Historians in the News

This page features brief excerpts of stories published by the mainstream media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in each source note. Quotation marks are not used.

Source: Inside Higher Ed

1-30-14

Experts say academics are timid about fair use laws

Art historians remain confused about what "fair use" laws actually allow.

Source: Associated Press

1-30-14

Jon Meacham apologizes for comments on Obama

Meacham said that FDR and Lincoln did not "rebuild" the country through executive orders.

Source: The Guardian

1-30-14

Academics protest at proposal to ban them from blogging

A proposal to bar senior members of the International Studies Association from blogging has drawn the ire of academics.

Source: The Guardian

1-30-14

Britain entering First World War was 'biggest error in modern history'

Historian Niall Ferguson says Britain could have lived with German victory and should have stayed out of war.

1-29-14

David Bruce Smith Publications LLC to publish history series for kids

David Bruce Smith has a mission: to get young people more interested in American history.

Source: InfoSerbia

1-25-14

Austrian historian on WWI: There was no desire for a peaceful solution

Austrian historian Manfried Rauchensteiner spoke about the causes of the war, saying that they originated not only from the Balkans, but from the other regions of Europe, too.

Source: Inquisitr

1-23-14

Kate Middleton, Prince William ‘Dull,’ According to Historian

BBC historian Christopher Lee says Kate and William are "dull and inoffensive."

Source: NBC 7 (San Diego)

1-27-14

Calif. Historian Uncovers Passport Believed to Be Used by Nazi's "Angel of Death"

San Diegan, Craig Gottlieb, purchased a passport that he believes was used by Josef Mengele, a.k.a the “Angel of Death,” to flee to Argentina in 1949.

Source: WSB Radio

1-23-14

Pentagon chief historian Erin Mahan rapped for 'unprofessional conduct'

Mahan misused government resources, engaged in improper conduct in the workplace and even promised the same Deputy Historian job to two subordinates.

Source: AHA Today

1-28-14

Action Items by the AHA Council

An itemized list of AHA decisions from 2013.

Source: AHA Today

1-27-14

AHA sets up committee on professional evaluation of digital scholarship

The committee will establish evaluation standards.

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education

1-26-14

How Boston College’s oral history of the Troubles fell victim to an international murder investigation

The saga of the most controversial oral history program in the United States.

Source: The New Republic

1-25-14

Will the Next World War Start in the Middle East?

Richard Evans discusses parallels between 1914 and 2014 with The New Republic's Isaac Chotiner.

Source: New York Times

1-27-14

Holocaust Scholar Returns Top Award to Hungary in Protest

Randolph L. Braham, himself a Holocaust survivor, returned the award after Hungarian efforts to downplay that country's role as a German ally in World War II.