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Hot Topics


  • The Battle of Gettysburg at 150

    by David Austin Walsh

    Hancock at Gettysburg by Thure de Thulstrup. Credit: Wiki Commons.The Battle of Gettysburg marks its 150th anniversary this week (so does the Union victory at the siege of Vicksburg, but good luck seeing anything about that in the media).To mark the occasion, we've assembled a list of resources -- digital collections, books, and news stories -- about the battle and the Civil War that are worth closer examination.And of course, please share your favorite Civil War books in the comments! We're pretty well read here at HNN, but considering that the amount of works published on the Civil War easily numbers in the tens of thousands, we certainly haven't read (or even heard of) them all!Digital Resources

  • HNN Hot Topics: MOOCs

    Image via Shutterstock/Flickr.NewsCoursera contract with UT system released; history chair says no MOOCs at Knoxville this fall (6-3-13)Historians at MOOC partner schools say faculty not consulted (5-30-13)San Jose State professors fire back at online class offer (5-25-13)Profs get ready for tens of thousands of students in online courses (1-14-13)Commentary

  • HNN Hot Topics: The Iraq War

    U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian L. Wickliffe.News10 years later, an anniversary many Iraqis would prefer to ignore (3-19-13)PollsPOLL: Has the Media Been Open Enough About Its Role in the Iraq War?Poll: Iraq War not worth it (3-17-13)Iraq: The spies who fooled the world (3-17-13)Commentary

  • HNN Hot Topics: Hugo Chavez, 1954-2013

    News Hugo Chávez of Venezuela dies (3-5-13) Commentary: Historians Greg Grandin: The Legacy of Hugo Chávez (3-5-13) Commentary: Media Mac Margolis: Hugo Chávez’s House of Cards (3-7-13 Tariq Ali: Hugo Chávez and Me (3-6-13)Francisco Toro: What Fidel Taught Hugo (3-5-13) Past Controversies: South of the Border

  • HNN Hot Topics: LGBT History

    All across the world LGBT people are celebrating. Here's the background you need if you want to understand what it's all about.

  • HNN Hot Topics: Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster

    The underside of the Space Shuttle Columbia shortly before it began to burn up upon re-entry on February 1, 2003. Credit: U.S. Air Force. Columbia shuttle crew not told of possible problem with reentry (1-31-13) Jonathan Coopersmith: After Columbia, Now What? (8-5-05) NYT: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Space Program (2-2-03)


  • Leaks to the Media ... An Old Story?

    Image via Shutterstock.Leaks through History Was It Illegal for President Bush to Leak Classified Secrets to Bob Woodward?Deep Throat and the FBI's History of Hiding Its Own LeaksWhy Did President Ford Ban Assassinations? (Explains that Ford leaked the fact that the CIA had plotted the assassination of foreign leaders.)Rick Shenkman: Leaks that might have changed the history of Vietnam Athan Theoharis: Deep Throat and the FBI's History of Hiding Its Own LeaksCIA Spy Case: Valerie Plame Leak Note: This article was first published October 10, 2001 and has been updated.