Roundup

The Franklin Ship Myth, Verified

by Adam Gopnik

"To translate it from Canadian into American terms, it is as if someone had found, in a single moment, the hull of the Titanic, the solution to the mystery of the lost colony at Roanoke, the original flag of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the menu for the Donner Party’s last meal."

Roundup Top 10!

This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editors of HNN.

Only 60 percent of Americans know FDR was president during WW II

by Daniel Burnett

As Americans watched filmmaker Ken Burns’ latest documentary, “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” this past week, a new study suggests that, despite the family’s importance in our history, their legacies are being forgotten.

Women’s role in U.S. history should be honored on the Mall

by Elizabeth Dole

"Until we recognize the many achievements and contributions of women to our nation’s history, gender will continue to be a key factor not only in career choices but in how women feel about themselves, how men perceive them and so much more."

The Ancestors of ISIS

by David Motadel

Jihadist states have a history, and it shows they always fail.

For ISIS, the United States’ Military Strikes Confirm God’s Favor

by Jeffrey Kaplan

"In Muslim eyes, for the West there is no god but democracy, and America is its prophet."

The story of the longest held American POW

by Andrew Burt

The incredible story of former CIA agent John T. Downey.

Wonder Woman's Secret Past

by Jill Lepore

"Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world.”

The U.S. once considered using 23 nuclear bombs to blast out a highway

by Sarah Zhang

It began with the Santa Fe Railway Company, which wanted a straighter and flatter path through the Bristol Mountains.

The Weird and Troubling History of Bisexuality Studies

by Kate Hakala

"Bisexuality can sometimes feel like a largely invisible orientation because of its historic neglect and ridicule in both the media and sciences."

Shock & Awe In Syria: It never Works

by Juan Cole

"The US belief in air power is touching, but in fact no conflict has ever been quickly brought to an end where US planes have been involved."

Apocalypse Now, Iraq Edition

by Peter Van Buren

Fighting in Iraq Until Hell Freezes Over

Why populism and parties terrified George Washington

by Alan Pell Crawford

James Madison called it “perhaps the greatest error” of George Washington’s “political life.” That he committed so few makes Washington’s speech of November 19, 1794, memorable in itself.

The Vietnamization of the War on ISIS?

by Max Boot

The comparison may be unfair, but it is also inevitable when one reads that “the U.S. military campaign against Islamist militants in Syria is being designed to allow President Barack Obama to exert a high degree of personal control, going so far as to require that the military obtain presidential signoff for strikes in Syrian territory.”

Was the Ferguson prosecutor's father, a cop, really killed by a black man?

by Peter James Hudson

"While Glenn was charged and convicted of first-degree murder by the Missouri courts, a close reading of the state’s justifications for his conviction and sentence suggests two alternative possibilities. "

The long and complicated history of the Mexican-American border

by Paul Kramer

The Mexican-American border seems easy to identify.  But for years it wasn't.

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about Scottish history

by Emma McFarnon

Scotland has voted to remain in the United Kingdom. The country's future has been fiercely debated in recent weeks, but how much do you know about Scottish history?

Roundup Top 10!

This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editors of HNN.

How A Supreme Court Precedent From 1837 Supports Uber's Fight Against Taxi Monopolies

by Christian G. Samito,

While some local governments will probably impose more robust regulations on Uber vehicles, it seems inconceivable that a court would shut down a new method of for-hire transportation because it competes with an existing one.

Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West’s Fault; The Liberal Delusions That Provoked Putin

by John J. Mearsheimer

"U.S. and European leaders blundered in attempting to turn Ukraine into a Western stronghold on Russia’s border."