Government Agencies

You use it all the time, but what is a postal code, really? In short, a zip code expedites mail delivery and helps prevent fraudulent activity on credit cards.

By Yara Simón

Human skulls, a Napoleonic-era saber, decades-old prosthetic legs and a telescope from Victorian England - they all live on the shelves of the 220-year-old Bureau of Found Objects in Paris, France.

By Kate Morgan

There's a dream job for everyone, and sometimes that's almost everybody else's nightmare job. Meet the four women who will run the "penguin post office" in Antarctica.

By Jesslyn Shields

Affirmative action, LGBTQ rights and election laws are all on the Supreme Court's new docket. And how SCOTUS rules stands to change many Americans' lives. Here's what to expect for the 2022-2023 session.

By Morgan Marietta

When you think of the Secret Service, you probably think of the people in black guarding the president of the United States. But that's just a small part of the job. What else does this agency do?

By John Donovan

When the U.S. president comes to town, it's time to get off the roads. As fast as you can.

By John Donovan

Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have been tiny, but she left a huge mark on the U.S. judicial system in the 27 years she served on the Supreme Court, more than earning her nickname the "Notorious RBG."

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Former U.S. presidents draw a hefty pension for life, but what about members of Congress? You might be surprised to know where your tax dollars are going to fund their retirement.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

When a Supreme Court justice retires, there's a lot of speculation and political maneuvering regarding the replacement. Find out how Supreme Court justices are nominated, who is qualified to serve and how a nominee is approved.

By Ed Grabianowski & Sarah Gleim

Anyone can submit an idea for a postage stamp, but who decides which ideas make the cut?

By Stell Simonton

Are we ready to go back to a pre-EPA USA? Take a look at a series of pics from the National Archives to see what it was like before the agency was formed.

By Sarah Gleim

The longest mail route in America is nearly 200 miles. The shortest? Less than 1 mile.

By Dave Roos

While the FDA originated amid the Civil War, it took a 20th century novel about the horrors of meatpacking to convince the government to officially regulate what goes into our bodies. How does the FDA keep us safer these days?

By Clint Pumphrey

We may be living in the age of the Internet, but simple shortwave radio transmitters still play a part in the espionage game. The huge benefit: There's no trail.

By Nathan Chandler

Spying is an important part of government intelligence gathering. This collection of pictures gives you an insight into this highly secretive task.

The EPA was established to protect human health and the environment. How does the agency interpret and enact environmental legislation?

By Sarah Dowdey

The U.S. Postal Services delivers 143 billion pieces of mail a year. But it's been struggling financially for years. Will it survive? And how do your letters get to the right place?

By Lee Ann Obringer & Melanie Radzicki McManus

Maybe you're involved in a covert operation. Maybe you're just curious. Spies have developed their own language of code words in order to keep from being discovered. We don't need to know, but you should learn the 11 terms used by spies here.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the oldest law enforcement agency in the nation. Learn about famous U.S. Marshals and the duties and history of U.S. Marshals.

By Ed Grabianowski

Spies have shaped foreign policy, altered the course of wars and left a deep (though usually hidden) impression on world history. It's a tense and often deadly job.

By Ed Grabianowski

When the FBI announced two years ago that it no was longer using its Carnivore Internet surveillance software, it seemed like a victory. Find out why the techniques employed in the new ISP-based surveillance approach may be even more evasive.

By Julia Layton

The FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list has been an unqualified success since its inception in the 1950s. Learn how they choose its members.

By Julia Layton

Despite plenty of Hollywood films about the CIA and its spies, many people still don't know what the agency actually does. In this article, we'll take a look at the history of the CIA and the scandals that have rocked it through the decades.

By Caroline Wilbert

Find out what the FBI does, how it started, and what it takes to become an FBI agent. We'll also take a look at some of the tools and techniques used by the FBI and learn about J. Edgar Hoover.

By Ed Grabianowski

The ACLU has worked to defend fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to privacy for 80 years, but not without controversy. Read about fascinating facts and history-changing decisions the ACLU has been party to.

By Ed Grabianowski