Images

Early homestead, Nicodemus, Kansas, c. late 19th century. The Homestead Act of 1862 accelerated settlement of the Western territory, guaranteeing title to 160 acres of surveyed land for each claimant who worked their plot for five years...

A map of the Magellan–Elcano expedition (1519–1522), a Spanish-sponsored maritime voyage authorized under Charles I of Spain (reign 1516–1556; later Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, reign 1519–1556) to find a westward route to the Spice Islands/Moluccas...

The Toledo Gate, photograph by Juan Ángel Piqueras, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, 13 July 2026. The Toledo Gate (Spanish: La Puerta de Toledo) in Ciudad Real is a significant example of military architecture dating to the 13th–14th...

The Olmec world developed in the tropical lowlands of present-day Veracruz and Tabasco during Mesoamerica’s Formative period (c. 1500–400 BCE). Major centers, including San Lorenzo (c. 1400–900 BCE), La Venta (c. 900–400 BCE), Laguna de los...

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, photograph by Imperial Japanese Navy, c. 1941. Photograph of Admiral Yamamoto, commander of Japan's Combined Fleet during the Second World War, reviewing war plans. His reservations about attacking the United States...

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, painting by Shugaku Homma, 1943. This official portrait of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto depicts him in his ceremonial Imperial Japanese Naval attire. He served as the commander of Japan's Combined Fleet during the Second...

Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo, photograph by the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1942. This portrait was taken during WWII while Nagumo was commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy First Air Fleet. His aerial divisions played a pivotal role in...

Steel, an alloy of iron and carbon whose strength, hardness, and flexibility can be modified through composition and processing, has been one of humanity’s most transformative materials. From early bloomery production in the ancient Near...

Fort Moultrie, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, photograph by an unknown photographer, 1861. The fort was initially garrisoned by Union soldiers under Major Robert Anderson but was abandoned by him in December 1860 when he took up position...

General Abner Doubleday, photograph by an unknown photographer, although likely either Mathew Brady or Levin Corbin Handy, 1855-1865. This portrait shows General Abner Doubleday, an officer of the US Army during the American Civil War, who...