Ancestry® Historical Insights

Historical Insights

Take a new look into the past.

Explore visual stories about important moments and movements in history.

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Business & Industry

Delve into businesses that shaped economies—like the Transcontinental Railroad, cotton, McDonald’s restaurants, and Boeing—as well as historic labor strikes.

Culture

Check out people, places, stories, and artistic endeavors, like Elvis Presley's first recording, Yellowstone National Park, the Roaring ‘20s, and the Salem Witch Trials.

Disasters

Whether a force of nature, such as the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake or influenced by humans, like the Great Chicago Fire, learn about tragic events of the past.

Government & Politics

From statehood to civil rights, democracy to totalitarianism, the Treaty of Versailles to the first income tax, learn how power has been given and taken around the world.

Innovations

Triumphs like the discovery of penicillin, marvels like the invention of the telephone, and feats of ingenuity like the Manhattan Project still impact our lives today.

Migration & Settlement

Learn about who, why, where, and how people in the past moved from place to place, such as Irish immigration to the U.S., the Great Migration, and the Oregon Trail.

Social & Religion

Explore the faith-focused Methodist Movement, the establishment of the Red Cross, and the founding of schools like Shaw University, plus activists such as Rosa Parks.

War & Military

See insights on the Invasion of Normandy and wars for independence like the American Revolution, as well as troops like Buffalo Soldiers and the first military plane.