History

Aerial Photographs and Ancestral Home Towns

In the 19th century, daring photographers climbed into woven baskets held aloft by balloons in order to take pictures of local landscapes. While French photographer Nadar's photograph of Paris from the air in 1858 no longer exists, other such landscapes still do. J.W. Black of Boston photographed Boston from...

History Matters: Space Premium

Innovations and trends that shaped your ancestors’ lives: Space travel.

Research Roadmap: Railroad Maps Premium

Discover the paths your ancestors used to go west using railroad maps.

The History of the Stethoscope Premium

Innovations and trends that shaped your ancestors’ lives. Today, let's listen to the history of an invention that has saved many of our ancestors' lives: the stethoscope.

Twentieth-Century Mustache Mania

From the White House to Hollywood, mustaches of the 20th century were iconic and considered manly. The underlying message was that strong men wore facial hair. Teddy Roosevelt to Clark Gable and beyond, the presence of a mustache conveyed a sense of strength in personality and actions. Each of these...

The True Story of Abraham Lincoln’s Beard

Abraham Lincoln was the first President to have a beard. Learn the brief history of why he grew one.

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The History of the Potato Premium

As Ireland's Great Famine demonstrated, many of our ancestors' lives depended on the potato. Find out how the potato came to be a staple on farms and in kitchens everywhere.