2009

President James K. Polk expanded U.S. territory by a third by war-making and shrewd negotiating.

A longtime contributor and former editor introduces the special anniversary issue.

When the Palmetto State threatened to nullify federal statutes at will, President Jackson met it with tough rhetoric and a threat of force -- and postponed the Civil War for three decades.

In the teeth of near defeat, General George Washington pulled out miraculous mid-winter victories.

Inventor Nikola Tesla turned to an old trick to sell the brilliant concept of alternating current, which would enable the electrical power grid and the modern machines that run off it.

Eisenhower's call to proceed with D-Day was anything but inevitable.

In one momentous decision, Robert E. Lee spared the United States years of divisive violence.

Lincoln’s bid for reelection in 1864 faced serious challenges from a popular opponent and a nation weary of war.

Although a draw, the fight between the Monitor and Virginia decisively ushered in the modern era.

A Great Lakes Indian rebellion against the British changed the balance forever between Indians and colonists.