Colonialism

Archaeologists Caesar Bita and Filipe Castro dove to investigate the wreck.

A Mysterious Shipwreck Rests Just 20 Feet Below the Surface. It May Be Connected to Vasco da Gama's Final Voyage

Researchers think a coral-covered vessel discovered off the Kenyan coast could be the "São Jorge," a galleon that sank 500 years ago

View of the Crystal Palace circa 1854, after the building was relocated to Sydenham in South London

When London's Iconic Crystal Palace Burned to the Ground in a Devastating Fire

Three years before World War II, on this day in 1936, an inferno marked the symbolic end of the global hegemony of the British Empire

John J. Egan's massive 24-panel Panorama of the Monumental Grandeur of the French Colonial Mississippi Valley depicts the Natchez revolt. Created in 1850, the panorama features scenes from across the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys.

In a ‘Horrific’ Attack Meant to Scare the Intruders, Natchez Warriors Revolted Against the French, Killing 230 Colonists

The 1729 attack in present-day Mississippi was part of a vicious cycle of violence and retribution

Today’s traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. However, the very first Thanksgiving most likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge and venison.

What Food Was Served at the First Thanksgiving in 1621?

Turkey may have been part of the holiday meal, along with venison, shellfish and corn, but pies and potatoes were decidedly not on the menu

Elliot Heffernan (left) and Saoirse Ronan (right) portray a mother and son in Steve McQueen's new film, Blitz.

The Real Story Behind Apple TV+'s 'Blitz,' a New Steve McQueen Movie About Britain's Everyday World War II Heroes

Starring Saoirse Ronan as a young mother, the film celebrates Londoners' resilience in the face of an eight-month Nazi aerial bombing campaign

A painting of the capture of Blackbeard on November 22, 1718

How British Authorities Finally Caught Up to the Most Notorious Pirate in History

On this day in 1718, the Royal Navy attacked and killed Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach, off the coast of North Carolina

Manatees have rebounded since the 1970s but still face myriad threats.

Archaeologists Piece Together the Origin Story of Florida's Manatees, Revealing They Were Once Tourists

A new study suggests manatees weren’t permanent residents in the Sunshine State until around the 20th century, drawn in by a warming climate and construction of power plants

One side of the coin is stamped with a simple "NE" to represent New England, while the other side features Roman numerals to denote its value.

American Colonists Minted This Humble Silver Coin in 1652. It Just Sold for $2.52 Million

Settlers in Massachusetts needed cash, but England wouldn't send any. So, they created their own mint in Boston and began making coins

Alice Beatrice Rhinelander, née Jones (seated at center), looks at her father, George Jones, as they await the verdict in the Rhinelander v. Rhinelander case.

How an Interracial Marriage Sparked One of the Most Scandalous Trials of the Roaring Twenties

Under pressure from his wealthy family, real estate heir Leonard "Kip" Rhinelander claimed that his new wife, Alice Beatrice Jones, had tricked him into believing she was white

Archaeologists believe this area on Smith’s Island, in Bermuda, is where an early British colony flourished and helped sustain the settlers in Jamestown, Virginia.

The Hidden History of Bermuda Is Reshaping the Way We Think About Colonial America

New archaeological finds on the islands have revealed secrets about one of Britain’s first settlements in the Americas—and the surprising ways it changed the New World

Crews are restoring the building to its 18th-century appearance.

The Nation's Oldest Schoolhouse for Black Children Will Open to the Public Next Year

Work is underway to restore the Bray School, which will be dedicated in a ceremony on Friday. The historic building in Colonial Williamsburg will open its doors in the spring of 2025

By age 11, Theodore Roosevelt boasted that he had 1,000 scientific specimens in the collections of his Roosevelt Museum of Natural History.

How a Dead Seal Sparked Theodore Roosevelt's Lifelong Passion for Conservation

As a child, the future president acquired a marine animal's skull, which became the first specimen in his natural history collection

In the late 18th century, George Vancouver and his crew systematically sighted 75 geographical features in the Pacific Northwest, giving them entirely new names based on European taxonomy and imperial ambitions.

How Captain George Vancouver Mapped and Shaped the Modern Pacific Northwest

The British explorer named dozens of geographical features and sites in the region, ignoring the traditions of the Indigenous peoples who’d lived there for millennia

These ornate ear studs from the kingdom of Tabanan were among the 288 artifacts returned to Indonesia.

The Netherlands Has Returned 288 Stolen Artifacts to Indonesia

The Dutch seized the majority of the items in the aftermath of a brutal 1906 conflict that killed an estimated 1,000 Balinese

The black "marble" tombstone is made of limestone that likely came from Belgium.

America's Oldest Surviving Tombstone Probably Came From Belgium

Researchers analyzed tiny fossils embedded in the limestone to determine the age and origins of the grave maker, which marked the final resting place of a prominent Jamestown colonist

Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick so angered authorities that they shut it down after just four days.

Why the Debut Issue of America's First Newspaper Was Also the Publication's Last

On this day in 1690, "Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick" attracted colonial officials' ire by repeating a scandalous rumor and condemning a British alliance with the Mohawk

Visitors touring the Galeón Andalucía in the town of Ramsgate, England, earlier this year

You Can Climb Aboard a Massive Reproduction of a 17th-Century Spanish Galleon That's Sailing Around the World

The Galeón Andalucía, which is now making its way to London, was designed to resemble the armed merchant vessels manufactured by Spain and Portugal between the 16th and 18th centuries

Researchers excavated a crypt in Milan and found human remains containing evidence of cocaine use.

Europeans Were Using Cocaine in the 17th Century—Hundreds of Years Earlier Than Historians Thought

Scientists identified traces of the drug in the brain tissue of two individuals buried in the crypt of a hospital in Milan

Khaleb Brooks' The Wake was chosen from a shortlist of six proposed designs.

London Unveils Design for the City's First Memorial to Victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

The towering bronze sculpture by Khaleb Brooks will be installed at West India Quay in 2026

Station VI: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus, Bruce Onobrakpeya, linoleum block print on rice paper, 1969

After Nigerian Independence, One Renowned Artist Made Jesus a West African Savior in His Vibrant Work

Painter and printmaker Bruce Onobrakpeya put forth a new vision of biblical figures for African Christians in the early post-colonial life of his country

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