The Empty Crypt Beneath the U.S. Capitol Rotunda
Beneath the ornate Capitol Rotunda is a drafty crypt with 40 Doric columns, a dozen statues, and zero human remains.
Beneath the ornate Capitol Rotunda is a drafty crypt with 40 Doric columns, a dozen statues, and zero human remains.
Most people know that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only U.S. President who served more than two terms. Here are some other FDR facts you may not have learned in your history classes.
On the day of the 2021 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, President Donald Trump will join the small group of presidents who skipped their replacement's swearing-in ceremony.
John F. Kennedy's stirring speech on September 12, 1962, sparked a passion for space exploration that eventually led us right to the moon.
The inauguration of a new U.S. President is a day of pomp and ceremony, of solemn oaths and dignified celebrations. But things don’t always go as planned.
Theodore Roosevelt was constantly writing letters, so it’s no surprise that he received plenty, too.
On November 2, 1920, a Black man attempted to vote in Ocoee, Florida—and sparked the bloodiest Election Day massacre in U.S. history.
Thanksgiving isn’t the only major November holiday—here’s how Native American Heritage Month first came to be.
Pedro Lascuráin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Mexico, found himself a pawn in a game that saw three presidents hold office in one day.
The history of Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Sarah Josepha Hale, the holiday’s biggest fan.
It’s a question that has been debated since the writing of the Constitution: Can Presidents pardon themselves?
‘The Fighting Shirley Chisholm’ will chronicle the trailblazing politician’s presidential campaign of 1972.
Lame duck presidents date back to the beginning of U.S. history, but we didn’t start calling them that until the 20th century.
A few key states could decide the 2020 presidential election. Here's what happens in each if a recount is called for.
The idea of flaunting civic pride got more popular in the mid-20th century, when local governments handed out the stickers to encourage voter participation.
Though it was nearly 150 years ago, the outcome of the 1876 presidential election—which pitted Rutherford B. Hayes against Samuel Tilden—reverberates in America even today.
Horace Greeley’s sudden death sent the Electoral College—which had yet to vote—into a state of confusion.
Woodrow Wilson never publicly acknowledged the 1918 influenza pandemic—not even after he caught the virus himself.
Kate Rubins cast her ballot from the International Space Station with the help of a county clerk and a nifty technology known as the PDF.
From FDR’s modest Lincoln to Obama’s massive Ground Force One, here’s how the president’s car has changed over the years.
The Constitution never specified a number of Supreme Court justices, and it’s fluctuated quite a lot over the years.
In this final bonus episode of History Vs., Erin and Mental Floss fact checker Austin Thompson discuss the challenges and delights of tracking down the truth about Theodore Roosevelt—and bust some TR myths, too. Learn more about your ad-choices at https
Theodore Roosevelt had very particular ideas about how Sagamore Hill should be designed—including "a very big piazza ... where we could sit in rocking chairs and look at the sunset." Here what you should know about Roosevelt's "Summer White House."
Inauguration Day isn’t just a matter of scheduling—presidential term limits are exactly four years, down to the hour.