In January 1608, fire blazed through the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. Nearly every building was reduced to ash. The destruction meant that the colonists would have to brave the winter with nothing but the clothes on their backs. More than ever before, their survival depended on the goodwill of the paramount chief Powhatan.

As the colony’s leaders desperately searched for gold, mistrust grew between Powhatan and the European newcomers. Hunger and division in Jamestown worsened, and the colony teetered on the brink of mutiny.

Order your copy of the new American History Tellers book, The Hidden History of the White House, for behind-the-scenes stories of some of the most dramatic events in American history—set right inside the house where it happened.

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302: birding gone wrong