A weekly thread about the past
Today’s optional discussion prompt: Pseudoscience and its harms. Sometimes pseudoscience can be an eccentric but harmless set of beliefs. Other times, be it in the various iterations of racial science, Lysenko’s ridiculous (but state sponsored) ignorance of genetics, or the … Continue reading The Pseudo-Scientific History Thread
Welcome back to the History Thread! This week’s optional discussion prompt: how important is balance or impartiality in historical works? Obviously most historians seek to achieve something like a balanced perspective on the people or events they write about. But … Continue reading The Balanced History Thread
Almost missed a History Thread for this week because of my erratic work schedule. In the future I’ll try and put together a header exploring the weird phenomenon of skeletons sailing ships, but for now here’s explorer Richard Francis Burton, … Continue reading The Lost History Thread
My presence this week might be a little lighter than usual since I have some personal matters to attend to. No discussion prompt per se, but I went to a local historical event this past week and it was pretty … Continue reading Reenacting The History Thread
This week’s optional discussion prompt: Imperialism. Discuss its practice and impacts, its practitioners, its legacy, recommend books/documentaries and the like, from whichever perspective you prefer. Since Niall Ferguson doesn’t post here I’m not expecting any imperial apologia, but use your … Continue reading The Imperial History Thread
This week’s discussion prompt: is history inevitable? Are you a big believer in historical determinism, or do you think events are more heavily contingent upon the actions of individuals? Argue about this and other esoteric topics in the comments! Continue reading The Inevitable History Thread
Welcome to this week’s History Thread! Today’s header image shows Martin Luther King Jr. recoiling from a rock during his Chicago Campaign protesting unfair housing in the Windy City on August 5th, 1966. King was shocked by the vehemence of … Continue reading This Week’s History Thread
This week’s History Thread prompt: famous animals from history. The header features the famous baboon soldier Corporal Jackie, who served with a South African infantry regiment during the First World War. He was a pet of Private Jack Maar, who … Continue reading The History Thread Monkeys Around
Running a bit behind this week, but what are some of your favorite historical myths? Or least favorite historical myths, if in the grand tradition of History Threads past you want to gripe about something you hate? These can be … Continue reading The Mythical History Thread
Sorry, this week’s work schedule is weird so I didn’t have time to post this earlier. No discussion prompt this week, discuss what you will. Continue reading The Late History Thread
This week’s discussion topic: Conspiracy theories. So much of history and political discussion are driven by conspiracy theories, from the relatively benign (the government is hiding the existence of Bigfoot) to the extremely dangerous (take your pick of antisemitism tropes … Continue reading The Paranoid History Thread
Today’s optional discussion topic: How useful are historical analogies? This was something I’d been thinking about already, but Foreign Policy published an article on this very subject yesterday. So, why not dive in wholeheartedly? One of our natural tendencies in … Continue reading The History Thread Analogizes
This week’s History Thread prompt: favorite portrayals of a historical figure in film or television? (Or heck, throw in theater if you?) You can also add worst portrayals for fun. Richard Nixon of course has been portrayed on film about … Continue reading The History Thread Performs
Today’s History Thread prompt: What subject do you want to learn more about? Use this thread to ask questions, seek book/documentary/etc. recommendations from your fellow Avocados, what have you. What interests you? I’m curious!!! Continue reading The History Thread Has To Know!
This week’s prompt: How and when do you pass moral judgment on historical figures and people? There’s always a tricky balance between presentism (impressing modern moral views on the past) and just lazily excusing bad beliefs and behavior as “the … Continue reading The Judgmental History Thread
This week’s discussion topic, courtesy of Dino Ironbody: What historical villains weren’t hypocrites? There’s a weirdly common tendency, both among pop historians and the general public, to assume that disreputable historical figures don’t actually believe the awful things they express, … Continue reading The Honest History Thread
Welcome back to the History Thread! Had a decent vacation, whose historic highlight beyond much book buying, was visiting the Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick. They had an extremely detailed and enjoyable (as much as you can enjoy … Continue reading The History Thread Returns
This week’s prompt: What are your favorite historical documentaries? Or if you want to have fun, least favorite historical documentaries. Programming note: I’ll be on vacation next week, so I won’t be able to post the History Thread. If someone … Continue reading The Documentary History Thread
Had a few ideas for this week’s thread I was bouncing around, but they probably deserve more focus than throwing them together before work. This week we can return to an old History Thread favorite: bad history takes that you’ve … Continue reading The Bad Take History Thread
Pope Francis passed away this week, the first Jesuit and first man from the Americas to assume the Papacy. His death triggers a new election for the position – a conclave, named for the practice of locking the cardinals in … Continue reading The History Thread Prays for a Short Conclave
Sailors can be a superstitious lot, and literature abounds with tales of ships cursed with ill-fate. Some curses, like the bad luck which supposedly befalls anyone who kills an albatross, are simply folklore passed down half-believed to generations. Others, like … Continue reading History Thread: The Case of the Jinxed Germans
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