Historians in the News

Familiar Story of the Boston Massacre Becomes Familial

A review of Serena Zabin's upcoming book "The Boston Massacre."

Coronavirus Will Not Harm Urbanization, Cities 'Will Come Back Even Stronger'

"What we find is that in history of crises, in history of pandemics, the young people, ambitious people, people from rural areas who want better jobs flock to cities," says urbanist Richard Florida.

Lessons for a Depression: A Conversation with Historian Eric Rauchway

Historian Eric Rauchway compares the Great Depression and our current pandemic-induced economic decline, Franklin Roosevelt’s democratic principles, and the role of a competent government in preventing authoritarianism. 

She Posed as a Nurse During the 1918 Flu Pandemic and Went on a Crime Spree

Julia Lyons preyed on the sick and dying in Chicago.

From Black Death to Fatal Flu, Past Pandemics Show Why People on the Margins Suffer Most

Evidence from bioanthropology and history suggests that late medieval plagues (and other pandemics) are not levelling forces; they often reinforce the divisions in society.

Zoom Webinar: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Discusses "Race for Profit," May 19, 4:30 PM CDT

The award-winning historian and public speaker will discuss the relationship between housing policy and racial inequality in the United States

The Mrs. Files

The honorific "Mrs." has a complex history reflecting changing social values and gender roles.   

The Private Militias Providing "Security" for Anti-Lockdown Protests, Explained

Nicole Hemmer and Jared Yates Sexton offer historical perspective on the growing presence of armed groups at protests. 

States Keep Failing Black People

by Charles M. Blow

A look at American history shows that state governments have been agents of black oppression in voting rights, criminal justice, and public health.

Online Roundtable: Saidiya Hartman’s ‘Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments’

From May 18-22, a group of five scholars will participate in a roundtable to discuss Hartman's most recent work.

Historian Draws Parallels Between The 1918 Spanish Flu And Today's Coronavirus Pandemic

An interview with historian Kenneth C. Davis about his book on the 1918 outbreak, "More Deadly than War."

"Disposable Workers" Doing Essential Jobs

Labor historian John Logan reflects on how the coronavirus crisis has impacted Americans' attitudes towards workers.

What Ahmaud Arbery’s Death Recalls About Lynching and Church History

How and why these killings—and Christians’ responses to them—changed over the centuries.

You're Witnessing History: Minnesota Historians Need Your Help to Document the Pandemic As It Happens

Archivists are asking for blog posts, photos, signs, even T-shirts to capture pandemic history as it's happening. 

What Postwar America Can Tell Us About Today’s Record Unemployment

Economic historians Caroline Fohlin and Gary Richardson discuss the nature of government support for employment to preserve World War II's economic gains. 

Rediscovering Trans History (Review)

A review of innovative histories of transgendered persons by Jen Manion and Barry Reay. 

What Reconstruction and the New Deal can Teach us About What Comes after the Pandemic Presidency

David Blight discusses the achievements and end of Reconstruction, while Greg Grandin looks to the New Deal for clues to what might follow the Trump presidency.

Theodore Brown receives Lifetime Achievement Award from American Association for the History of Medicine

Brown's history of the World Health Organization stresses that international politics have left the agency without the power it needs to battle a pandemic like Covid-19. 

Smallpox Inoculations in 1770s Were Risky, But Helped George Washington Win the War

Historian Elizabeth Fenn notes that Washington recognized the need to negate a British advantage: endemic smallpox in Britain made his enemy less susceptible to the disease rampant in the colonies. 

Finding the Funny: Historians’ Lectures Provide Material for Improv Comedians

A Philadelphia improv comedy group has been inviting historians to collaborate for years in performances mixing historical lecture and improvised reenactments.