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Historic Aerials Blog

Delving into the past, one story at a time — exploring historical people, places, and events that shaped our world.

How One Freeway Project Left a 15-Year Scar Across Phoenix

In a 1975 Arizona Republic report on the Moreland Street corridor in Phoenix, a reporter observed that the neighborhood had dropped from roughly 9,000 residents to fewer than 1,500. Bulldozers

Aerial view of Koziar’s Christmas Village in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, illuminated with extensive holiday light displays at night

Christmas Towns in America: Santa Clause, IN and Bethlehem, PA

Christmas Eve Origins Some places celebrate Christmas. Others were, according to local legend, named by it. Among the most distinctive Christmas towns in the United States are Santa Claus, Indiana

An illustration contrasting modern football players from Michigan and Ohio State facing off in the foreground against a sepia-toned background of 19th-century militias with pitchforks and muskets.

From the Toledo War to The Game: How a Misdrawn Map Fueled the Michigan–Ohio State Rivalry

Three days from now, when Ohio State and Michigan line up for The Game, millions will tune in for a football rivalry. What they’ll actually be watching is the latest

The Secret Places Where New Cars Are Sent to Be Broken

As a new resident of Arizona, I’ve spent some time scrolling through aerial imagery of the surrounding landscape, examining the evolution of cities like Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa over the

Trump’s White House Ballroom: Latest Chapter in 200 Years of Renovations

To understand the significance of this latest addition, it helps to remember that the White House has been a work in progress since the early 19th century. Most presidents who’ve

How America’s Earliest Airfields Live On

Many of America’s earliest airfields and airports are now decommissioned or repurposed. Looking at modern satellite imagery, you might never know they existed without a closer examination of a place’s

Tracing U.S. Horse Racing History in Historic Aerial Imagery

Once you learn the shape, you can’t unsee it. A clean oval ghosting beneath cul-de-sacs, stitched into golf fairways, hiding behind warehouse rows. From above, the outline snaps into focus

Drone view of flood-damaged roadways and bridges along the Guadalupe River near Comfort, Texas, after flash flooding.

Aerial History of Flash Floods: Texas 2025 to SoCal 1938

Flash floods have shaped American history for generations. Each one reminds us that we cannot stop extreme rain, but we can reduce its impact. After every major event, local agencies,

Labeled historic aerial image showing three generations of the National Road near West Alexander, Pennsylvania, including the original pike, U.S. Route 40, and Interstate 70.

The National Road: America’s First Highway

Tomorrow morning, many of us will slide behind the wheel without a second thought. Coffee secure in the cup holder. Climate-controlled air humming quietly. A familiar podcast filling the car

Panning panoramic aerial photograph showing widespread destruction in San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake and fire.

The First Time Humanity Saw a Disaster From the Sky

How did anyone photograph San Francisco from the air in 1906—years before airplanes existed?
George R. Lawrence’s panoramic image of the ruined city looks deceptively modern, but its creation

Above the Trenches: WWI and the Revolution in Aerial Reconnaissance

World War I is defined by its horrific mechanized violence that slaughtered millions of soldiers. The desperate necessities of that brutal war served as a catalyst for rapid technological development,

Aerial Insights: Exploring the Aftermath of the 1957 Ruskin Heights Tornado

On the evening of May 20, 1957, a wedge tornado more than a mile wide carved through the Ruskin Heights neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. It killed 44 people. Injured

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