History

2022

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Learn more about Harriet Tubman using census data and records in March 2022.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The content of the U.S. Census Bureau's History Web site changes every month. If you missed a month or have been directed to the home page by an older link, visit the archived home pages below.

Archived pages contain the content, links, and photos featured in past home pages.

January 2022: The Hatfield and McCoy Feud

The Hatfield and McCoy families lived along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River separating West Virginia and Kentucky. Violence between the two families began during the American Civil War and led to a bitter, decades-long rivalry that cost many family members and friends their lives. Although the violent quarrelling ended in the 1890s, the families did not agree to a formal truce until 2003. Use census data and records to learn more about one of the most legendary feuds in American history.

February 2022: The Winter Olympics

Beijing, China, hosts athletes from around the world for the 2022 Winter Olympics—officially known as the XXIV Olympic Winter Games. Scheduled for February 4–20, 2022, the winter games will feature nearly 3,000 athletes competing in 15 sports, including skiing, bobsledding, curling, ice hockey, figure and speed skating, ski jumping, and snowboarding. Learn more about the Winter Olmpics and winter sports using census data and records.

March 2022: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

Harriet Tubman was born approximately 200 years ago this month, between 1820 and 1822. Following her escape from slavery in 1849 and the end of the American Civil War in 1865, Tubman made more than a dozen trips into southern slave-owning states to lead slaves to freedom by a system of escape routes and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. More than 100 years since her death, Tubman continues to inspire all people struggling for equality and civil rights. Learn more about Tubman and the Underground Railroad using census data and records.

April 2022: The 1950 Census

On April 1, 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration released the 1950 Census records to the public. To keep responses to the census confidential, schedules are kept strictly confidential for 72 years from Census Day. Learn more about the census, how it was taken, and the data it produced.

May 2022: The 1937 Hindenburg Disaster

After departing Frankfurt, Germany, and crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the rigid German airship Hindenburg arrived at its Lakehurst, NJ, Naval Air Station on May 6. 1937. As it prepared to dock with its mooring mast, it suddenly burst into flames forcing passengers and crew to jump from windows to escape the inferno. In seconds, the airship was completely destroyed and 36 people were dead. Use census data and records to learn more about this disaster that was immortalized as the first major aviation accident captured by photographs, sound recordings, and motion picture film.

June 2022: The "Rat Pack" and Las Vegas, Nevada

One of the most famous groups of show business friends during the 1950s–1970s consisted of performers Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and others. Known as the "Rat Pack," these actors and recording stars worked together to become international stars and helped make Las Vegas, NV, the "entertainment capital of the world." Learn more about the Rat Pack and Las Vegas using census data and records.

July 2022: Ernest Hemingway

Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899. His adventurous lifestyle and gregarious personality led him to countries and conflicts around the world. The newspaper and magazine articles, short stories, and novels Hemingway wrote were deeply influenced by the people and cultures he met. Use census data and records to learn more about the one of the most important American authors of the 20th century.

August 2022: Montgomery Ward and the Shop-At-Home Catalog

In August 1872, Aaron Montgomery Ward published the world's first general merchandise catalog for consumers to shop from home and have products delivered to doors. Use census data and records to learn how Ward's 1872 mail-order catalog revolutionized retail trade much like the advent of shopping on the World Wide Web forever changed how we researched and bought products in the 1990s and early 2000s.

September 2022: America's First Subway

On September 1, 1897, the first underground subway in the United States opened in Boston, MA. Known as the "Tremont Street Line," the half-mile long route initially connected three underground stations to the city's existing above-ground street railway system. On opening day, more than 100,000 people paid 5 cents to take the 3 to 4 minute journey underneath Boston's streets. Learn more about commuting and the subways that carry 2.8 million workers age 16 years and over to work every day in the United States and Puerto Rico using census data and records.

October 2022: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Founded in 1837, Cheyney University in Chester County, PA, is the first and oldest of our nation's 101 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). HBCUs are accredited institutions established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was—and continues to be—the education of African Americans. In 2020, HBCUs in 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands had enrollment of 279,000 students and conferred 48,200 degrees to their students. Learn more about our nation's HBCUs and the critical role they play training America's young people to serve their communities in the public and private sectors both domestically and abroad using census data and records.

November 2022: Video Games

On November 29, 1972, the table tennis video game Pong debuted in the United States. As one of the first successful electronic video games ever produced, Pong proved so popular among players at bars and gaming arcades that its developers began selling a wildly successful home console version of the game in 1975. Clones and competitors quickly followed Pong's lead. Today, more than 2.5 billion people worldwide play video games. Learn more about video games and the gaming industry using census data and records.

December 2022: The 1862–1863 Vicksburg Campaign

On December 26, 1862, the Union and Confederate armies clashed in the first major battle of a campaign that would determine control of Vicksburg, MS. Strategically located overlooking the Mississippi River, Vicksburg was vital to the Confederacy's ability to protect its western territory and supply its army. Learn more about the 6-month campaign using census data and records.