Historians in the News

Columbus Historian Hits Streets in Search of African American Stories

Rita Fuller-Yates earned a bachelor's degree in history and worked in corporate America and as a lifestyle columnist. But now she's a fierce avocate for memorializing one of Ohio's black leaders (and the history of African Americans in Columbus) on the grounds of the Statehouse.

Keynes and the Good Life

by Jeffrey Sachs

Keynes did not give us a checklist of dos and don’ts other than general ones: Don’t waste human talents and physical resources through wanton unemployment, avoidable wars, or breakdowns of social and trade relations.

Why History Urges Caution on Coronavirus Immunity Testing

The idea that people can gain privileged status by proving their immunity to a disease has troubling historical precedents, both in terms of social prejudices and public health outcomes.

A New Biography of Odetta Reveals a Difficult Life Well Sung

Ian Zack's biography of the singer Odetta reveals a great deal about the limits racism and sexism imposed on her career and the limited terms on which she was accepted by white audiences.

Pandemic Narratives and the Historian

A group of historians including Alison Bashford, Simuka Chigudu, Deborah Coen, Richard Keller, Julie Livingston, Nayan Shah and Paul Weindling discuss the helpful and harmful ways historians have examined the COVID-19 crisis. 

How Will COVID-19 Change the World? Historian Frank Snowden on Epidemics From the Black Death to Now

Professor Frank Snowden, who has been quarantined in Rome since the Coronavirus outbreak (and is himself recovering from the illness) discusses his research on the history of pandemics.

Baseball History and Rural America

The study of how baseball evolved, historain David Vaught writes, remains a test of how history is written--from concern with origin moments or attention to ongoing processes of change and development.

‘Matewan Massacre’ A Century Ago Embodied Miners’ Struggles

Historian Lou Martin, a board member of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, recounts the oppressive atmosphere in mining towns that led to a violently repressed unionization drive.

Did The South Win The Civil War?

In this podcast, Historian Heather Cox Richardson discusses her new book "How The South Won The Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, And The Continuing Fight For The Soul Of America."

When Did People Start Eating in Restaurants?

Historian Rebecca Spang's book "The Invention of the Restaurant" examines the French roots of dining out.

Thavolia Glymph Appointed to Gettysburg Foundation Board

Duke University Professor Thavolia Glymph joins the board of the foundation, which partners with the National Parks Service to preserve and promote historical sites near Gettysburg related to the Civil War battlefield and to the military career of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Historians Brighten Shelter-in-Place with Vintage Photos Pinned to Telephone Poles

OpenSFHistory is utilizing their collection of photographs to connect San Franciscans with their community during quarantine.

Sorry, Abe Lincoln Is Not on the Ballot

Historian David W. Blight contextualizes the use of Lincoln, and other not-so-popular presidents, in modern political discourse.

How Epidemics And Pandemics Have Changed History

This podcast features historians Jo Hays, Frank Snowden, and Elizabeth Fenn in a discussion of the role of infectious disease in history.

History Professor Robert Forster dies at 93

Forster, who taught at Hopkins from 1966 to 1996, was renowned for his work on the history of early modern France and is remembered as a generous, supportive mentor.

Pandemic Past, Pandemic Present with Medical Historian Mark Honigsbaum

In this Zoom webinar, Honigsbaum discusses the influenza pandemics of the last century and their connections to COVID-19.

Steeped in the Blood: On The May 15th, 1970 Jackson State Killings

Nancy K. Bristow's new work "Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order and the 1970 Shooting at Jackson State College" is only the second book-length source on the subject.

Award for NC Historian’s Book about Mississippi City

A Los Angeles cultural and publishing nonprofit is giving its 10th annual book award to a University of North Carolina historian’s account of civil rights in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

ASU Historians Founded "Journal of the Plague Year" to Document the Pandemic in Real Time

Historians Katherine Landdeck and Mark Tebeau weigh in on the importance of chronicling all types of experiences, no matter how mundane they may seem.

An Eyewitness to Studs

To mark what would have been the 108th birthday of Studs Terkel, Peter T. Alter, CHM chief historian and director of the Studs Terkel Center for Oral History, reflects on the memorable moments he shared with Studs at the Museum and Studs’s enduring cultural influence.