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Travel Through Time
Drag the big year slider, tap a year chip, or swipe the cards — every stop is a bedtime-sized story.
Now showing
The First Thanksgiving
1621The First Thanksgiving
Autumn 1621
A warm harvest meal shared between new neighbors and new friends.
1763The War That Started It All
February 10, 1763
The big war that ended in 1763 and left Britain looking for money.
1765The Stamp Act
March 22, 1765
The first big tax that made the colonies say 'that isn't fair.'
1770The Night on King Street
March 5, 1770
A tense, snowy standoff in Boston that shook the colonies.
1773The Tea in the Harbor
December 16, 1773
The night a group of colonists tipped a shipload of tea into the sea.
1774The Harbor Closes
June 1, 1774
Britain's big punishment after the tea landed in the sea.
1774The First Big Meeting
September 5, 1774
The first time all the colonies sat down at one table and spoke as one.
1775The Midnight Ride
April 18, 1775
One brave rider, one fast horse, and a warning that woke up a country.
1775The Shot Heard 'Round the World
April 19, 1775
The little morning skirmish that started a great big revolution.
The Dawn at Fort Ticonderoga
May 10, 1775
A sunrise surprise that grabbed a fort full of cannons.
1776A Little Book Called 'Common Sense'
January 10, 1776
The tiny pamphlet that convinced everyday people it was time to be free.
1776Writing the Big Letter
June – July 1776
How a young man with a quill pen wrote the words that started a country.
1776Independence Day
July 4, 1776
The day America decided to be its very own country.
1776Washington Crosses the Delaware
Christmas Night, 1776
A freezing river, a bold general, and a surprise that saved the young army.
1777The Flag with Thirteen Stars
June 14, 1777
One star for each brand-new state, all stitched together in a circle.
1777The Winter at Valley Forge
December 1777 – June 1778
A freezing camp in Pennsylvania where a ragged army learned to be a real one.
1781The Last Big Battle
October 19, 1781
The day the British general laid down his sword in a little Virginia town.
1783The Treaty of Paris
September 3, 1783
The day Britain finally said, 'Okay — you're your own country.'
1787Signing the Constitution
September 17, 1787
Thirty-nine leaders wrote the rulebook that America still uses today.
1800sThe Underground Railroad
1800s
A secret path of kind helpers who guided people to freedom.
1803The Great Big Purchase
April 30, 1803
The day America doubled in size for about three cents an acre.
1804The Lewis & Clark Journey
1804 – 1806
Two explorers, one guide, and a very big adventure across America.
1812The War of 1812
1812 – 1815
A short second war that helped the young United States stand on its own.
1814The Star-Spangled Banner
September 14, 1814
The night a huge American flag inspired a poem that became our national anthem.
1861The Civil War Begins
April 12, 1861
The sad day when Americans started fighting Americans over slavery and freedom.
1863The Emancipation Proclamation
January 1, 1863
The day President Lincoln declared that enslaved people in the South were free.
1863The Gettysburg Address
November 19, 1863
A tiny speech, only two minutes long, that people still remember today.
1865The Civil War Ends
April 9, 1865
The gentle handshake in a quiet farmhouse that finally stopped the fighting.
1869The Golden Spike
May 10, 1869
The day two railroads met in Utah and America was finally connected coast to coast.
1892Ellis Island Opens
January 1, 1892
A little island in New York Harbor where millions of new Americans said hello.
1898The Spanish–American War
April – August 1898
A short summer war that made America a country with friends all around the world.
1900The Birth of the Blues
Around 1900, Mississippi Delta
The heartfelt music that started on southern porches and grew into a whole American sound.
1903Twelve Seconds in the Air
December 17, 1903
Two brothers, a windy beach, and the very first airplane flight.
1910Jazz is Born in New Orleans
Early 1900s, New Orleans
A brand-new kind of music, bubbling up in the streets of a city that loves a good parade.
1917America Joins World War I
April 6, 1917
The day young Americans sailed 'over there' to help end the Great War in Europe.
1918Armistice Day
November 11, 1918
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month — the day the guns went quiet.
1920Prohibition Begins
January 17, 1920
The day America decided to stop making and selling alcohol.
1920Votes for Women
August 18, 1920
The day American women finally won the right to vote — after 72 years of asking.
1925The Grand Ole Opry Begins
November 28, 1925
A cozy country music radio show that turned Nashville into Music City.
1929The Great Depression Begins
October 29, 1929
A hard time when many families helped each other through tough years.
1941Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941
The surprise morning that brought America into World War II.
1944D-Day
June 6, 1944
The brave morning when Allied soldiers landed on the beaches of France to free Europe.
1945World War II Ends
August – September 1945
The joyful summer when the biggest war in history finally came to an end.
1950The Korean War
1950 – 1953
A three-year war that helped keep South Korea free.
1959Motown Records Opens
January 12, 1959
A little house in Detroit where some of the happiest songs ever were made.
1963The March on Washington
August 28, 1963
A giant, peaceful crowd gathered to ask for fairness for everyone.
1969The Moon Landing
July 20, 1969
The very first time people walked on the Moon.
1973Hip-Hop Is Born in the Bronx
August 11, 1973
The block party in New York City that started a brand-new kind of music.
1975The Vietnam War Ends
April 30, 1975
The day the long, sad war in Vietnam finally came to an end.
2001September 11
September 11, 2001
A very sad day when Americans came together to help each other.
Now showing: 1621 — The First Thanksgiving