Historians/History

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• 7-24-14
  

  The Longest Battle of the First World War: Historian Paul Jankowski on the Slaughterhouse of Verdun (Interview)

  by Robin Lindley

  "Next to cultural fantasies historical truths can appear as sacrilegious, but to demystify Verdun is not to impugn the compelling power of the truths behind legend, nostalgia or parable." -- Paul Jankowski

• 
• 7-19-14
  

  Why Didn't Anyone Kill Hitler?

  by Daniel Mandel

  70 years ago this week came the most serious attempt on his life. 

• 
• 7-18-14
  

  Which Historians Have Made Bank in the United States?

  by Alexandra M. Webster

  An old joke goes, “Become a historian. Get rich.” But for some historians it’s no joke.

• 
• 7-20-14
  

  Why a Contrarian History of the United States Is Needed Now

  by Ilan Stavans

  I’m tired of the hypocritical way immigrants are constantly being described today in public discourse.

• 
• 7-20-14
  

  How a Book Reviewer Got My Book Wrong

  by Jonathan Israel

  A response to the book critic who trashed my book, “Revolutionary Ideas,” in the New York Review of Books.

• 
• 7-13-14
  

  A Life In Cartoons: An Interview with New Yorker Cartoon Editor Bob Mankoff

  by Robin Lindley

  "Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing." — Mark Twain

• 
• 7-10-14
  

  Have We Really Been Reading the Declaration of Independence Wrong?

  by Matthew Dennis

  “a scholar is now saying that the official transcript of the document . . . contains a significant error.”

• 
• 7-14-14
  

  Which Historians Have the Most Followers on Twitter?

  by Erik Moshe

  Here are Twitter's top active historians along with some interesting information about what they are tweeting about.

• 
• 7-14-14
  

  This Founding Father Wasn't Always Loved

  by Thomas A. Foster

  Ben Franklin had a lot of sex.

• 
• 7-14-14
  

  Kids Are Learning to be Leftists in Public Schools by Historians with an Ax to Grind?

  by Adam Laats

  Few topics get conservatives more riled up than the notion that kids are learning to be leftists in public schools. 

• 
• 7-6-14
  

  California's Forgotten Proslavery Past

  by Kevin Waite

  California's deep, troubled history with slavery

• 
• 7-14-14
  

  When the United States Spoke French

  by François Furstenberg

  In Philadelphia in the early 19th century you could hear French spoken on the streets, eat French food, and watch French dramas.

• 
• 7-20-14
  

  The Brutal Reality of the Iraq War: An Interview with Award-Winning Photographer Michael Kamber on the Hidden War Seen by Photojournalists

  by Robin Lindley

  In war, the photographer is the silent witness.

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• 80,000 Prostitutes? The Myth of Victorian London's Love Affair with Vice

  by Judith Flanders

  How the myth came about.

• 
• 6-27-14
  

  Franz Ferdinand, Cruel Jerk

  by Gordon Martel

  It should be common historical knowledge that Franz Ferdinand was not a good man.

• 
• 7-14-14
  

  How Germans Came to View Claus von Stauffenberg as a Hero -- And Thank Goodness!

  by Randall Hansen

  That he failed, and tens of millions of people went to their deaths in the last nine months of the war, was an unalloyed tragedy. But he had a positive effect on Germany.

• 
• 7-6-14
  

  This Victorian Was a Secret Fan of Oscar Wilde. His Name? Winston Churchill.

  by Jonathan Rose

  Churchill didn't speak out in defense of Wilde, but he had more to lose than other Victorians who did.

• 
• 6-29-14
  

  How Brain Wounds and Illnesses Have Advanced Medical Science: An Interview with Acclaimed Science Writer Sam Kean on the History of Neuroscience

  by Robin Lindley

  Modern neuroscience evolved over the centuries as physicians learned about the brain from horrific head injuries, vexing diseases, and congenital abnormalities.

• 
• 7-14-14
  

  Our Winston Churchill Problem

  by Lawrence James

  Next year will be the fiftieth anniversary of Churchill's death. So, how do we celebrate Churchill?

• 
• 6-30-14
  

  July 4th Quiz: Was the Revolution Caused by a Misunderstanding Over a Word?

  by Thomas P. Slaughter

  The expansive definition of independence, with its obverse of defining community narrowly, is not new but it is very American and pre-dates our existence as a nation.