Current Events that Relate to History
Recently Published
View AllOriginal features and excerpts of new books
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Features
AI Is an Anti-Primary Source Machine
Real voices from the past are threatened by chatbots designed to amplify — and ultimately become — the loudest voices in the room. -
Features
Regime Change
A coin featuring the likeness of President Trump doesn’t have many precedents in American history. The ancient Roman opponents of Julius Caesar could explain why. -
Features
How “History” Became Central at the Supreme Court
Originalists and historians use the past to accomplish very different tasks.
In the Newsletter
View All EditionsCurated collections that explore a different theme each week
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LongreadMilwaukee’s Proud History of Baseball — and Socialism
The Brewers' success this season is a reminder of Milwaukee baseball’s progressive heritage and the city’s proud socialist history.Jacobin -
CommentWhy Donald Trump Wants To Replace American History With Big Statues Of Famous People
Trump's vision of history as a celebrity walk-of-fame is at odds with the work that history museums actually do.Defector -
CommentJim Crow Georgia’s Voter Suppression Offers a Warning for 2026
Each step away from democracy, rather than shoring up confidence in elections, stirs further rounds of suspicion and accusation and further constriction.HARPPing On History -
Book ReviewThe Gold Rush and the Making of Modern America
Author Nathaniel Philbrick sees links between 1850s California and the current A.I. boom. What can the history of the action-packed gold rush actually tell us?The New Yorker -
Book ExcerptThe Story Behind Edward Hopper’s Iconic Painting, “Nighthawks”
On Hopper's most famous work.Literary Hub -
OverviewThe Idea of Invention in the Law
For the purposes of a patent, does invention begin at conception, or not until the item physically exists and is demonstrated to work?Journal of the History of Ideas Blog -
exhibitFear Itself
We're not generally at our best when frightened. It's no surprise, then, that some of the ugliest episodes in American history (but also, some pretty great films) have been driven by fear.