Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

History

40 years ago, massive Thanksgiving fire destroyed a block of downtown Minneapolis

40 years ago, massive Thanksgiving fire destroyed a block of downtown Minneapolis

It started late on Thanksgiving Day, 1982 — Nov. 25, to be exact. Forty years ago. Flames erupted from the vacant former Donaldson's Department Store building in downtown Minneapolis and quickly spread to the adjacent 16-story Northwestern National Bank building.
by Tim Nelson

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Split Rock’s beacon will shine to mark Edmund Fitzgerald anniversary

Split Rock’s beacon will shine to mark Edmund Fitzgerald anniversary

Today — Nov. 10 — is the 47th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in a Lake Superior storm. Split Rock Lighthouse on Minnesota’s North Shore will mark the anniversary with its annual ceremony.
by Tim Nelson

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Discovery of bronzes rewrites Italy's Etruscan-Roman history

Discovery of bronzes rewrites Italy's Etruscan-Roman history

Italian authorities have announced the extraordinary discovery of more than 2,000-year-old bronze statues in an ancient Tuscan thermal spring. They say the find will “rewrite history” about the transition from the Etruscan civilization to the Roman Empire. 
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Landmark power plant in western Minnesota to be imploded

Landmark power plant in western Minnesota to be imploded

A long-shuttered power plant in western Minnesota will be imploded Thursday, ending nearly a century as a landmark in the region.
by Andrew Krueger

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Lincoln prioritized democracy over his political future. A new biography explains why

Lincoln prioritized democracy over his political future. A new biography explains why

Presidential historian Jon Meacham speaks with NPR about his new biography, ”And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle.” It examines Lincoln's actions as well as motivations.
by Rachel Treisman

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Emmett Till is known for his death. A new film about his mother also honors his life

Emmett Till is known for his death. A new film about his mother also honors his life

In 1955, a 14-year-old Black boy was lynched in Mississippi. Till tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley, whose insistence on an open-casket funeral helped ignite the civil rights movement.
by Justin Chang

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Whaleback barge lost for 120 years discovered in depths of Lake Superior

Whaleback barge lost for 120 years discovered in depths of Lake Superior

A Great Lakes vessel built in the Twin Ports and lost more than a century ago has been found at a depth of more than 600 feet in Lake Superior. Barge 129, of the unique, curved "whaleback" design, sank on Oct. 13, 1902 — exactly 120 years ago.
by Tim Nelson

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Egypt calls for the return of the Rosetta Stone and other ancient artifacts

Egypt calls for the return of the Rosetta Stone and other ancient artifacts

People calling for the repatriation of the ancient tablet and other items say the continued display of the objects in European institutions ignores a history of colonialist looting and exploitation.
by Vanessa Romo

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!