Do you remember these groundbreaking investigations?

Journalism is the first rough draft of history.

Did you know that The Washington Post has been around for over 140 years? From the Pentagon Papers to Watergate, to more recent investigations into the opioid crisis and nationwide police shootings, our journalists have made impacts over the years through their relentless reporting.

Here are a few exclusive Washington Post investigations that have helped to start and shape national conversations on critical topics.

The Afghanistan Papers: A secret history of the war

For nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan, U.S. leaders have sounded a constant refrain: We are making progress. They were not, documents show, and they knew it.

By Craig Whitlock Read it now

The Opioid Files: Drilling into the DEA's pain pill database

The federal government has tracked the path of every pain pill in the U.S. Here's where they went and how they got there.

By Washington Post Staff Read it now

Fatal Force: Police shootings database

Since 2015, The Post has created a database cataloging every fatal shooting nationwide by a police officer in the line of duty.

By Washington Post Staff Read it now

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