AMERICAN HERITAGE

Featured Articles

The world’s most prominent actress risked her career by standing up to one of Hollywood’s mega-studios, proving that behind the beauty was also a very savvy businesswoman.

How the Cherry Blossoms Came to Washington

by Edwin S. Grosvenor

Rarely has the full story been told about how a famed botanist, a pioneering female journalist, and First Lady Helen Taft battled reluctant bureaucrats to bring Japanese cherry trees to Washington.

Reconsidering Jimmy Carter

by Kai Bird

Often thought to have been a weak president, Carter was strong-willed in doing what he thought was right, regardless of expediency or the political fallout.

Bank Failures: As American as Apple Pie

by John Steele Gordon

Why have thousands of U.S. banks failed over the years? The answers are in our history and politics.

Classic Essays from Our Archives

The Ordeal of Woodrow Wilson, by Herbert Hoover

The future President, who was an aide to Wilson, describes how the Allies bickered at the peace talks after World War I.

Remembering Gen. Patton, by John Eisenhower

Ike's son, who served under Patton, shares his memories of "Ol' Blood and Guts"

American Heritage: History around the web

Growing Up Colored, by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The noted writer and educator recalls his boyhood in the West Virginia town of Piedmont.

A Yankee Among the War Lords, by Barbara Tuchman

The first of a three-part series on the Gen. "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell in China, by the Pulitzer Prize winning historian

The Man of the Century, by Arthur Schlesinger Jr.

Of all the Allied leaders, argues FDR's biographer, only Roosevelt saw clearly the shape of the new world order.

My Time in the Horse-Drawn Artillery, by Dean Acheson

The former Secretary of State recalls his time as a "driver" in the Army before World War I.

Today in History

Congress passes the Embargo Act

With the support of President Thomas Jefferson, Congress passes the Embargo Act of 1807 into law. The act effectively ended American trade with France and Great Britain as both countries fought over Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. Jefferson believed economic coercion would end hostilities towards American commercial vessels but the act sufficiently stagnated the American economy.
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General McAuliffe replies, "Nuts"

In response to a German request for surrender during the Siege of Bastogne, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division, replies "Nuts!" The 101st had been surrounded by German forces during the Battle of the Bulge and despite their numerical disadvantage, held control of Bastogne in eastern Belgium until a Third Army counteroffensive helped push back the Nazi units.
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Sherman delivers present to Lincoln

After capturing Savannah, Georgia, General William T. Sherman sends President Abraham Lincoln a telegraph reading, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah."
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