History

World News

An ancient celestial map recently found in Italy includes an unknown star

6:14pm December 28, 2023

Researchers at Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics discovered a celestial map believed to be from between 1800 to 400 BC. Scientists say there's one star on it that doesn't match our sky.

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In this file photo, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during a town hall on Dec. 18 in Nevada, Iowa.

Nikki Haley didn't say slavery caused the Civil War. Now she's facing major backlash

5:28pm December 28, 2023

by Ashley Lopez

At a campaign event in New Hampshire Wednesday, the former S.C. governor didn't mention slavery as a cause of the Civil War, sparking controversy. Now she's walking back those comments.

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World News

The girl who defied Hitler

4:52pm December 26, 2023

In an election year, what does it mean to stand up against your own peers for what you think is right? We look to the story of a young German girl and a movement that defied Hitler.

The Christmas Truce of 1914: the day the guns fell silent

6:10pm December 25, 2023

The Christmas Truce has become the stuff of legend. On a frozen Christmas Eve in 1914 during World War I, the guns briefly fell silent.

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The poinsettia's complicated history

4:41pm December 25, 2023

Renewed interest in the poinsettia's colonialist roots have led to some people calling the flower by its native name.

An illuminated cat sculpture in downtown Reykjavik on November 29, 2021. Icelandic folklore tells of a giant cat that eats children who don't wear their new clothes at Christmas time.

Arts

You've heard of Santa, maybe even Krampus, but what about the child-eating Yule Cat?

5:22pm December 23, 2023

by Dustin Jones

The Icelandic folk monster, Jólakötturinn, which translates to Yule Cat, stalks the hillsides of towns looking for children to eat. But only those who aren't wearing their new Christmas clothes.

Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Activists marked 60 years since the march in 2023.

2023 was a year of big anniversaries

6:00am December 23, 2023

by James Doubek

In 2023, we marked 20 years since the Iraq War, 50 years since the birth of hip-hop, and 60 years since the JFK assassination. Here's a roundup of historical events we wrote about over the past year.

National

Reactions are mixed to the removal of a Confederate monument from Arlington cemetery

5:53pm December 22, 2023

by Alana Wise

Workers at Arlington National Cemetery will finish removing a monument to Confederate soldiers from the grounds Friday, drawing mixed reactions.

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This Frederick Douglass mural in Easton, Md., is a modern-day makeover that has some in the abolitionist's hometown divided.

A Frederick Douglass mural in his hometown in Maryland draws some divisions

10:41am December 21, 2023

by Alana Wise

A mural depicting Frederick Douglass in a chunky wristwatch, a slim-cut suit and crisp white Converse has divided the town of Easton, Md., in his birth county of Talbot.

Queen Elizabeth II, as portrayed by Olivia Colman (left) Imelda Staunton (center) and Claire Foy (right).

Arts

As 'The Crown' ends, Imelda Staunton tells NPR that 'the experiment paid off'

5:01am December 20, 2023

Imelda Staunton was the third actress to portray Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, which is ending its six-season run.

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