John Dillinger shot and killed
Richard Cavendish remembers the capture and slaying of the definitive American gangster on July 22nd 1934.
USA
Political Animals
Mark Bryant looks at the lampooning of two hugely unpopular measures imposed during the administrations of two of the United States’ most distinguished presidents.
The Soviet-American Arms Race
John Swift examines a vital element of the Cold War and assesses the motives of the Superpowers.
Death of Geronimo
Richard Cavendish remembers the first Native American hero, who died on 17 February 1909.
The St Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago
An infamous mafia massacre occurred on 14 February 1929.
America's Difficulty with Darwin
The conflict between supporters of Darwin’s theory of evolution and Creationists is often portrayed as the latest skirmish in an age-old struggle between science and religion. It is anything but, claims Thomas Dixon, who argues that Creationism, and its pseudo-scientific offspring, ‘Intelligent Design’, are products peculiar to US history.
The Long Road to Equality for African-Americans
John Kirk charts the progress of the civil rights movement through its most prominent body, the NAACP.
A Sticky Tragedy: The Boston Molasses Disaster
The rupture of a giant molasses tank in Boston just after the First World War caused devastation and led to the longest legal case in the city’s history.
Passing the Torch
Michael Dunne reflects on past US presidential Inaugurals, and the words which still resonate.
Shades of Difference: African Native Americans
Alastair Bonnett investigates the intriguing and often controversial history of African Native Americans – black Indians – in the light of present-day concerns about citizenship.