Blog Posts

Discover stories, insights, and updates, from new releases to cultural highlights and everything in between.

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Robert Smalls — The Man Who Stole a Confederate Warship and Sailed to Freedom

Robert Smalls — The Man Who Stole a Confederate...

In the early morning hours of May 13, 1862, a 23-year-old African American man did something that military strategists would study for generations. Robert Smalls commandeered a heavily armed Confederate...

Robert Smalls — The Man Who Stole a Confederate...

In the early morning hours of May 13, 1862, a 23-year-old African American man did something that military strategists would study for generations. Robert Smalls commandeered a heavily armed Confederate...

Lewis Latimer - The Brilliant Mind Behind the Lightbulb

Lewis Latimer — The Brilliant Mind Behind the L...

When people talk about the lightbulb, one name always comes up — Thomas Edison. But here's the thing most history books leave out: Edison's early bulbs burned out in minutes....

Lewis Latimer — The Brilliant Mind Behind the L...

When people talk about the lightbulb, one name always comes up — Thomas Edison. But here's the thing most history books leave out: Edison's early bulbs burned out in minutes....

Mary Bowser — The Spy Who Fooled the Confederate President

Mary Bowser — The Spy Who Fooled the Confederat...

Imagine walking into the most dangerous building in the Confederacy every single day — and walking out with secrets that could change the course of history. That was Mary Bowser's...

Mary Bowser — The Spy Who Fooled the Confederat...

Imagine walking into the most dangerous building in the Confederacy every single day — and walking out with secrets that could change the course of history. That was Mary Bowser's...

Illustration of Bass Reeves, the first Black deputy U.S. Marshal, in the Old West

Bass Reeves — The Real Lone Ranger They Never T...

Before there was a fictional Lone Ranger, there was a real one — and his name was Bass Reeves. Born into bondage in 1838, Reeves became the first Black deputy...

Bass Reeves — The Real Lone Ranger They Never T...

Before there was a fictional Lone Ranger, there was a real one — and his name was Bass Reeves. Born into bondage in 1838, Reeves became the first Black deputy...

African American engineer standing in front of a railroad bridge in the 1920s

Archie Alexander — The Engineer Who Built Ameri...

In the early 1900s, Archie Alphonso Alexander was building bridges, highways, and infrastructure across America — the kind of massive projects that literally held the country together. And he was...

Archie Alexander — The Engineer Who Built Ameri...

In the early 1900s, Archie Alphonso Alexander was building bridges, highways, and infrastructure across America — the kind of massive projects that literally held the country together. And he was...

African American woman scientist in a 1940s laboratory

Alice Ball — The 23-Year-Old Chemist Who Found ...

In 1915, a 23-year-old African American chemist named Alice Ball did something no one else had been able to do: she developed the first effective treatment for leprosy (Hansen's disease)....

Alice Ball — The 23-Year-Old Chemist Who Found ...

In 1915, a 23-year-old African American chemist named Alice Ball did something no one else had been able to do: she developed the first effective treatment for leprosy (Hansen's disease)....