GOVERNMENT

Feeling Adventurous? The U.S. Government Is Giving Away Lighthouses

If you've always wanted to live in a lighthouse, now is your chance.

A photograph on display at the Bradbury Science Museum at Los Alamos National Laboratory shows the first thermonuclear test on October 31, 1952.

9 Explosive Facts About the Manhattan Project

America’s greatest physicists assembled under the Manhattan Project to create the deadliest weapon the world had ever seen—an atomic bomb.

The combat veteran is the first Asian American woman from Illinois ever elected to Congress.

17 Things You Might Not Know About Tammy Duckworth

From serving in the Iraq War to becoming the first U.S. senator to give birth in office, Tammy Duckworth has an impressive history of overcoming adversity with grit and humor.

Not 'The Defender,' but we needed to show you something.

A Century-Old Experimental Submarine, 'The Defender,' Is Found 'Hiding in Plain Sight' in Long Island Sound

The peculiar sub had wheels and other innovative features.

The Reason U.S. Presidents Aren't Allowed to Drive Cars

From Lyndon B. Johnson to Joe Biden, presidents can get neither fast nor furious behind the wheel.

California might prompt sweeping changes in how candy is manufactured.

A New California Bill Could See Skittles and Other Candies Pulled From Shelves

Controversy over red dye no. 3 could soon spill over into the candy aisle.

11 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, was one of the most esteemed humanitarians ever to hold the office. He was also once chased by a wild rabbit.

25 Fascinating Facts About Daylight Saving Time

Love it or hate it, daylight saving time means you have to reset your clocks twice a year and either gain or lose an hour of sleep.

Oil fields like the one above were at the center of the Teapot Dome Scandal in the 1920s.

10 Facts About the Teapot Dome Scandal

A century ago, the Teapot Dome scandal was the Watergate of its time.

An Irish family at the ruins of their house In Killarney.

Ireland’s Great Hunger: 13 Facts About the 19th-Century Potato Famine that Devastated the Emerald Isle

The lack of proper aid paired with layers of broken policies and a fractured response from a distant British government led to unimaginable—and likely avoidable—suffering in Ireland.

The 10 Worst Presidents in American History, According to Historians

According to historians, these are the worst American presidents ever to hold the highest office in the land.

Did Thomas Jefferson really bring ice cream to the U.S.?

1 Misconception About Each U.S. President

George Washington wasn’t the only U.S. president for whom a healthy dose of fiction gets mixed in with the facts.

The reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.

When Howard Hughes Helped the CIA on a Top-Secret Mission

In 1968, when the CIA needed help with an audacious Cold War operation, officials decided that eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes would be the perfect man for the job.

Women register to vote following the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

12 World-Shaping Events That Happened in 1920

Despite what you may believe, 1920 wasn't all flappers and jazz bands. The year saw some major events that would go on to shape history.

Pedro Lascuráin ruled Mexico for about 45 minutes.

10 of History’s Shortest-Serving World Leaders

Their reigns were short, but not sweet.

Why Are Elections Held on Tuesdays?

There are a few reasons—including a little something to do with the horse and buggy. Find out more about the history of Election Day.

If the Polls Close While You’re Still in Line to Vote, Don’t Leave

What do you do if you’re stuck at the back of the line when your polling place closes? You stay right where you are.

NASA Prepares For Space Shuttle Discovery's Launch

NASA Launches Official Inquiry Into UFO Sightings

NASA is organizing a task force that will determine how the agency studies UFOs in the future.

The gender binary looms large in this sphere.

The Sexist History of Naming Hurricanes After Women Only—And How 1970s Feminists Fought to End It

“I’m sick and tired of hearing that ‘Cheryl was no lady as she devastated such and such a town,’” Roxcy Bolton said. She wasn't alone in her exasperation.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Calvin Coolidge

Our 30th president, born on the Fourth of July in 1872, once pardoned a raccoon.

10 Mysterious Facts About Area 51

Area 51 has been strongly associated with alien sightings and secret government studies for decades. Here are a few facts you might not know about it.

Hanford, Washington, became the site of nuclear experiments.

Green Run: When the U.S. Government Released Radiation in the Pacific Northwest

In the 1940s, residents near Hanford, Washington, were getting dosed with the radioactive equivalent of Three Mile Island every day.

The U.S. Senate chamber and its rows of desks.

5 Famous Desks in the U.S. Senate

The historic moments that happened at these desks—and the Senate VIPs who sat behind them—mean that some have taken on lives of their own.

Four UFOs appeared in the sky at 9:35 a.m. on July 15, 1952 over a parking lot in Salem, Massachusetts.

Think You Spotted a UFO? See What the 1952 Questionnaire for Reporting Sightings Looked Like

Project Blue Book's questionnaire had sections for describing UFOs and even sketching pictures.