From Aleppo, An Artifact Of A Calmer Age
The ongoing violence and tumult in Syria's largest city belie a richer, more prosperous past. One small object — a finely woven hat — offers evidence of life in a thriving cultural hub.
History
'Ebony' Editor Began Life Black In Nazi Germany
Long before becoming managing editor of Ebony magazine, Hans Massaquoi yearned to be a Hitler Youth. His rare story came to an end when Massaquoi died this week at the age of 87.
Remembering Seneca Falls, Selma And Stonewall
In his second inaugural address, the president surprised many listeners by mentioning Stonewall in the same breath as Seneca Falls and Selma — giving the struggle for gay rights the historical weight of the fights for gender and racial equality.
An Inaugural Memory: President Lincoln's Food Fight
The Smithsonian recently uncovered the menu from Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural ball, and it provides an interesting look at how different the celebrations were just 148 years ago.
In Myanmar, A Hunt For Fabled Cache Of Buried WWII Spitfires
A team of researchers hopes to verify a fantastic tale that British troops leaving Burma in 1945 buried dozens of Spitfire fighter planes around the country. For 16 years, an English farmer has hunted the aircraft. Now, he believes he is close to unearthing them — and, he hopes, restoring them to flying condition.
'Double V': The Fight For Civil Rights In The U.S. Military
In his new book, The Double V, Rawn James Jr. argues that to understand race in America one must understand the history of African-Americans in the military. While the turning point came between the world wars, the struggle began with the American Revolution.
Myrlie Evers-Williams To Deliver Inaugural Invocation
The widow of a slain Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evars will help open the inaugural ceremony Monday. President Obama has selected activist Myrlie Evers-Williams to deliver the invocation. She's the first woman and lay person to have the honor.
The Moment Race Mattered: A Haunting Childhood Memory
Bernard Holyfield was 5 years old when he learned that skin color made a big difference. He recalls an incident in the early 1960s in Alabama in which a drunken white man approached him and his brother while they were playing on their front lawn.
Jeanne Manford: A Mother First, Gay Rights Activist Second
Jeanne Manford broke ground by speaking up for her son's rights as a gay man in the 1970s. She would go on to found the national support group Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, better known as PFLAG. She died this week at the age of 92.
World War II Exhibit Asks Visitors, 'What Would You Do?'
The National WWII Museum in New Orleans presents a range of real-life scenarios that give visitors a sense of the ethical — and often dangerous — decisions soldiers and civilians were forced to make during the war.