Historians in the News

John Ganz and Lauren Stokes on the American Right's Hungary Hearts

Historian Lauren Stokes helps to explain the American right's embrace of Viktor Orban and the right-wing regime in Hungary. 

In Memoriam: Robert Divine, 1929-2021

by H.W. Brands and Mark Atwood Lawrence

Two University of Texas colleagues pay tribute to the scholarly, teaching, and personal contributions of the late Robert Divine to the field of diplimatic history. 

Leonard Moore: On Teaching Black History to White People

Dr. Leonard Moore of the University of Texas, author of the new "Teaching Black History to White People," discusses the challenges of teaching about racism in America, both from conservatives who often demand "colorblindness" and elements of the "woke left" who often demand intellectual safety.

#HATM: "Historians at the Movies" Builds Community One Screening at a Time

What started with doctoral candidate Jason Herbert's desire to goof on "National Treasure" turned into a weekly event bringing historians, students, and even celebrities together on Twitter. 

Must We Unite Around Slaveholders? Woody Holton and Jamelle Bouie on the Politics of History

"So the big difference between the generation that I’m a part of and the generation that came before is that where they saw consensus internally, we see conflict internally. And by the way, I think that’s a lot more exciting."

"This Obstinate Little Man": Tom Segev on Ben-Gurion as the King Lear of Zionism

"Ben-Gurion was not a saint and should not be made into one posthumously. An unvarnished account of his vices is essential, but so is an appreciation of his merits." A reviewer says Tom Segev's new biography sheds little light on his influence over the Zionist movement and the Israeli state.

How Cigarettes Became a Civil Rights Issue

Medical Historian Keith Wailoo's new book argues that tobacco companies have systematically targeted Black communities with advertisements for menthol cigarettes and enlisted Black civil rights leaders to oppose regulations on flavored tobacco sales. 

David Graeber and David Wengrow Have Given Human History a Rewrite

by William Deresiewicz

A new effort at a synthesis of the sweep of human history upends what recent popularizers have presented as a progressive path from hunter-gatherer society to corporate capitalism by emphasizing choice, contingency, and the possibility of doing things differently.

Lecture: H.W. Brands on The First Civil War – Loyalists and Patriots in the American Revolution (11/23)

H.W. Brands will discuss the tensions between Loyalists and Revolutionaries in the colonies and the way those tensions shaped the course of revolution. 

AHA Announces 2021 Prize Winners

HNN congratulates the winners of the AHA's awards for publication, teaching, and service to the profession. 

Phil Collins Sets Off a New Battle Over the Alamo

The singer's gift of his artifact collection has reignited controversy about how the events of 1836 should be commemorated in the state's complex history. 

Timuel Black, 102: Historian and Organizer of Black Chicago

Timuel Black mobilized the political power of the predominantly Black South Side of Chicago, taught others — including a young Barack Obama — how to do the same, and in his final decades compiled oral histories giving voice to his community’s Black working class.

Early Pregnancy Testing Required Sacrificing Rabbits

Women have always had an interest in detecting pregancy as soon as possible; the development of tests for pregnancy hormones involved fugitives from the Nazis and unfortunate rodents who were autopsied in early tests. 

Howard Cosell Rejects the Backlash to 1968 Olympics Protest

In the face of public backlash and USOC punishment, Howard Cosell defended the protests of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, perhaps more directly than any sports media figure would dare do today. 

Justice William O. Douglas Hiked 150 Miles to Preserve the C&O Canal as a Park

William O. Douglas used the disused C&O Canal as a way to retreat into nature during his service on the court; he led resistance to a proposal to convert the waterway into a highway by walking its 185 miles in 1954. 

Dems Worry Not Passing Biden Agenda Will Kill Them in the Midterms. Does Legislation Actually Matter?

Ronald Brownstein, with help from Julian Zelizer, explains that even big wins for presidential priorities seldom save the party in power from a big beating in the midterms, a "second year curse" of modern presidencies.

Books Briefing: Fights Over What Kids Read Continue

More than half of the books banned from or challenged in school libraries and classrooms deal with issues of diversity including race, gender and disability. 

Comparing Unvaccinated Kyrie Irving to HIV-Positive Magic Johnson? Not So Fast

"Shut up and dribble" falls by the wayside when right-wing media figures can make a convenient ally out of a prominent athlete. 

Divisions: A New History of Racism and Resistance in America’s World War II Military (Washington History Seminar, Mon. Oct. 18)

Thomas Guglielmo joins the Washington History Seminar to discuss his new history of resistance to racism within the military during the second world war. Monday, October 18, 4:00 PM eastern. 

Historian: At 100th Anniversary, the Origins of LULAC are in San Antonio

Cynthia Orozco, Ph.D, professor of history and humanities at Eastern New Mexico University, will discuss how Order Sons of America led to the creation of the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation’s oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization.