Historians in the News

Popular historian John Holland argues in a new book that the Nazis lost the war through “spectacular inefficiency”

German planes and tanks broke down frequently he claims in a new book, "The War in the West" (vol. 2).

Martha C. Nussbaum's Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities

by Martha C. Nussbaum

This is the transcript of the lecture she gave on May 1, 2017.

Eric Foner explains why he wrote about Lincoln

And why he feared the Lincoln Industrial Complex.

How useful are the humanities? This policeman has an answer.

by Frank Biess

The story of David Livingstone  –  the chief of police in Simi Valley who's working on a PhD in history. 

Historian Timothy Snyder: “It’s pretty much inevitable” that Trump will try to stage a coup and overthrow democracy

Yale historian and author of the new book "On Tyranny" says we may have one year left to save American democracy.

13 Questions for H.W. Brands

by Tiffany April Griffin

In an interview with HNN Brands tells history majors to make history their hobby: “If it becomes a career, fine. But the odds are against you.”

#1 bestseller in China? Book by Oxford historian Peter Frankopan.

The book:  "The Silk Roads: A New History of the World," which shows the importance of the east and the role it had in shaping modern Europe.

Mormon history scholars file court brief over Trump travel ban

They draw a parallel with believe the federal government’s targeting of Mormons in the 19th century.

Accused plagiarist Matthew Whitaker wins arbitration case against City of Phoenix over police contract

The victory comes after a series of blows to his career.

Niall Ferguson says the liberal international order has passed its peak

But he doesn’t believe that means we’re headed for more wars.

Nathaniel Philbrick wins the $50,000 2017 George Washington Prize

It’s for Valiant Ambition, his story about the complex relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold.

In an interview Jill Lepore explains how she writes and the writers she admires most

One of her favorites is John Hersey.

Trump is no Hitler – he’s a Mussolini, says Oxford historian

There’s good news and bad news in parallels from the 1930s, warns Professor Margaret MacMillan, outgoing warden at St Antony’s College.

French bestseller is a dense history of France written by 122 academics

by Robert Darnton

Conservatives are denouncing it.

‘Sherlock Holmes of Armenian Genocide’ Uncovers Lost Evidence

Taner Akcam, a Turkish historian at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., who has studied the genocide for decades by piecing together documents from around the world to establish state complicity in the killings, says he has unearthed an original telegram that confirms authorities knew what was happening.

Rick Perlstein’s still drawing brickbats for his confession in the NYT that historians (like him) have misinterpreted modern conservatism

by Josh Mound

Some historians insist economics really explains Trump’s victory.

“Historians are shockingly dismissive of people in ‘flyover country,’ ” says Pulitzer-winning historian T. J. Stiles

“The fulcrum of American history is profound in places like the Great Plains and Minnesota.”

UNC history department in uproar after a professor’s course on sports history was cancelled

“[W]e believe that the College took this action to block broader understanding of the recent scandals in UNC’s major intercollegiate athletic programs."

Professor uses role-playing, video game to teach history

Robert Jordan’s digital history course at Colorado State University is not like any other history class.

American Historical Review apology prompts soul-searching over racial gatekeeping in the academe

The decision to allow a scholar with views seen as aiding white supremacy to write a book review has sparked commentary about who in the academy gets called on to contribute.