The Difference a Day Makes: Robespierre's 9 Thermidor
By Colin Jones
The Latest 
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The Legacies of Un-critical Race Theory at Berkeley
Tony Platt
For most of its history, the University of California has been a bastion of un-critical race theory from Manifest Destiny to The Bell Curve.
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Amateurism, Sneaker Money, and the Forgotten Protest of the 1968 Games
Harry Blutstein
Tommie Smith and John Carlos are remembered for their gloved-fist protest of American racism at the 1968 Mexico City Games. But they also demonstrated against the hypocritical and exploitative rules of amateurism and opened the door to endorsement payments for Olympians.
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How Makeup and Rumor Affect Women in Power
Rae Nudson
Appearance has been a double-edged sword for powerful women in history, enabling their achievements but also empowering their critics.
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America's Leaders Haven't Learned from Past International Rivalries
Danielle Taana Smith
American leaders have failed to learn from the past and are staking the nation's health to competition with foreign adversaries instead of improvement of American lives.
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Explaining the Different Post-Colonial Trajectories of Ireland and Haiti
Alan J. Singer
"The divergent paths of Haiti and Ireland are rooted in the history of 19th century European colonialism, European and American racism, and the very different alternatives offered to the people of the former colonies for the last two hundred plus years."
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The Roundup Top Ten for July 23, 2021
The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week.
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The History of Systemic Racism that CRT Opponents Prefer to Hide
Clyde W. Ford
The importation of African people to Virginia in 1619 spurred the process of establishing racial hierarchy through law, a historical reality the right seeks to deny.
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The 1906 Decision in Hodges v. United States Shows the Error of Leaving Fundamental Rights to the States
William H. Pruden III
The Court ruled that the 13th Amendment did not create a federal right to fairly contracted labor, and called for Black workers to "take their chances with other citizens in the states where they should make their homes," despite the plain determination of those citizens to oppress and expolit them.
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1920s "Tutmania" and its Enduring Echoes
Gill Paul
A remarkable confluence of events and circumstances launched a cultural mania for ancient Egypt in Britain and the US with the 1922 discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
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As Americans Hit the Road Again, It's Time to Revisit the Ideals of Liberty
Heidi M. Ravven
Americans are contemplating travel as COVID gives way to greater freedom to move. There's no more apt place for a visit than the Statue of Liberty.
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Trump Cheated on His Taxes. What Happens Now?
James D. Zirin
"When I was a federal prosecutor going after white collar criminals, I always looked for the accountant. He was the most likely witness for the government."
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The Government's Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Doesn't Answer Many Questions
David Marks
The minimal and inconclusive US Government report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena has not enlightened us about the nature of UFOs.
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Can Sports Realize Frederick Douglass's Ideal of the Composite Nation?
Walter G. Moss
From Jackie Robinson to Simone Biles and Shohei Otani, sports have been like the point of a knife piercing myths of white supremacy.
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The Roundup Top Ten for July 16, 2021
The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week.
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How Historians Convinced SCOTUS that the NCAA's Idea of Amateurism is a Myth
Ronald A. Smith
The Supreme Court was influenced by the work of a team of historians to reject the NCAA's arguments about amateurism and open the way for college athletes to profit from their names, images and likenesses – something history shows they did extensively before the NCAA's rules.
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The NFL Must Learn Lessons About Inclusion from Women's Sports
John Howard
If the NFL is sincere in wanting to fight against entrenched homophobia, it should follow the example of women's sports (and be prepared to make partnerships and investments with LGBTQ organizations inside and outside of sports.
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Why Does Speculation Persist in the Age of Predictive Data?
Gayle Rogers
"During this pandemic, all of us have studied many data points to assess our risks and predict how safe our futures will be under X or Y scenarios. Even when there has been no shortage of data, even when the data have overwhelmed us, the future has never been made certain and clear for us by them. Instead, we have had to become speculators to some degree."
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The Girders of Steel City's History
Ed Simon
The author of a new book on Pittsburgh considers the first written history of the city and reflects on what preceded and what might follow the steel era.
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Will US-China Relations Be Defined by Militaristic Competition or Climate Cooperation?
Lawrence Wittner
Despite the urgent need for global cooperation on the climate crisis, and significant instances of cooperation in the past, the leaders of the US and the People's Republic of China appear intent on pursuing a Cold War.
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Reflecting on the 80th Anniversary of the Nazi Invasion of Russia
Rick Halperin
The Nazi invasion of Russia unleashed unprecedented brutality against civilians along the eastern front; those horrors should reinforce a commitment to human rights.
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Cocktail of the Week: The Versatile Mule
Kathryn Smith
Enjoy a variation of the Moscow Mule as a summer cocktail (alcohol optional) with a history lesson on the cocktail's creation.
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The Roundup Top Ten for July 9, 2021
HNN Staff
The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week.
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