Recently Published

Why is the Mona Lisa not the Mona Lisa?

by Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Brown

New research suggests the famous painting in the Louvre does not depict Mona Lisa.

Three Unexpected Deaths That Shaped Presidential History

by Ronald L. Feinman

Unexpected tragedy in the lives of three political leaders—John F. Kennedy, Jr., Paul Wellstone, and Joe Biden—demonstrate the profound impact of chance on political history. 

How the Allies Won on D-Day

by Giles Milton

A ground-breaking account of the first 24 hours of the D-Day invasion told by a symphony of incredible accounts of unknown and unheralded members of the Allied – and Axis – forces.

Robinson Crusoe’s Wall

by Geoffrey Sill

We can look to history, especially literary and cultural history, to explain the passionate desire of many Americans to build a wall.

What I’m Reading: An Interview With Civil War Historian Anne Sarah Rubin

by Erik Moshe

“To hold your own book is to have achieved something permanent in an ephemeral world.”

A Historian Reflects on a Long Life

by Vaughn Davis Bornet

In this personal essay, historian Vaughn Davis Bornet offers his advice on living a long life. 

Lessons from Studying Corporate History and the Case of IBM

by James W. Cortada

And what it can teach us about the longevity of corporations. 

The Most Alarming Argument in Jill Lepore's These Truths

by Walter G. Moss

How technology has destablized our world and why there's still hope. 

Hitler's Own Maginot Line

by Robert Scott Kellner

What the diary of a German against the Third Reich can teach us about the Atlantic Wall. 

What Historians Are Tweeting: The Women Historians Who Inspire on International Women's Day

Dr. Sarah Bond (@SarahEBond) asked "How did your female mentor make a difference in your career?" Here are some of the responses.

Remembering Audrey Hepburn's Best Role

by William Lambers

How her experiences as a child motivated her commitment to ending children's hunger.

The English Diggers, the "Commons," and the Green New Deal

by Ed Simon

The idea of the “commons” as a space of collective ownership, responsibility, engagement, and possibility must be a metaphor that the left draws from rhetorically. 

Will the U.S. Government Abide by the International Law It Created in Venezuela?

by Lawrence Wittner

And how the U.S. government has violated these principles of international law in the past.

The Entangled History of “America First” and “The American Dream"

by James Thornton Harris

Sarah Churchwell unravels the complicated history behind “America First” in her new book Behold America. 

Genocide Denial In Bosnia: A Danger to Europe and to the World

by Albinko Hasic

The same de-humanizing philosophy which fed into ethnic and religious tropes leading to genocide is back, perhaps stronger than ever.

Battlefield Tourism At Ypres and How Public History Sites Change

by Mark Connelly and Stefan Goebel

Modern Ypres or Ieper is a world forged and shaped in the furnace of a conflict that ended one hundred years ago this November. 

Is Bernie Sanders Actually A Democratic Socialist?

by Michael Sheng

"For the sake of history, please tell your voters what you really believe, and don’t just throw out a label without a precise definition."

What I’m Reading: An Interview With Public Historian Amanda Higgins

by Erik Moshe

“The best historians are removing the layer between the finished thing and the work to get to that finished project.”

What FDR Can Teach Us About Congress and National Emergencies

by Martin Halpern

Seventy-five years ago this week, there was a serious conflict between President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress.

UPDATED: What Historians are Saying: In Response to Max Boot's Op Ed on Historians

Max Boot published an article saying historians are not engaged enough with the public. Here's how historians reacted.