Did You Know?

London Bridge wasn't exactly falling down in the 1960s, but it was sinking under the weight of modern traffic. When the capital city in England decided to build another to replace it, the 1831 bridge was put up for sale.

This rare photograph of the collector's office at the Ogdensburg, N.Y. customhouse dates from 1935. By then, the building had already been standing 126 years.

Human trafficking has a long and sad history in many countries. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, teenage and younger Chinese girls were often lured to America with false promises of a better life.

In February of this year, the offices of the service port of Portland, Maine moved out of the historic U.S. Custom House facing onto the harbor and Custom House Wharf, thus ending 140 years of continuous occupancy.

The Border Patrol March, a ceremonial musical piece nearly as old as the U.S. Border Patrol itself, was composed and arranged by two U.S. Army Officers in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

One hundred years ago, the federal government was not overly concerned with marijuana, the common name for the Cannabis sativa L. plant.

Robert Smalls' extraordinary ability as a sailor led the Confederacy to choose the African-American as pilot for its gunship Planter, but Smalls' quest for freedom compelled him to commandeer the ship....

What's in a name? What intriguing trail of history, place and people went into the making of a place called Morses Line?

The year was 1976 and the U.S. was turning 200. Bicentennial celebrations and observations were taking place around the country.

When the southern states seceded from the Union in 1861, major government institutions suffered divided loyalties.

A book titled "U.S. Customs and Kindred Services" was produced by a committee of 10 members of the San Francisco Custom House staff.

One hundred years ago this month, a new and monumental U.S. Customhouse opened in San Francisco.

The ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on Aug.

Bridging the 19th and 20th centuries, African-American Matthew Henson's life is a story of heroism and adventure lived out despite the confines of racial prejudice.

On the morning of Feb. 15, 1951, Saul Chabot delivered his new two-door black Buick to New York City's Pier 90. Chabot, along with his coupe, was to set sail aboard the Europe-bound luxury liner R.M.S Queen Elizabeth.

All served as officers of the U.S. Customs Service during the period from 1789 to 1885.

It was the 1960s, and the U.S. was at war in Vietnam. Many arriving American supplies and equipment disappeared from the Saigon dockside and turned up for sale on the black market or in the hands of the North's Viet Cong.

Obelisks, also known as Boundary Monuments, trace their roots to the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty of 1848 and the Gadsden Treaty of 1853, both of which redefined the international boundary between the U.S. and Mexico.

On July 9, 1938, young millionaire, aviation entrepreneur and movie director Howard Hughes signed an Outward Foreign Manifest for his Lockheed No. 14 Super Electra plane.

The U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Immigration Service were both created within the Department of the Treasury.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection works to ensure diamonds are humankind's friends.

The federal government agreed to supply the feed and shoes as long as patrolmen were willing to provide their own horse.

The U.S. Border Patrol joined U.S. Marshals to enforce federal law by protecting James Meredith as he registered as the University of Mississippi's first African-American student.

CBP’s rogue air brigade is a story from which legends are made. It all began in 1931. A rundown plane, pieced together by wire, was apprehended by mounted inspectors just southeast of Cotulla, Texas.

It is a tale ripped from today’s headlines: pirates off the coast of Africa board vessels and seize hostages and cargo. They demand exorbitant ransoms, and when paid let their captives go.

The Rio Grande changed course gradually with each flood season, however the flood of 1864 resulted in the creation of large land protrusions, called “bancos,” which altered previously known borders.

Japan’s first gift of cherry trees to Washington, D.C., had to be destroyed because of insect infestation. This international incident led to the passing of the Plant Quarantine Act of 1912 and to a second shipment of trees.

The New York Times announced the start of prohibition as the "peaceful death of John Barleycorn," but bootlegging and smuggling proved the newspaper wrong and made enforcement an ongoing issue.