Current Events that Relate to History
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NewsStatue Removed During a City’s Racial Reckoning to be Displayed in D.C.
A statue of Caesar Rodney, a signer of the Declaration of Independence who enslaved over 200 people, was taken down in Delaware, during 2020 protests.Washington Post -
Film ReviewAmerica's Cinematic Salvation
'One Battle After Another' brings the immigration debate to the big screen. It isn't the first.Liberties Journal -
LongreadThey Came to Spy on America. They Stayed to Coach Little League.
In the wake of the Cold War, some Soviet bloc spies decided their fake American lives weren’t so bad.Politico -
ExplainerThe Lonely Lake That Revolutionized American Environmental Law
In the 1970s and 1980s, battles to preserve Mono Lake set new protection precedents.Zócalo Public Square -
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2026 Iran war
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Comment‘Evacuation Day’ and the American Character
How the British occupation of Boston—which ended 250 years ago today—shaped our political sensibility.The Bulwark -
exhibitMoving Pictures
Tracing the history of Americans' relationships with the silver screen, from film's earliest days to the cinematic creations of our own times.
From the HNN Archive
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How to Succeed in Government Without Really Trying
The long history of promising an “efficient” federal government. -
If the Slipper Doesn’t Fit
A scorched shoe is a crucial part of Zelda Fitzgerald’s modern mythology. But there’s no proof it existed. -
Indifferent to the Fate of Freedom Elsewhere
Jimmy Carter is known for his defense of human rights worldwide. But in 1979, he threatened to deport thousands of Iranian student protesters. -
Elevating the Few
What JD Vance excludes from the history of the Civil War and immigration. -
Whose Side Are College Administrators On?
There’s a long history of politicians targeting student protesters — and of campus leaders abetting those efforts. -
Solve for AI
What the history of the pocket calculator reveals about the future of AI in classrooms. -
“At Any Future Time”
In 1880, the daughter of a Welsh politician turned to fiction to expose perspectives missing from the official record, upending histories for generations to come. -
Slamming America’s Door Behind Him
How a son of European immigrants fought to keep Indian immigrants out of America. -
Governing by Police
The Metropolitan Police Department in DC has been an essential component of Washington politics since its founding. -
When Good Housekeeping Meant Getting Vaccinated Against Polio
The pages of 1950s lifestyle magazines offer a glimpse of a time when childhood vaccines were anything but controversial.