Historians in the News

H. W. Brands is doing American history in 17 syllables and 140 characters

"It occurred to me that the 17 syllables in a haiku fit conveniently in 140 characters of twitter.”

Scholar who debunked Niebuhr's authorship of the Serenity Prayer reverses himself

by Fred R. Shapiro

It took years of research to confirm Niebuhr's authorship.

Daniel Anker, Maker of Powerful Documentaries, Dies at 50

Mr. Anker was a storyteller, not an innovator.

Labor History, Headed To A School Near You? (Maybe--if you live in Connecticut)

The bill directs the state Department of Education to draw up a curriculum on the subject and to make it available to local school boards for optional use.

UNC historians demand answers about scandal involving the athletic department

"Like many others on the Carolina faculty, we members of the History Department deplore the revelations of gross academic impropriety that have troubled our campus in recent years."

New members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences include ...

Jill Lepore is among the new members. 

U. of Southern California Creates New Center for Genocide Research

The University of Southern California wants to create a West Coast hub of genocide scholarship.

Cultural historian who helped end censorship of "Lady Chatterley's Lover," dies

Richard Hoggart, a distinguished cultural historian and a significant witness in the court case that ended British censorship of "Lady Chatterley's Lover," has died at age 95.

Thomas Slaughter interviewed about his new book on the American Revolution

by John Fia

This interview is based on his new book, The Tangled Roots of the American Revolution (Wang and Hill, June 2014).

Historian Michael Ignatieff writes a memoir explaining why he failed in politics

by Paul Wilson

He led his party to the greatest defeat in its history and left the field badly beaten.

Olivia Remie Constable, director of the Medieval Institute at Notre Dame since 2009, passes away

Constable’s focus for classes and research included “interactions between medieval Christians, Muslims and Jews.

Arizona Historical Society soon could be history

"I'm on their side," Griffin, R-Hereford, told me. "The issues that were brought up were serious concerns. I just want to make sure those concerns are taken care of."

Yale's Donald Kagan says students need to study Western civilization

by Donald Kagan

"The civilization of the West ... was not the result of some inevitable process through which other cultures will automatically pass."

Ken Burns on Colbert to promote his new documentary, "The Address"

Ken Burns's latest documentary is about the Gettysburg Address.

UC Santa Barbara History Department featuring a series on the Great Society at 50

“Basically, we’re trying to connect the past and the present because a lot of these Great Society programs that were implemented in the 60’s still exist in some form, but a lot of them are under attack now.”

Historians are trying to recover censored texts from World War I poets

by Jean Cannon

Historians are discovering censorship in surprising places (e.g.: In the archives of the letters of Wilfred Owen).

Diane Ravitch blasts the NYT for failing to understand the controversy over Common Core

by Diane Ravitch

Story after story has repeated the narrative invented by Arne Duncan, that the only opponents of the Common Core are members of the Tea Party and other extremists.

Mormon history professors debate atheists in bid to foster greater understanding

Two professors of history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sat on a panel with two atheist experts for a discussion to dispel misconceptions and seek understanding.

Research by Richard Brown and Doron S. Ben-Atar sheds light on colonial bestiality

“This seemed to us to be a very strange situation that we hoped to explore further.”

Glenn Feldman wins prize for book, "The Irony of the Solid South"

In his book, Feldman says that no one should have been surprised by the region's political shift and argues that the South was never solidly Democratic.