Key topics:19th-century wars fought over guano-rich islands and fertiliser demandUS, Spain, and South America clashed over control of guano resourcesGuano confl ...

Though it authorized our nation's earliest imperialistic land grab outside our continent, the 1856 Guano Islands Act is little known today. The act stated that the United States could claim any island ...

Bat poop—yes, bat poop—is far more fascinating than you might think. You probably don’t give it much thought (unless it’s in your attic), but believe it or not, bat droppings have shaped history, ...

It was in the 19th century that the United States started grabbing territory to exploit natural resources. The Guano Islands Act of 1856 enabled the seizure of unclaimed islands rich in the ...

Long before the town of Navassa was incorporated, it was home to one of the largest employers in the southern United States. According to the town, Navassa’s existence can be credited to two major ...

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...