Historians in the News

Ken Burns's "Jackie Robinson" celebrates American hero

Jackie Robinson was not the best baseball player who ever lived, but renowned filmmaker Ken Burnsmakes a strong argument that he was the most important one.

Most Canadian history is written by men

Historian Margaret MacMillan finds that upsetting.

Tweets from the OAH Annual Meeting

Interesting tweets from the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians 2016.

Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians: 2016

Highlights from the annual meeting being held in Providence, RI.

Daniel Pipes says Trump’s brand of politics is neo-fascist

by Daniel Pipes

"He encourages participants at his rallies physically to assault critics and has offered to cover their legal fees."

Historian says California needs to drop the name of Hindenburg from a local park where Nazi sympathizers once held rallies

by Cora Granata

But Cora Granata says we need to remember California’s dark past when German Americans celebrated militaristic leaders.

A dream team of scholars — Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf — collaborate on a book on Jefferson

“People read history the way we watch movies, where you have a good guy and a bad guy. What’s the point of even going to the library to do research if you already know what you think?” — Annette Gordon-Reed

Historian Says Newly Released Letters Show Reagan Left Liberalism When Communists Infiltrated

by Ronald Radosh

Ron Radosh reports that a recently released exchange of letters between Reagan and a Soviet émigré sheds new light on when and why Reagan shifted from being a supporter of the Popular Front to becoming a strong anti-Communist liberal.

Historian William Lawrence O’Neill has died at age 80

by Catherine O'Neill

Professor O’Neill, a retired Distinguished Professor from Rutgers University, wrote more than a dozen books on subjects such as women, politics, and war in the United States in the Twentieth Century.

UCLA students and faculty protest return of historian Gabriel Piterberg

The professor was accused of sexual assault and harassment following quarter of leave.

Historians at Ole Miss say a Confederate monument plaque has to be frank about slavery

33 historians say in a signed statement that the plaque must acknowledge that the South fought for slavery.

Historian: William Henry Harrison likely died of scarlet fever, not pneumonia

by Philip A. Mackowiak

Philip A. Mackowiak, emeritus Professor of Medicine, says the president’s symptoms match scarlet fever.

Revered Indian Leader Joe Medicine Crow, Last Crow War Chief, Dies at 102

The respected historian of Montana's Crow Tribe and the last surviving Plains Indian war chief, died Sunday.

Associated Press Denies Historian’s Claim It Worked With Hitler

This statement from AP came after Harriet Scharnberg, a historian from the Martin Luther University, published a study claiming that AP cooperated with the Nazis.

Australia’s ‘history wars’ reignite

Debate over 'discovery' of Australia is alive and well – in the mind of one Sydney newspaper editor.

A Villanova University history professor has been charged with 415 child pornography-related counts

Christopher Haas was arrested on 415 child-porn-related counts.

New York State’s former chief historian warns the bureaucracy is putting history at risk

by Robert Weible

Robert Weible says decades of neglect have put the state’s vital history at risk.

James C. Cobb warns that cleansing American culture of ties to slavery will be harder than you think

by James C. Cobb

Few historic American institutions are free of the touch of slavery's history.

Former Phillips Exeter Academy professor admits sexual misconduct, sanctioned a second time

Decades old incidents of sexual misconduct by a distinguished Phillips Exeter Academy professor were made public this week when a letter was sent from Principal Lisa MacFarlane to academy alumni.

Harvard President Drew Faust Will Dedicate Plaque to Honor Harvard Slaves

She will undertake several initiatives to unearth and reflect on Harvard’s history of slavery.