Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?
Stephen Mitsuo Higa

We hear this "fact" a lot, but there's little in the historical record about non-Greco-Roman, non-Christian religions in Europe.

The New Age of Austerity
Iwan Morgan

What any student of Econ 101 should have known, bu the pols in the UK didn't.

Lincoln, Spielberg, Sandburg, Kennedy, and Compromise
Walter G. Moss

The art of compromise--the double entendre.

The Federal Government Should Hold On To General Motors
Andrew Schocket

The Founding Fathers would hang onto those GM shares.

Florida Historians Standing Up to Rick Scott
John Willingham

His attempt to devour the liberal arts at the University of Florida is meeting resistance.

Where Howard Zinn's A People's History Falls Short
Sam Wineburg

It's closer to classic (and flawed) textbooks than most want to admit.

The End of American Innocence -- Again…
Gil Troy

The Sandy Hook massacre must not rob us of our zest for life, or our faith in ourselves.

Gun Control: The New Abolitionism?
Ira Chernus's MythicAmerica

Is Newtown the Uncle Tom's Cabin moment for the gun control movement?

Mandate Gunowners Purchase Firearms Liability Insurance
Andrew Meyer

One simple, bipartisan way to respond to the Newtown massacre.

How Could This Happen?!
Josh Brown's Life During Wartime

It's inexplicable...

HNN Hot Topics: Gun Control

The deadly elementary school shooting in Connecticut will restart a debate on gun control. Here's what historians have to say.

How to Fight the Tragedy of Global Hunger this Holiday Season
William Lambers

The "Invisible Guest" world food campaign of the 1920s should be a model for us today

The Words that Mattered in 2012
Ian C. Friedman

From "You didn't build that!" to the "47 percent."

Does Jesse Helms Deserve to Have a Courthouse Named After Him?
Jonathan Riehl

Sam Ervin was also a segregationist, but he's celebrated as the hero of the Watergate hearings.

The Myth of the Skyscraper Index
Jason Barr

Skyscrapers can't be used to predict the ups and downs of the business cycle.

HNN Hot Topics: Christmas

Everything you always wanted to know about Christmas but were afraid to ask.

Better Dictators than Elected Islamists
Daniel Pipes

Mubarak was more interested in maintaining power than radically changing the structure of Egyptian society.

Erwin Rommel: Courageous Hero or Cynical Opportunist?
Kevin Kennedy

The debate in Germany over the one "good" general of World War II.

The Historical Dimension of the Spy Thriller
Simon Tolkien

Why World War II remains the pre-eminent setting for historical fiction ... and espionage.

Revival of 1930s Golden Boy Is an Historical Knockout
Bruce Chadwick

Clifford Odets's classic is back at the historic Belasco Theatre.

Lincoln's Unfinished Work
Patrick Rael

When will a movie tackle Reconstruction?

Actors as Historians
Jim Cullen

From John Wayne to Daniel Day-Lewis, actors have (unwittingly) made historical arguments with their performances.

When Will Marvin Miller Be Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Ron Briley

Probably not for a long time, but by unionizing the MLB, he changed the game forever.

Review of Elton Trueblood's Abraham Lincoln: Lessons in Spiritual Leadership
Jim Cullen

Just in time to cash in on the Lincoln movie phenomenon, a issue of a 1973 classic.

Review of H.W. Brands's The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace
W.F. Burke
A solid biography of a still oft-misunderstood president.