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Working Toward Whiteness by David Roediger
David Roediger’s book Working Toward Whiteness: How America’s Immigrants Became White: The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs continues his provocative exploration of whiteness studies by examining how southern and eastern European immigrants became white during the first half of the twentieth century. Roediger argues that “the long, circuitous process by which ‘new immigrants’ became ‘white ethnics’” matters. Read more...
What Is the History of Ice Cream?
Ice cream has been a popular treat that many see today as having developed relatively recently, as ice cream usually requires a form of refrigeration. While the modern form of ice cream is relatively more recent, the idea of ice cream has been present for millennia. Ice treats, which eventually gave us ice cream, were refreshing snacks usually reserved for elites or those who can obtain ice in times of warm or hot weather. Read more...
What was the impact of Spartacus' uprising on Rome?
Spartacus was a Thracian and he had once fought with the Romans. According to Plutarch, he was enslaved by them after he had deserted. Due to his strength and military skills he was trained as a gladiator. In 73BC, he plotted to escape from his gladiatorial school, near Capua in southern Italy and was joined in the conspiracy by up to 100 other gladiators.Read more...
How Did Croesus Become the Wealthiest Man in the Ancient World?
According the fifth century BC Greek historian Herodotus, who has often been called the “father of history,” the Lydian King Croesus (ruled ca. 560-540s BC) was the world’s wealthiest king who ruled the world’s wealthiest kingdom. When Salon, the legendary Athenian law giver, came to Lydia see the king’s wealth personally, Croesus immediately had his servants “take him on a tour of the royal treasuries” in order to “point out the richness and magnificence of everything.”Read more...
What if the Vikings Never Invaded England?
The Viking, or more accurately Danish and Norsemen, invasions of England in the 9th century CE (865) helped lead to what ultimately would become the united country of England. Before 865, England was divided into four or sometimes more countries, populated by Angles and Saxons (or Anglo-Saxons).Read more...
Did Theodore Roosevelt really save Football?
In 1905, American football faced an crisis. Far to many young men were being killed while playing football and no one was taking any serious actions to reduce the risks. The headline at the top of the right hand column in The Chicago Sunday Tribune on November 26, 1905 screamed, "Football Year's Death Harvest - Record Shows That Nineteen Players Have Been Killed; One Hundred Thirty-seven Hurt - Two Are Slain Saturday."Read more...
Privateering during the War of 1812: Interview with Faye M. Kert
During the War 1812, US and Canadian privateers fought most of the naval battles between the United States and Great Britain. These privateers were comprised of captains who were motivated by the promise of profit to fight for their countries. There was a strong legal framework in both the United States and Great Britain that normalized piracy. Canadian and American ship owners and investors took advantage of it and funded privateering outfits during the war. Needless to say, privateers were incredibly risky investments.Read more...
Nature's Path: Interview with Susan E. Cayleff
At the very end of the 19th Century, a new system called naturopathy was created by Benedict and Louisa Stroebel Lust. Unlike many of the 19th Century medical systems created, naturopathy has persevered to this day. Naturopathic healing was founded and based on number of influences including botanics, hydrotherapy, eclecticism, temperance and vegetarianism. Read more...
Why did the Battle of the Somme largely fail to achieve its objectives?
The Battle of the Somme or the Somme Offensive was a series of battles that occurred during the Summer and Autumn of 1916. It involved British and French forces launching a massive assault on the German lines in an effort to break the stalemate on the Western Front. The Battle was primarily a battle between the Germans and the British. The offensive achieved very little and both sides suffered heavy casualties. The British only advanced a few miles and the German lines held. The stalemate was not broken by the offensive. Read more...
Origins of World War One - Top Ten Booklist
The First World War was an incredibly destructive and wide ranging catastrophe. Not only did it dramatically change the map of Europe and the world and it led to further instability. The First World War was one of the most important wars in human history. There has long been a debate about the exact cause of the First World War. The assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand triggered the war but its ultimate causes were far more complex. Read more...
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What was used for birth control in medieval Europe?
Birth is a universal experience for humanity and therefore, so is conception. This makes the issue of contraception one which stretched back into antiquity. While this topic is frequently in modern news, the historic practices of contraception and the specific methods utilized are rarely touched upon. Read more...
What was George Washington's military experience before the American Revolution?
The Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to put George Washington in charge of the Continental Army in 1775. Washington was only 43 years old at the time, a gentleman planter and local Virginian politician. Read more...
How did Phillip II of Macedon change Ancient Greek history?
Alexander the Great is one of the most famous men in history. However, it is generally recognized that Alexander’s achievements would have been impossible without his father, Philip II of Macedon, who reigned from 359 to 336 B.C. He is not as well-known as his son but he laid the foundations for the great Empire of Alexander.Read more...
How did kitchens develop?
Few places in a home are as important or symbolic for our social bonds than the kitchen. In almost every culture, the kitchen serves not only as the place where food is prepared, but serves as a social hub for families and friends. Humans develop deep social bonds with family and friends in their kitchen. The kitchen does not simply provide for our daily nutrition but also helps to reinforce our social character. Whether humans are cooking around a fire or chopping vegetables on a granite counter-top, they are also interacting with one another. Read more...
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When did the First Heart Transplant take place?
When Christiaan Barnard performed the first heart transplant in 1967, it was initially seen as remarkable scientific achievement, but overtime both the medical community and the general public were forced to re-evaluate heart transplants. The medical community quickly realized that the first transplants were little more than dangerous and unpredictable experiments.Read more...
Why Did Helen Keller Become a Socialist?
Helen Keller (1880–1967) is best known for her triumph over blindness, deafness, and muteness. Rescued from the isolation of her afflictions as a young girl by the Perkins Institute for the Blind teacher Anne Sullivan, Keller learned to understand a basic form of sign language and learned to “feel” and imitate the sound of the human voice. Read more...
When was Mesothelioma First Diagnosed?
The history of Mesothelioma is complicated. Medicine struggled to establish its existence and understand what caused it. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that forms on the "tissues that cover the lungs and abdomen." Mesothelioma is typically tied to the exposure of people to asbestos in either their environment or workplace.Read more...
The Rabbi's Atheist Daughter: Interview with Bonnie S. Anderson
History is fickle. During the 19th Century, Ernestine Rose was one of the most important and famous international advocates for feminism, free thought and anti-slavery. She worked closely with renowned figures in this movement such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Despite her contributions to feminism, atheism, and anti-slavery, since her death she has slowly been erased from history. Read more...
When did Men Start Wearing Pants?
Why did humans start wearing pants? To answer this question it’s important to understand two things - first, what were the earliest forms of clothing and how did they evolve into pants and secondly, why did a need for pants develop? It is also helpful to define what is meant by pants - specifically a bifurcated garment for the bottom half of the body which covers from waist to the lower leg. It is also helpful to define what is meant by pants - specifically a bifurcated garment for the bottom half of the body which covers from waist to the lower leg. Read more...
What Mistakes did the Allies make during Operation Overlord on D-Day?
June 6, 1944 was arguably the most pivotal day of World War II. Operation Overlord was set to be launched and if successful, was to open a second front in Europe so as to attack Germany from all sides. Stalin’s Soviet Army had been battling the German Army since late 1942 in Stalingrad, Leningrad, and Moscow. Read more...
Book Review: "The Assassin's Accomplice."
Kate Clifford Larson's book The Assassin’s Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln is a well-researched narrative exploring the prosecution of Mary Surratt. The Assassin’s Accomplice details the events that revolved around Mrs. Surratt in the days and weeks leading up to the assassination of President Lincoln.Read more...
How Did Black Pepper Spread in Popularity?
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Visiting a restaurant in the Western world or even a home often means finding salt and black pepper as common condiments on the table used to give taste to our dishes. Salt has been native to many regions and is commonly found; however, black pepper was a far more limited plant (Piper nigrum) that natively grew in South and Southeast Asia.Read more...
American Revolution Top Ten Booklist
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress. This act was only the first step towards the creation of the United States. The impact of this revolution cannot be ignored. Read more...
Inventing the Pinkertons: Interview with Paul O'Hara
In 1850, Allan Pinkerton founded a detective agency that would grow into the Pinkerton's National Detective Agency. Pinkerton's agency is easily the most famous and infamous security guard and detective agency in United States history. Pinkerton originally created the agency to help railroad companies investigate their employees and catch train robbers. But over time, the Pinkertons developed an intimate relationship with the federal government and as these partnerships grew the Pinkertons' role increased dramatically. Read more...
How did Edwin Drake create the World's first oil well?
Even though there was no one "first discover" of oil. Oil was known in antiquity when it was used to heal wounds. But by the middle of the 19th century methods for collecting oil from the ground had not changed for thousands of years. Edwin Drake's oil fundamentally changed this process and dramatically increased oil production around the world. Read more...
Gilded Age/Progressive Era History Top Ten Booklist
Creating a Top Ten List for the Gilded Age/Progressive Era is challenging. There are an extraordinary number of outstanding books on this period. These books are a selection of our favorites. Creating a Top Ten List for the Gilded Age/Progressive Era is challenging. There are an extraordinary number of outstanding books on this period. These books are a selection of our favorites. Most of these books are focused on trying to define this era as whole, instead of focusing on a single issue.Read more...
What was the dominant medical sect in the United States during the 19th Century?
Nineteenth-century medicine was characterized by constant competition among three major medical sects: Regulars, Eclectics, and Homeopaths.[1] Each of these medical sects not only meaningfully disagreed on how to treat illnesses and diseases, but sought to portray their type of practice as the most effective and scientific.Read more...
Why are there so many Monuments to the Confederacy across the United States?
As one travels across the southern United States, it is not unusual to find monuments and memorials to the Confederate dead in many small towns. In fact, these sculptural pieces, often composed of the same statues and plinths from the Monumental Bronze Co. of Bridgeport, Conn., can be found as far north as Pennsylvania and New York. A study in 2016 found some 1,500 monuments still standing. While in recent years these monuments have become a new source of political conversation their very erection was a movement by Confederate women. Read more...
Why did the Congress of Vienna fail to stop future European wars?
The Congress of Vienna was a gathering of representatives of European kingdoms that was presided over by the Austrian Chancellor Klemens Von Metternich. The Congress was held in Vienna from 1814 to 1815. The goals of the Congress were to secure peace and stability in Europe and to ensure that revolutions did not destabilize the Continent. Read more...
History of God Top Ten Booklist
The concept of God and his historical development is an extraordinarily complex topic and it is not easily addressed in ten books. These books seek attempt to explain a complex story on how the concept of God developed in different cultures, places, and across time. The history of the idea of God is long and has its roots from prehistoric to early historic periods in the ancient Near East. Later cultures developed concepts that derive from ancient Iran, Greece, Egypt, and perhaps other regions.Read more...
How historically accurate is Braveheart?
Braveheart was a popular movie released in 1995 that won 5 Oscars and featured Mel Gibson as William Wallace. Wallace was a Scottish knight who became a hero in the Scottish rebellions against the English in the late 13th and early 14th century. The movie helped to inspire Scottish national pride while also, to some, represent an early, Medieval warrior who fought for freedom for himself and his people. While much of the story depicted did occur, including the English occupation of Scotland during the time of Edward I, king of England, the depiction of the revolt against the English and other events do not correspond well to historical accounts.Read more...
What Was the Importance of Bill Mauldin to WWII Infantrymen?
Bill Mauldin once said that the infantryman “gives more and gets less than anybody else.” He knew this from his experience on the front lines with K Company, 180th Infantry Regiment, of the 45th Division. Mauldin went through basic training as an infantryman and stayed with his regiment throughout the invasion of Sicily and the Allied campaign up the boot of Italy. The talented cartoonist succeeded in ruffling the feathers of the “brass” all the way up to General George Patton.Read more...
Why did the Italian Renaissance End?
The Italian Renaissance was one of the most exciting periods in human civilisation. It witnessed a great flourishing of the arts, literature, philosophy, architecture and politics. Many of the greatest figures in World Civilisation appeared during the Renaissance in Italy, including Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Machiavelli and Raphael. Read more...
Civil War Battles Top Ten Booklist
A DailyHistory.org top ten booklist focusing on best book on the battles of the American Civil War. The books on this list explore the battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, and many others. Take a look at our list.Read more...
Why did Germany lose the Battle of Stalingrad?
Hitler saw the war in terms of his personal rivalry with Stalin and he decided to attack the city, because of its symbolic value. However, the original aim of the offensive in Southern Russian was to secure the oil fields in the Caucasus. The oil was essential for the German war machine. Hitler knew this – instead of opting for concentrating all his forces on the conquest of the oil fields, he made perhaps a fateful mistake.Read more...
The Mysterious Illness of Jim Bowie: How Did He Contribute to His Own Decline?
Directly or indirectly, Jim Bowie’s enigmatic illness resulted from his own actions. A hearty man of six feet in height, Bowie was a walking contradiction; a slave trader who fought for freedom, a generous and congenial man who called out his thunderous temper on a whim, and a commanding leader who was prone to binges of sloppy drunkenness. Read more...
History of Religion
- History of God Top Ten Booklist
- How did Christian Church Architecture evolve in the West?
- What was Plato's academy and why did it influence Western thought?
- How did Monotheism Develop?
- How did the concept of paradise develop?
- How did Akhenaten Radically Change Egyptian Religion and Culture?
- Why was the worship of Mithra so popular?
Ancient Greek History
American Civil War
- Was the Destruction Perpetrated by Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman Necessary to End the Civil War?
- What Were the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of "Stonewall" Jackson?
- Why Was the Battle of Antietam a Pivotal event in the American Civil War?
- American Civil War Biographies Top Ten Booklist
- Why Was Vicksburg “The Gibraltar of the Confederacy?”
19th Century History
- Did the Congress of Berlin create a more unstable Europe?
- What did Prussia’s victory in the Franco-Prussian War mean for Europe?
- What was the dominant medical sect in the United States during the 19th Century?
- How did the Boxer Rebellion unite Imperial Powers and create Chinese Nationalism?
- 19th Century Overview of United States History Top Ten Booklist
Renaissance History
- Why did the Italian Renaissance End?
- What were the causes of the Northern Renaissance?
- How did the Bubonic Plague make the Italian Renaissance possible?
- How did the de Medici contribute to the Renaissance?
- Did the Sack of Rome in 1527 end the Renaissance in Italy?
- What was the role of the Popes in the Renaissance?
- Top 10 Books on the origins of the Italian Renaissance
History of Early US Republic
- Thomas Jefferson, the Founding Fathers and Christianity: Interview with Sam Haselby
- The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798: Interview with Terri Halperin
- Fate of the Revolution: Interview with Lorri Glover
- American Revolution Top Ten Booklist
- What was George Washington's military experience before the American Revolution?
- Hodges' Scout: Interview with Len Travers
History of Early US Republic
- Thomas Jefferson, the Founding Fathers and Christianity: Interview with Sam Haselby
- The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798: Interview with Terri Halperin
- Fate of the Revolution: Interview with Lorri Glover
- American Revolution Top Ten Booklist
- What was George Washington's military experience before the American Revolution?
- Hodges' Scout: Interview with Len Travers
Sports History
Legal History
- American Legal History Top Ten Booklist
- American Surveillance: Interview with Anthony Gregory
- How did the Sharia Law develop?
- How has the Roman Lex Mercatoria evolved to play a role in modern International Trade and Commerce Codification?
- How does The Magna Carta influence the Modern Perceptions of Civil Rights?
- How has ancient Rome influenced European law?
World War I
- What started World War One?
- Why did Germany not achieve victory at Verdun in 1916?
- Why did the Battle of the Somme largely fail to achieve its objectives?
- Why did the Gallipoli Landings fail in WWI?
- Why did the German Spring Offensive of 1918 fail?
- Why did the Germans win the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914?
- Origins of World War One - Top Ten Booklist
- Why did the Russian Romanov Dynasty collapse in 1917?
European Interwar Political History
- How did Vladimir Lenin Rise To Power?
- How Joseph Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union
- How did Mussolini become Prime Minister of Italy?
- Primed for Violence in Interwar Poland: Interview with Paul Brykczynski
- The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact- Stalin’s greatest mistake?
- The Nazi triumph: how did Adolf Hitler become the Fuehrer of Germany?
- Why did the the Weimar Republic Collapse?
World War Two
- How Did the German Military Develop Blitzkrieg?
- How did Joseph Stalin react to the German invasion during WWII?
- How Was Hitler Responsible for the German Defeat in World War II?
- D-Day: What Factors Were Considered When Planning Operation Overlord?
- What were the goals of the Axis powers and the Soviet Union during World War Two?
- Why was France defeated in 1940?
- Why was Rommel defeated at El Alamein?
- Why did the Germans suffer a defeat at Kursk in 1943?
- Why did Operation Market Garden in 1944 fail?
British History
- Why was Britain able to establish an Empire in India
- How Historically Accurate is Season 4 of The Last Kingdom
- Why did the Allies struggle to resolve any meaningful issues at the Potsdam Conference in 1945
- What was the Venezuela Boundary Dispute
- How did the Sepoy Rebellion (Indian Mutiny) change India
- How Historically Accurate Is Victoria and Abdul
- How Historically Accurate Is The King
- Was the story of Jekyll and Hyde based on real-life characters
Roman History
- How historically accurate is the Gladiator
- Who was the Roman God Janus
- Who was Asclepius: Greek god of medicine
- How Did the Seleucid Empire Collapse
- What was the role of the the war god Mars in Rome
- How Did the Term “Pyrrhic Victory” Originate
- Why did Romulus kill Remus
- How Did Historiography Evolve in the Hellenic World
Interviews
- American Surveillance: Interview with Anthony Gregory
- Inventing the Pinkertons: Interview with Paul O'Hara
- How Was Hitler Responsible for the German Defeat in World War II?
- Fate of the Revolution: Interview with Lorri Glover
- Engineering Victory during the Civil War: Interview with Thomas F. Army, Jr.
- Angels of the Underground: Interview with Theresa Kaminski
- Why was Rommel defeated at El Alamein?
- Angels of the Underground: Interview with Theresa Kaminski
- Hodges' Scout: Interview with Len Travers
Booklists
- 19th Century American Intellectual History Top Ten Booklist
- Alexander the Great Top Ten Booklist
- American Civil War Biographies Top Ten Booklist
- American Legal History Top Ten Booklist
- American Revolution Top Ten Booklist
- Origins of the World War One - Top Ten Booklist
- Social History of American Medicine Top Ten Booklist
- The Best Historians and Books According to James McPherson
- Top 10 Books on the origins of the Italian Renaissance
Articles
Here are some of our most recently created and edited articles.
- Why did the United States start the Mexican American War
- What Caused The Economic Panic Of 1837
- Why did Andrew Jackson want to destroy the Bank of the United States
- Why did the United States begin directly electing Senators in 1913
- How did Mussolini Rise to Power as the Dictator of Italy
- Why did Germany lose the Battle of Stalingrad
- What were Joseph Stalin's goals as World War Two ended
- How historically accurate is the Gladiator
Book Reviews
Here are some of our most recent book reviews.
- The Ordeal of Thomas Hutchinson - Book Review
- American Slavery, American Freedom - Book Review
- The Power of the Zoot - Book Review
- Tactical Media - Book Review
- Betty Friedan and the Making of “The Feminine Mystique” - Book Review
- Magical Urbanism - Book Reivew
- News over the Wires - Book Review
- The Coming of the French Revolution - Book Review
Great History Sites
Here are some links to our Favorite History and Academic Publisher Blogs
- Tropics of Meta
- Nursing Clio
- The Junto
- Points: The Blog of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society
- Process: A Blog for American History
- Legal History Blog
- Balkinization
- Cooking in the Archives
- We're History
- Real Clear History
- History News Network
- National Museum of American History
- Oxford University Press Blog
- Johns Hopkins University Press Blog
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