The story of the Education Department's birth in the wake of the Civil War School – and the federal government's role in it – has been a topic of debate in the U.S. since the very first Department of Education was created.
Ancient Roman masterpieces emerge from a London demolition pit Thousands of newly discovered fragments, which once adorned a high-status Roman building, offer an unprecedented glimpse into the artistic sophistication and daily life of ancient Londinium. Willem Marx
New exhibit portrays Black Alabama families after emancipation NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks to museum director Ebony Howard about a new exhibit in Harpersville, Ala., that explores the lives of several Black families after emancipation. Brianna Scott
New details on 300-year-old coins excite researchers New pictures of coins from a 300-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Colombia help tell the story of the ship's journey. Justine Kenin
How Apple turbocharged China's development A new book raises the specter that corporate offshoring of manufacturing may have undermined America's lead in technological innovation and even its national security. Greg Rosalsky
The search into Pope Leo's family roots As soon as Robert Prevost was elevated to pope in May, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and the team he works with for PBS's Finding Your Roots began digging into the pope's family history. Tinbete Ermyas
Podcast series explores how LGBT people were treated during the Nazi era NPR's Scott Detrow Mallory Yu
Documentary challenges credit for Vietnam War photo of 'napalm girl' Fifty-three years ago, the devastating impact of the Vietnam War was captured in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of the "napalm girl." A documentary raises questions about who took the photo. Mandalit del Barco
Trump orders a probe into the Biden administration and its alleged autopen use Trump alleges the Biden administration used a machine to sign key documents, as many presidents do. Biden says he made policy decisions himself: "Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false." Rachel Treisman
This colorful mystery of Ancient Egypt was just solved in Washington state Scientists at Washington State University not only discovered how to recreate the color known as "Egyptian Blue," they also found this ancient pigment has potential modern uses that its inventors may not have realized. Natalie Akane Newcomb