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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

World War I pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. New military technology resulted in unprecedented carnage. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.

World War I

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

In the early 20th century, America was flexing its economic and political muscle on the international stage. The era was defined by the temperance movement, Progressive-era activism, the sinking of the Titanic and World War I.

Early 20th Century U.S.

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 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

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.

Patrick J. Kiger ‑ Stories

How the Horrific Tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Led to Workplace Safety Laws

Why Gen. Eisenhower Threatened to Quit Just Before D‑Day

The Shady, Get‑Rich Scams of the Roaring Twenties

See Images of 20 U.S. Presidents Who Served in the Military—in Uniform

How Nixon’s WWII Poker Game Helped Bankroll His First Run for Congress

The WWI ‘Dazzle’ Camouflage Strategy Was So Ridiculous It Was Genius

Oval Office Athletes: Presidents and the Sports They Played

How Gen. Eisenhower Spun a Humiliating WWII Defeat into Winning Military Strategy

How a Luckily Timed Bathroom Break Saved LBJ’s Life During WWII

How the Dust Bowl Made Americans Refugees in Their Own Country

How George H.W. Bush Finished What Reagan Started in Ending the Cold War

Pearl Harbor: Photos and Facts from the Infamous WWII Attack