Elizabeth Eckford ignores the hostile screams and stares of fellow students on her first day of school. She was one of the nine negro students whose integration into Little Rock's Central High School was ordered by a Federal Court following legal action by NAACP. (Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

A huge crowd of soldiers stands at attention beneath the reviewing stand at a 1936 Nazi rally in Nuremberg, Germany.

A Thanksgiving turkey on a table with pie.

Close up of Vote election buttons, with red, white, blue and stars and stripes. Democrats and Republicans

<p>Sarah Pruitt is a writer and editor based in seacoast New Hampshire. She has been a frequent contributor to History.com since 2005, and is the author of <em>Breaking History: Vanished! </em>(Lyons Press, 2017), which chronicles some of history's most famous disappearances.</p>


Sarah Pruitt

Sarah Pruitt is a writer and editor based in seacoast New Hampshire. She has been a frequent contributor to History.com since 2005, and is the author of Breaking History: Vanished! (Lyons Press, 2017), which chronicles some of history&#8217;s most famous disappearances.

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HISTORY

Sarah Pruitt is a writer and editor based in seacoast New Hampshire. She has been a frequent contributor to History.com since 2005, and is the author of Breaking History: Vanished! (Lyons Press, 2017), which chronicles some of history's most famous disappearances.

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<p>Colonial America was a vast land settled by Spanish, Dutch, French and English immigrants who established colonies such as St. Augustine, Florida; Jamestown, Virginia; and Roanoke in present-day North Carolina.</p>


Colonial America

<p>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.</p>


Ancient Rome

<p>Thanksgiving, which occurs on the fourth Thursday in November, is based on the colonial Pilgrims' 1621 harvest meal. The holiday continues to be a day for Americans to gather for a day of feasting, football and family.</p>


Thanksgiving

Listicle

<p>From raising families to leading armies, women such as Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Amanirenas, Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and countless others have played a vital role in history.</p>


Women’s History

<p>Folklore is made up of age-old traditions, music, stories and superstitions that help define human culture. Discover the truth behind mysteries, legends and paranormal curiosities such as UFOs, the Bermuda Triangle, zombies, werewolves, witches, vampires and more.</p>


Mysteries & Folklore

<p>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.</p>


U.S. Government and Politics

<p>Sports and recreation are an integral part of human history, from the ancient Olympics to the Kentucky Derby, Jackie Robinson, Negro League Baseball, the Super Bowl and more.</p>


Sports

<p>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.</p>


Inventions & Science

<p>The 1950s were a decade marked by the post-World War II boom, the dawn of the Cold War and the civil rights movement in the United States. At this time the U.S. economy was booming and more (mostly white) Americans could afford new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods. But the 1950s also saw great conflict and division, from the nascent civil rights movement to the crusade against communism at home and abroad in the Korean War.</p>


1950s

<p>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.</p>


19th Century

<p>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.</p>


Landmarks

<p>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.</p>


Cold War

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">African Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history. From slavery and its abolition to the Great Migration, the civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements, explore key moments, milestones and figures in Black History.</div>
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Black History

<p>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.</p>


Sarah Pruitt ‑ Stories

Was Atlantis Real? 6 Theories About the Lost Civilization

What Is a Tariff?

Artistic Swimming Spectacles Entertained Ancient Rome

What’s the Difference Between Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism?

Rosalind Franklin’s Overlooked Role in the Discovery of DNA’s Structure

6 Things You Might Not Know About Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity

How Emily Roebling Saved the Brooklyn Bridge

The Civil Rights Movement: 7 Key Moments That Led to Change

Why Does the US Have a Two‑Party System?

Why We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving

Queen Elizabeth II, UK’s Longest Serving Monarch, Dies at 96

When the CIA Used ‘Dr. Zhivago’ as a Cold War Weapon