Historians/History

Two Things You Don’t Know About Roe v. Wade that Will Surprise You

by James D. Robenalt

One of these two things changed American politics and not in a good way.

Secret Warriors of the First World War

by Taylor Downing

The First World War was not just a war of trenches, slaughter and sacrifice. It changed the scientific and technological landscape of the century to follow.

Capturing History as it Really Happened in October 1962 (Part 1)

by Sheldon M. Stern

The first in a series of articles about what we know now about the Cuban Missile Crisis that we didn’t know until recently.

Goodbye, Stanley

by Bernard Weisberger

Stanley Kutler died yesterday and we are all poorer for his passing.

The Two Obstacles Ministers Had to Overcome Before They Could Turn Lincoln into a Saint

by Gary Scott Smith

Celebrated as a Christian, Lincoln himself never said whether he took Jesus as his lord and savior.

The United States Isn’t the Only Country Still Trying to Figure Out the Vietnam War

by Tuong Vu

So is Vietnam.

The Evolutionary Origins of Politics: An Interview with Avi Tuschman

by Avi Tuschman

In which he answers the question: How does knowing the evolutionary origins of politics affect the way historians should write history?

This Is What Nixon Told a Sympathetic Biographer About the Charge He Sabotaged the Vietnam Peace Talks in 1968

by Ray Locker

In a newly released letter, Nixon admitted he was aware of Anna Chennault’s interference, but denied it affected Thieu’s decision to obstruct the talks.

How Diamonds Destroyed a People

by Stan Winer

The horrible human tragedy and deceit on which the fortune of Cecil Rhodes rests.

The Lincoln Assassination Conspiracies

by Ray Cavanaugh

Many are acquainted with at least one good JFK assassination conspiracy, but fewer are aware of the alleged plots involving the Lincoln assassination. His murder, which took place 150 years ago this Apr. 14, prompted a number of very different conspiracy theories.

Lincoln’s Body in American History— Richard Wightman Fox on His New Book (Interview)

by Robin Lindley

In his groundbreaking new book, "Lincoln’s Body: A Cultural History" (W. W. Norton), historian Richard Wightman Fox offers a wide-ranging study of the cultural meanings of Lincoln’s image as man and myth from his day to our own.

NYT History Book Reviews: Who Got Noticed this Week?

by Erik Moshe

This week the books are all about money.

Once a Liberal Icon, Jefferson’s Now Claimed by Both Left and Right

by Andrew Burstein

How can that be? People believe what they want to believe.

The Israeli Historians People Talk About

by Alexander S. Collie

Who they are and what they believe.

Exploring the Words and Wisdom of Charles Johnson with E. Ethelbert Miller (Interview)

by Robin Lindley

" There's no book like this anywhere in world literature — a very candid, detailed look into a writer's mind and heart and journey through this life."

So You Think You Know Ike? William Ewald Did

by Yanek Mieczkowski

Here's what it was like working for the five-star general and president.

The Secret Nixon Library

by Anthony Clark

Until Watergate stopped him, Nixon planned to build his presidential library on federal land confiscated from Camp Pendleton. This would have been illegal, but Nixon figured out a way around the law, complete with a cover-up.

It’s Time We Face the Fact that Ronald Reagan Was Hostile to Civil Rights

by Doug Rossinow

Reagan rode the white backlash—along with other major issues, to be sure—farther than anyone else ever did in American history, before or since.

Nancy Pearl’s Love Affair with History: An Interview

by Robin Lindley

America’s most beloved reading advocate on the allure of the past.

Why a Midwestern History Association?

by Pamela Riney-Kehrberg

There’s a new history association on the block. Here the president-elect explains why it’s needed.