A weekly thread about the past
Since Ken Burns’ documentary The US and the Holocaust made it timely – I decided to consolidate my old posts on the American fascist movements of the ’30s and ’40s under a comprehensive tag. I have been very proud of … Continue reading History Thread: A Brief History of American Fascism
Tales of giant squid and outsized octopuses have haunted mankind since ancient times. The fact that enormous beasts lurk beneath the ocean waves is no secret, and the discovery of a creature with tentacles the length of a football field … Continue reading History Thread: The Squid That Eats Man
In his time, King Edward VIII was a romantic figure who abdicated the British throne in December 1936 for the sake of the woman he loved. For years, this romantic explanation that generally held; he (now reduced to the Duke … Continue reading History Thread: Philip Ziegler’s King Edward VIII (1991)
Richard J. Evans focused primarily on the history of German feminism and social movements before his involvement in David Irving’s libel action against Deborah Lipstadt, where he systematically demolished Irving’s Holocaust denial (an experience recounted in his book, Lying About … Continue reading History Thread: Richard J. Evans’ Third Reich Trilogy
In Western culture, the symbol of the swastika – the four-armed, hooked cross – remains an obvious visual shorthand for ideological evil. Nazi Germany’s adoption of the hakenkreuz beneath which they waged the Second World War and the attempted extermination … Continue reading History Thread: How the Swastika Became a Hate Symbol
According to Wikipedia, thirty-one years ago today the World Wide Web was opened to the public. On the one hand, we on this site wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for that milestone in human achievement. On the other, … Continue reading The Internet History Thread
A Brief Overview of the Indian Residential School system in Canada Hello friends 🙂 I’m not an expert in First Nations Studies nor History nor Theology, but I am a Canadian citizen, a person living in Canada, and an Anglican, … Continue reading History Thread: Intro to Residential Schools in Canada
There’s an old quote, generally attributed to Mark Twain, that “history doesn’t repeat itself but sometimes it rhymes.” That nostrum seems especially appropriate on August 9, 2022. This marks the 48th anniversary of Richard Nixon’s resignation, which seems singularly appropriate … Continue reading History Thread: The Watergate Scorecard
For those of you who pay attention to such things, there’s been quite the kerfuffle on History Twitter over the past week. A short version, along with some pertinent tweets and commentary. Jonathan M. Katz, a journalist and historian, published … Continue reading History Thread: Attack of the Pod Bros
This week’s History Thead is over to you. Continue reading The Emergency History Thread Nationalises The Canal
Today marks the anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the 1848 gathering of early American feminists which helped launch the Women’s Rights Movement in that country. Spearheaded by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the convention issued an eloquent appeal … Continue reading The Seneca Falls History Thread
This week’s History Thread is exciting to hear what you’ve been reading, or seeing, or thinking about. Continue reading The Weekly History Thread Hands It Over To You
77 years ago today, the people of Britain went to the polls – Nazi Germany had been defeated, the Japanese Empire had yet to surrender. It took three weeks for the results to be announced, with ballot boxes kept under … Continue reading The History Thread takes a critical look at Attlee’s Britain
For various reasons, the important thing I wanted to write– about the rise of the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal and how my dad’s family fled to this country to avoid having Salazar’s government send more of his brothers to go … Continue reading The June 28th History Thread Is At A Loss
Elmer of Malmesbury — also spelled Eilmer and about a million other different ways — was an English Benedictine monk who lived in the 11th century. I’ve probably posted about him here before, because I love him. He made a … Continue reading The June 21 History Thread Celebrates Elmer the Flying Monk
This week’s History Thread looks at our third (and final?) Strange Railway of Ireland! Continue reading The History Thread is Powered By Air
This week’s History Thread remembers the day after D-Day. Continue reading The Day After D-Day History Thread
The History Thread is back! What have you been reading? What have you been thinking about? Tell us here! As the long-term effects of COVID-19 become more apparent, I’ve been thinking about diseases of the lungs. The Irish Times had … Continue reading The Emergency History Thread Makes A Recovery
Herbert Block (aka Herblock) was one of the most famous political cartoonists of the 20th Century. For almost seven decades his caricatures of political events and public figures graced the Washington Post, earning him a Pulitzer Prize, a spot on … Continue reading History Thread: The Guns of Herblock
After a brief hiatus the History Thread is back! Discuss history or what have you! Continue reading The History Thread Returns!
Didn’t have time for a proper write-up this week, but it’s the anniversary of John Wilkes Booth’s death at the hands of Boston Corbett, himself a noted lunatic who castrated himself after a flirtation with prostitutes, survived several years of … Continue reading A Demented History Thread
