History

Aggregated news feed for history lovers.

This Is a Pretty Country We Live In: The Trial of Anne Royall

by Jack Kelly In honor of Anne Royall’s birthday (June 11, 1769), author Jack Kelly shares with The History Reader her story as one of the pioneering female journalists in American history who was indicted for being a “common scold.”  In the summer of 1829, one of the...

Ben Franklin Gets Juiced With a Little Hemp

In June of 1752, with some sources specifically saying the tenth of June, Benjamin Franklin conducted his famous experiment of drawing electricity from the sky utilizing a kite. Tim Queeney, author of Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of...

Public Roads in the Slave State Archive

In my December 2024 JAH article, I wrote about the history of “bad roads” in the time and space of American slavery. The article examined the making, repair, uses, meanings, and effects of ordinary public ways that ran throughout the South. These public roads were...

Saturday and Sunday Highlights at OAH 2025

On the final full day of the conference, Chicago’s clouds blocked the sun, but that did not dampen the mood at the Sheraton Grand as attendees gathered for the final full day of conference activities. The Exhibit Hall hosted a Saturday morning “Perk Up,”...

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Friday Highlights at OAH 2025

On Friday of the OAH conference, attendees came back together for ongoing discussions and panels. We enjoyed the continued sunshine Chicago has to offer as the Exhibit Hall opened for a morning mixer breakfast before the day’s sessions began.  Attendees also had...

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Thursday Highlights at OAH 2025

The 2025 Annual Meeting for the Organization of American Historians opened Thursday in Chicago as more than 1,500 historians and educators gathered at the Sheraton Grand, our host for this year’s conference. The sun was shining on the Chicago River—visible from...

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Featured Excerpt: Project Mind Control

Featured Excerpt: Project Mind Control

In Project Mind Control, John Lisle reveals inside story of the CIA’s secret mind control project, MKULTRA. Read on for a featured excerpt. Prologue On September 25, 1980, Rosanna Del Guidice arrived thirty minutes early to an office building in downtown Boston....

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The Tragic Fire and Sinking of the General Lyon Steamer

The Tragic Fire and Sinking of the General Lyon Steamer

by Tom Clavin The Rock Island Argus newspaper clipping, April 7, 1865. March 31st is the 160th anniversary of one of the most shocking events of the Civil War: the fire and sinking of the Union transport ship, the General Lyon. Today, few people know about this tragic...

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Riveting Historical Reads: April 2025

Riveting Historical Reads: April 2025

Looking for your next history read? Check out our favorite new history books publishing in April 2025. Fear No Pharaoh A dramatic history of how American Jews reckoned with slavery—and fought the Civil War. Kreitner illuminates the shifting dynamics of Jewish life in...

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Featured Excerpt: The Ride

Featured Excerpt: The Ride

by Kostya Kennedy Timed for the 250th anniversary of one of America’s most famous founding events, New York Times bestselling author Kostya Kennedy’s new book, The Ride, reveals fresh research into Paul Revere’s legendary ride. Read on for a featured excerpt. I ECHOES...

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Featured Excerpt: Naples 1944

Featured Excerpt: Naples 1944

by Keith Lowe Award-winning author Keith Lowe’s newest critical deep-dive into the history of Naples during WWII. In bookstores everywhere now! The Landings As night fell on 8 September 1943, a vast armada of more than 600 Allied ships headed towards Salerno Bay. On...

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Featured Excerpt: Propaganda Girls

Featured Excerpt: Propaganda Girls

by Lisa Rogak In Propaganda Girls, bestselling author Lisa Rogak reveals the incredible untold story of four women who spun the web of deception that helped win World War II and changed the course of history. Read on for an introductory book excerpt. Introduction ...

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The Siren Song of False History

The Siren Song of False History

by Keith Lowe Keith Lowe writes about how the myth of Parthenope, entwined with historical misconceptions about Naples, shows how fiction interweaves with history. Don’t forget to get his latest book Naples 1944, in bookstores everywhere! Illustration of Parthenope...

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Featured Excerpt: Looking at Women Looking at War

Featured Excerpt: Looking at Women Looking at War

by Victoria Amelina When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Victoria Amelina was busy writing a novel, taking part in the country’s literary scene, and parenting her son. Now she became someone new: a war crimes researcher and the chronicler of extraordinary...

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The 1770 Massacre in Boston

The 1770 Massacre in Boston

by Tom Clavin Coinciding with the 255th anniversary of the Boston Massacre on March 5, 2025, author Tom Clavin looks back on the event, which took place as a direct response to the tariffs placed on all goods exported to the 13 colonies from Britain thanks to the 1768...

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Page-Turning Reads for Women’s History Month

Page-Turning Reads for Women’s History Month

by The History Reader From pharaohs to fashion and everything in between, this Women’s History Month we bring you our page-turning titles covering trailblazing female figures who changed history for the better. Propaganda Girls The incredible untold story of four...

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Who Do You Support: The Demes of the Roman Empire

Who Do You Support: The Demes of the Roman Empire

by Andrew Ludington Andrew Ludington’s Splinter Effect is an action-packed debut where time-traveling archaeologist Rabbit Ward maneuvers through the past to recover a long-lost, precious menorah hidden in ancient Rome. While writing the book, Ludington did extensive...

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Must-Have Historical Reads: March 2025

Must-Have Historical Reads: March 2025

If you’re ever wondering what upcoming history books we have publishing, look no further! Each month we’ll bring you our favorite historical reads publishing at Macmillan. Here are our picks for March 2025: Henry Kissinger and American Power The definitive biography...

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Paul Revere, Bell Ringer by Kostya Kennedy

Paul Revere, Bell Ringer by Kostya Kennedy

Paul Revere is most well-known for his extraordinary midnight ride, in which he said, “The British are coming! The British are coming.” Fewer people are aware though that Paul Revere was the jack of many trades, as The Ride author Kostya Kennedy shares with The...

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