The woman who pushed to make Thanksgiving a national holiday When Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, he was thinking about the Civil War. And so was the woman who had lobbied for Thanksgiving for years. Rund Abdelfatah
The price America paid for its first big immigration crackdown The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first significant crackdown on immigration in American history. We explore the factors that led to the Act and examine what happened to the economy after it passed. Greg Rosalsky
Ocean explorers hoped they photographed Amelia Earhart's plane. Turns out it's a rock Earhart, her navigator and their plane disappeared during their attempted 1937 circumnavigation of the globe. A deep sea exploration company thought it might have solved the mystery, but it lives on. Rachel Treisman
The history of one of Washington's weirdest traditions: the turkey pardon The history of the presidential turkey pardon is often misremembered. Here are the fowl facts. Domenico Montanaro
America's first major immigration crackdown and the making and breaking of the West Chinese immigrants sacrificed to create America's first transcontinental railroad. Its completion may have contributed to a backlash that led to the first major immigration clampdown in U.S. history. Greg Rosalsky
Author Patrick Radden Keefe talks about the making of the new series 'Say Nothing' NPR's Scott Detrow talks to author and journalist Patrick Radden Keefe about turning his best selling book into the brand new limited series "Say Nothing," out now on Hulu. Scott Detrow
Trump picks loyalists for top jobs, testing loyalty of Senate GOP Nominees for several key Cabinet posts in the new administration of President-elect Trump caught officials in Washington off guard and ignited a firestorm of criticism — not all of it from Democrats. Ron Elving
In France, a family reckons with World War II Allies' legacy of rape and murder In 1944, as Allied troops celebrated D-Day victory, a French family experienced a trauma that would be felt for generations: a murder and sexual assault so traumatic they are only now coming to terms with it. Eleanor Beardsley
One thing Trump and Obama have in common: a fondness for 'czars' Trump is the latest president to appoint a czar to deal with a particular issue — in this case, the border. But what does that mean? A look at the controversial history of government czars. Rachel Treisman
At Tiananmen Square, tight security with metal detectors reflects a changing China There's a police check to exit the subway, another to get in line, a third while standing in line, and metal detectors and X-ray machines before you finally reach the Beijing landmark. John Ruwitch
