government

Consider arriving at the airport earlier if you don‘t have a REAL ID.

Starting Wednesday, May 7, standard IDs will make going through airport security a bigger hassle. The TSA recommends getting to the airport earlier than usual to ensure you board your flight on time.

Clerical workers processing forms for production requirement plan, Priorities Division, War Production Board.

Federal agencies come and go with each new presidential administration. Here are a few notable examples.

The Alien Act was enacted by John Adams’s Federalist administration in preparation for a war that didn’t actually happen.

Three of the four acts expired shortly after they were signed into law in the late 1700s. One remains active—and it’s been at the center of constitutional debates ever since.

Add more heft to your TBR pile with these gripping fiction and nonfiction books.

The best Vietnam War books from Tim O’Brien, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and others offer new insights and perspectives into the conflict that you probably never got from history class.

Harvey Washington Wiley (back row, second from left) and the young volunteers of the Poison Squad.

In 1902, 12 men agreed to take low doses of poison in order to test their efficacy as food preservatives. No one died. Basically.

Westsylvania is just one state that never made the cut.

The road to our 50 states is littered with wannabe territories that couldn't wait to be admitted to the union, but never quite got there. Here are 12 states that could have been.

One of many protests against the Vietnam War in the late 1960s.

The deeply unpopular war led to the biggest and most consequential protest movement in U.S. history. Here are the key events and reactions.

Senators can be expelled, but it doesn’t happen often.

Once you’ve been voted into the Senate, it’s difficult to get you out.

This word has taken a long linguistic journey to get to where it is today.

If you fail to file or pay your taxes in time for the April 15 deadline, you could end up dealing with a lot of hassle—and get stuck paying a lot of fees.

The Windows 95 theme has earned recognition.

The 6-second start-up anthem joins “My Heart Will Go On” and the ‘Hamilton’ soundtrack as “one of the defining sounds of history.”

Dive into the history of the draft during the Vietnam War, including its origins, how long it lasted, and how some young Boomers successfully managed to dodge it.

If you‘d like more than a beach vacation, Fiji is the place for you.

The island nation is inviting travelers to donate some of their vacation to support local communities and environmental efforts.

Would you want to be compared to the man who legalized beer in his first 100 days in office?

The Vietnam War was a highly controversial conflict. We break down some of the most common questions about the war, from why the U.S. entered the conflict to who ultimately won.

Abbie Hoffman was a controversial and influential figure.

Abbot “Abbie” Howard Hoffman was a bombastic and theatrical figure who often used absurd media stunts to get his points across.

Senator Joseph McCarthy (center) and Roy Cohn (right) during the Army-McCarthy Hearings in June 1954.

McCarthyism advertised itself as a response to national security threats created by the Cold War, including Soviet espionage. But the movement was bigger than Senator Joseph McCarthy.

If yours doesn't have a star or a flag, you might need to pay the DMV a visit soon.

The REAL ID program is finally being enforced. Here's how it could affect you.

The U.S. Constitution doesn't specify how many Supreme Court justices are necessary—and there weren’t always nine on the bench.

The ACLU regularly argues cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The group was founded during World War I to defend Americans’ First Amendment freedoms. Over the years, that mission has taken some unexpected turns.

The typo in question concerned property rights.

The typo in a 1928 opinion may have inadvertently influenced an unknown number of decisions to follow.

There’s a lot people get wrong about the Central Intelligence Agency.

Yes, you can have a Facebook page and still join the CIA.

A mass of shipping containers at the port of Shenzen, China.

Tariffs are a means for one country to wrangle better trade terms with another country and to protect domestic manufacturing. Unfortunately, they don’t always deliver.

A person holds an American flag during a naturalization ceremony on the ship ‘Wavertree’ in New York City. The 20 candidates were from 17 countries and 5 of the candidates were current or former members of the U.S. military.

Could you pass the civics portion of the U.S. citizenship test? Applicants must answer six of 10 questions correctly—and it’s harder than it sounds.

Missed the REAL ID Deadline? Here’s What You Need to Know to Fly Without One

11 Defunct Federal Agencies

11 Fundamental Facts About the Alien and Sedition Acts

14 of the Best Books on the Vietnam War

The Men Who Volunteered to Be Poisoned by the Government

12 Proposed U.S. States That Didn't Make the Cut

10 Significant Vietnam War Protests

Can You Expel a Sitting Senator?

Why Is a Tariff Called a “Tariff”?

What Happens if I Don’t File My Taxes on Time?

The Windows 95 Chime Just Earned a Spot in the National Recording Registry

8 Gripping Facts About the Vietnam War Draft

Fiji Is Asking Tourists to ‘Give Back’ 1 Hour of Their Vacation

Why America Obsesses Over the President’s First 100 Days in Office

10 Questions About the Vietnam War, Answered

10 Revolutionary Facts About Abbie Hoffman

10 Suspicious Facts about McCarthyism

REAL IDs: Everything You Need to Know Before the Deadline

Why Are There 9 Supreme Court Justices?

9 Fundamental Facts About the ACLU

Error in Judgment: The 100-Year-Old Supreme Court Typo That May Have Altered Judicial Decisions

7 Misconceptions About the CIA

How Do Tariffs Work?

Could You Pass the U.S. Citizenship Test?