Current Events that Relate to History
Recently Published
View AllOriginal features and excerpts of new books
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Features
AI Is an Anti-Primary Source Machine
Real voices from the past are threatened by chatbots designed to amplify — and ultimately become — the loudest voices in the room. -
Features
Regime Change
A coin featuring the likeness of President Trump doesn’t have many precedents in American history. The ancient Roman opponents of Julius Caesar could explain why. -
Features
How “History” Became Central at the Supreme Court
Originalists and historians use the past to accomplish very different tasks.
In the Newsletter
View All EditionsCurated collections that explore a different theme each week
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OverviewHow a Defunct White Supremacist State Became a Cult Favorite on the Right
From battleground candidates to Elon Musk, Republicans can’t stop posting wistfully about Rhodesia.Mother Jones -
ComparisonA Farewell to Comms
How does the five-day tenure of White House press secretary Katie Zacharia rank in presidential history?Study Marry Kill -
AntecedentPublic Execution
Acts of violence are a sacrament in the fascist civic religion. The new fascist man must be posted into being.Liberal Currents -
DispatchHow Tree Rings Challenged the Myth of American Wilderness
By studying fire scars in ancient wood, many scientists have become convinced that Indigenous people transformed North America long before Europeans arrived.The New Yorker -
Origin StoryWho Made NPS the Boss of DC?
Et in arcadia, Hoover.The Birth of a Capital -
Book ExcerptThe Knife’s Edge
By 1945, Hannah Arendt believed Zionism had lost its way. The publication of “Zionism Reconsidered” threatened to exile her from the “homeland” of friendship.Lapham’s Quarterly -
exhibitNative Pasts
This exhibit showcases the cultural, political, and environmental histories of American Indians, from ancient civilizations to contemporary activism.