• All About Us
    • About
    • Contact
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Drinkware
    • Women's Apparel
    • Men's Apparel
  • Past Articles
  • Subscribers
  • History Stuff We Love
    • Books
    • Videos and Films
    • Inadvertent History
Picture
Picture

Like Us on Facebook!
Click on the Icon!

Picture

Picture

Download our App!                
Click on the Icon!

Picture











You never know when you
may need some history fast!  
Get your history on the go! 

Follow us on Twitter!
Click on the Icon!

Picture








Check out our cool shop!
Click on the Icon!

Picture
T-shirts, books, mugs!










Picture
New York City, c.1908-1915-Library of Congress
Not It!  Street Games, 
Play Streets and Playgrounds

Before the advent of the ubiquitous playground we have all become so accustomed to seeing in urban areas  children had to find other spaces in which to play. 



Join UHP staff and discover the unofficial playgrounds of early twentieth century children in this two part series on child's play.  

Picture
Portrait of Louis XV of France, Public Domain

Shocked Monks and Savant Dogs

Long before Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Bill Nye the Science Guy a wide array of efforts existed to help popularize science with the result that scientific discovery often shaped daily life and speech.

Discover the pain and pleasure of popular science with Micheal Lynn as he takes us back to eighteenth century France.




Picture
Title IX Poster, Public Domain
"A Very Cold Reception"

On a small college campus in a remote, rural village in 1974, a group of determined men fought against the prevailing gender norms.

Laura Ettinger and Shannon Hanson discuss how a rogue fraternity chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi defies convention to admit women. 




Picture
1910 Thor Washer-Lee Maxwell Collection
Blue Mondays:  
Mama's Wash day...Papa's Too?


Women doing their laundry at home would spend Monday’s above a steaming scrub board, scrubbing her laundry, rinsing it, wringing it out and placing it on a clothes line to dry.   

Orville R. Butler takes us back to a time when middle class men were expected to assume wash day duties. 

Picture
Eastern Orthodox Easter, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.
East Meets West:
The Two Easters


Why do Western European Christians celebrate Easter on a completely different day from Eastern Orthodox Christians?

UHP explains the complex history behind the disagreement.

Picture
Battle of Manila Bay, May 1st, 1898.
La Leyenda Negra:
Old Views of the New World



Join UHP as we explore the influence of Spain and Spanish culture on the development of the United States.

Picture
The Civil War had to be funded somehow!
Outlawing Volunteers:
Congress vs. the President



In 1807, Congressman Randolph was enraged by it. In the 1830s, Congressman John Calhoun labeled it an abuse of power. 

Join Raymond Natter as he explores the history behind the Anti-Deficiency Act's prohibition of volunteers in the federal workforce.

Picture
The Assassination of King George I in 1913
Princess Anastasia:
The Dower Behind the Throne


When Greece was in turmoil in the early 20th century, an American dollar princess stepped in.

Discover how she used her substantial fortune to manipulate and fund the monarchists all in the hopes that she would become Queen of Greece.

Picture
Pretty Girls and Strong Boys: Mouseketeers and the Cold War


In the 1950s, appearance and conformity were strongly emphasized.

Diana Mankowski examines the role of The Mickey Mouse Club in establishing and enforcing conformity and gender roles for a generation of cold war viewers.



Picture
Annette embodied modesty and attractiveness.

Dating with Disney:
Annette Sets an Example



Teens in the 1950s charted new territory as 'going steady' became all the rage. 

Join Diana Mankowski as she explores how Annette Funicello taught teens the do's and don'ts of dating on The Mickey Mouse Club.



Picture
Venereal disease poster, Public Domain

The Mad Dog

Even the American government, which had created a division specifically dedicated to fighting venereal disease, resorted to euphemisms, calling the problem of venereal disease a “social hygiene problem.”

Join Alexandra M. Lord as she discusses early twentieth century campaigns designed to  eradicate what one health official referred to as the “the mad dog of communicable diseases.” 



Picture
Zanzibar view of the Indian Ocean, Wikimedia Commons

Discovering the Rich History of the Indian Ocean World in Zanzibar

Most people who plan to visit Zanzibar do so for its beautiful beaches, water sports, and cuisine. However, Zanzibar, located off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa, is also a place rich in history.


Join UHP Staff and discover how Zanzibar embodies the complexities of European, African and Asian trade history. 




Picture
The Inconveniences of a Crowded Drawing Room
Seventh Heaven

Getting in was hard enough; finding room to dance was even harder.  We take you to the hottest European dance club of the early nineteenth century. 

Picture
Nineteenth-century crampon
"We Thought It Best to Cut a Path through the Woods"

Pull on your hiking boots and join Adam Jared Apt as he introduces you to the history of hiking and explores the oldest hiking path in the United States. 

Picture
Pope Paul VI wearing the mantum

Papal Vestments:
Clothes Make the Man


In 428, Pope Celestine I rebuked some of his priests for wearing "modern" clothing.  Scoldings like this led most clergy to confine themselves to wearing the secular costume of late antiquity.  

Discover the vestments which reveal the Pope’s singular status.




Picture
Washington Haggadah, Library of Congress
Understanding the Roots of the Haggadah

It's been translated into Klingan, Lawyerese, Esperanto, and, yes, even Yiddish.  Katja Vehlow explains the complex origins and meaning of the Haggadah.

Picture
Matzah Brei Serving, Wikimedia
Making Matzo for the Masses

It's an eternal question. Savory or sweet?  How should you make your matzo brei? 

Discover the answer to this question as well as how to prepare other "rare and exquisite compositions” through an exploration of the earliest Jewish cookbook written in English.  

Picture
Contest Winner, Undated, Courtesy of Cold Spring Harbor
Making Perfect Children

And you thought parents today were competitive?  Rachel Louise Moran introduces you to the Better Baby Contests of the early twentieth century while exploring how these contests shaped visits to the pediatrician today.

Picture
"Above Frankfurt," Sophie Blanchard, Image Courtesy of Jen Sachs

The Fantastic Flights of Sophie Blanchard  

Cecily Garber interviews documentary filmmaker Jen Sachs and takes you into the "scholarly and whimsical"  world of  historically based animation. 

Picture
John F. Kennedy, public rally, 1963, Public Domain


No Faint Hearts in Fort Worth


Where did John F. Kennedy go and what happened just before he went to Dallas in 1963? 


Picture
The ice man cometh.
From Ice-House
to Ice Box
to Refrigerator


A cool drink in a hot summer was a lot more complicated before electricity and refrigeration became widespread.  So just how did people keep their cool during the heat?

Follow Orville R. Butler on a trip from ice house to refrigerator.


Picture
The Baptistry, Florence, Italy
Blood Feud in Medieval Florence:
Part II The Blacks and the Whites


It started with words and ended with murder, rape, and arson. 

Join Laura Morreale as she explores the relationship between two families whose bitter feud engulfed the city of Florence, Italy.


Picture
Napoleonic troops destroyed early papal tiaras.

Saint or Sinner?
Pope Celestine V



Pietro del Marrone traveled from humble monk to powerful Pope.  Then, it all fell apart.

Join Victoria M. Lord as she traces the history of this simultaneously reviled and beloved figure.

Picture
The red Galero hat worn by Cardinals at Investiture.

Men in Red:
The College of Cardinals


During his pontificate, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church appoints bishops and priests to the College of Cardinals.  The Cardinals, in turn, elect the next Pope. 


Join UHP as we explore the history of this powerful institution.






Picture
The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900

The ocean had made Galveston. Tourists, as well as traders, flocked to the city taking in the broad beach and sweeping water views but on the night of September 8, 1900, the ocean destroyed it.

A. Bowdoin Van Riper recounts the arrival of one of the most devastating storms to make landfall in the the United States.  

Picture
Washington as Farmer, Junius Brutus Stearns, Creative Commons
The Rebirth of Mount Vernon

As a symbol of George Washington, Mount Vernon possessed “sacred associations” and as such, it needed to be preserved and protected.  But how? And by whom?



Picture
Image Courtesy of Jessica Achberger
Discovering the
Legacy of the Slave Trade:
The Cape Coast Castle


Walk through the terrifying Door of No Return in the Cape Coast Castle with Jessica Achberger. 

Picture
Nineteenth-century dowser, Public Domain
Jacques Aymar: 
The Divining Detective


Dowsing detective or deceiver? Join Michael R. Lynn as he explores how Jacques Aymar unmasked a murderer.




Picture
Idealized Nineteenth-Century View of "Native Village," Liberia, LOC
The Cost of Freedom

What happened to the African Americans who were offered a choice between slavery and emigration to Liberia?

Picture
St. Brigid, Wikimedia
Ireland's Other Saint

Why are so many Irish women named Brigid?  Discover the real history behind the stories about St. Brigid, Ireland's "other saint."

Picture
Crinoline, 1856. Public Domain
What's all the Hoopla?

What lengths did nineteenth-century fashionistas go to when trying to keep up with the latest fashions?
  
Discover the ins and outs of the crinoline with UHP staff.
 

Picture
Arsenic Tin, John Parascandola

The Arsenic Eaters of Styria

Say the word arsenic and most people think "deadly poison."  
John Parascandola takes us to a time when arsenic was used extensively as a medicine, and was even consumed by many people as a health tonic or for cosmetic purposes.  

 



Picture
Villa Bandits Captured by U.S. Soldiers, Public Domain

Pancho Villa, General Pershing and the U.S. Army Truck

Join Marc Blackburn as he examines a key event in the struggle to motorize the United States Army.

Picture
First Aid demonstration, Public Domain
By Paddle, By Wagon, By Car

Stephanie Stegman looks at the early beginnings of a community health program  in Native American communities. 



Picture
The explosion created chaos on Boylston Street.
Boston's First Big Dig:
The 1897 Explosion



Boston officials prided themselves on the new, modern subway they were constructing---until the construction site exploded, that is.

Discover the disaster that pushed the news of a Presidential inauguration off the front page.


Picture
Bewitched, Wikimedia
Bewitched:
An Unorthodox View


Jonathan Z. S. Pollack explores the mid-twentieth century sitcom as a metaphor for the growing acceptance of interfaith marriage.



Picture
Death, Desecration, and Destruction

"Consider carefully, brothers, and examine diligently...this unaccustomed and unheard-of evil."

The Norsemen or Vikings staged lightening-fast raids across Europe, wreaking havoc as they went.  We take you to the scene of one of their earliest raids.  

Picture
U.S. Holocaust Museum
For a Piece of Mica

We often assume that Jews who were deported during World War II took only the necessities: clothing, some food, whatever transportable valuables they had left, and official documents, such as passports and work records.   Why would someone take something of little or no use?

Robert Ehrenreich and Jane Klinger of the U.S. Holocaust Museum explore one of the more unusual objects at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.



Picture
US Air Force Academy, McDermott Library Gimbel Collection
High-Flying Fashion

As 2012 draws to a close, we take a look back at the history of our history with this article from behind our paywall.

Michael R. Lynn opens the closet doors to expose the soaring fashions of the late eighteenth century.

Picture
Rossisskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv kinofotodokumentov
Down with the Veil!

As 2012 draws to a close, we take a look back at the history of our history.  Join us as we pull our most popular articles out from behind our paywall.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the USSR embarked on a campaign to liberate Uzbek and other Central Asian Muslim women from wearing the veil but women responded to the campaign in ways that surprised and confounded government officials.

Join Douglas Northrop as he sheds light on this often overlooked history.



Picture
Irish Wren Boys, Public Domain
Unpacking the Origins of Boxing Day 

Come hunt the wren with us as we introduce you to the traditions associated with Boxing Day.


Picture
Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, Wikimedia


Light in Darkness: Medieval Christmas


Join us as we travel back to the Middle Ages to discover the birth of some of the traditions we celebrate today on December 25th.

Picture
Public Domain


"We Didn't Have the Time to Treat Them"

Why was the Public Health Service overwhelmed by the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919?  

We take a close look at both the practice of medicine and public health in 1918 to understand how and why over 600,000 Americans died during the great influenza pandemic. 

Picture
Soldier, World War I, Creative Commons
Outbreak

We uncover the secret history of biowarfare taking you back to the Middle Ages and up to World War I.

Picture
Courtesy of Jessica Achberger

The Legacy of White Settlement: Visiting Victoria Falls

Jessica Achberger takes us to southern Africa to discuss the defining influence of the colonial period: white settlement.
 





Picture
Historical dice from Asia, Public Domain
Rare and Strange Encounters of the Curator's Kind

What would you do with a bottle of medicine that had expired--- during the Taft administration?   

Join Anne Pushkal as she talks with past and present curators working in the Washington DC area to find out what curators do, where they do it and how they do it!   

Picture
Tehreema Mitha in costume. Cr. Aabvaan Barron.



Bharat Natyam: 
A Living Dance Tradition



Tehreema Mitha, the foremost Pakistani dancer of Bharat Natyam, fits a 2,000 year old description of the ideal female dancer.  Join us as we explore how this ancient dance is practiced today.



Picture
James Gilray, Public Domain
Blood Stained Goods

Julie Holcomb explores a boycott that sought to end slavery.

Picture
Department of Health and Human Services
It's in the Mail

It arrived in a sealed packet with a warning that "some of the issues involved in this brochure may not be things you are used to discussing openly." 

We discuss one of the earliest measures taken by the U.S. government to respond to the emerging AIDS epidemic during  the late 1980s.


Picture
 
 A Repository of All Things Truman

Rob Schoenbeck takes you to the Truman Library where he explores how and why presidential libraries preserve and protect history. 

Picture
The USS Constitution engages the British ship, Guerriere.
Commemorating the War of 1812

Colleen Ammerman discusses the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the River Raisin Massacre in Frenchtown.

Picture
Hadrian's wall still winds through Britain.

Usurpers and Tyrants of Arthurian Britain

Join medieval archaeologist Deborah J. Shepherd as she explores the truth behind the legends associated with fourth- and fifth-century Britain.



Picture
Public Domain

The Death Knell of the Aristocracy


Westley Forsythe introduces you to the man who made the fictional Dowager Countess of Grantham lose her appetite. 

Discover the politician who ensured that the British aristocracy lost much of their power at the beginning of the twentieth century. 

Picture
German soldier, World War I
Heads Up! 

In World War I, after a lapse of several hundred years, military strategists and leaders reintroduced a military technology that dated back to the Middle Ages---the helmet.  Benjamin Apt explains how this technology changed and shifted, yet again, during the interwar years and World War II.

To learn about helmets during World War I, click here for an earlier article here.

Picture
Rendition of the death of Buondelmonte, Public Domain


The Guelfs and Ghibellines

A political landscape is so polarized that the choice of one candidate over another can lead to drastic consequences.  Laura Morreale explores the explosive politics of medieval Italy. 

Picture
Puck Magazine,1895, Public Domain
 

Up They Come Again

Even when the choices on the ballot seem to be tied very much to the present, many of these issues are deeply rooted in the past.  Ian Lekus  explores the emergence of "family values" in American politics.  

Picture
Tell It All, Public Domain
"We were to be Nothing"

Why is this woman weeping?   Could it be over politics? Join us as we look at one of the hot button political issues of mid- and late nineteenth-century America (we aren't talking about slavery).

Picture
Halloween, 1833, Daniel Maclise
The Origins of Halloween

Grab a bag of candy and munch along as Michael R. Lynn explores the roots of Halloween.

Picture
Greek women of the Pindos, 1941.

Oxi Day:  The Day of NO!

Join Victoria Lord as she explores how one small word uttered by the Greek Prime Minister in 1940 helped delay the German army and ultimately defeat the Axis powers.

Picture
Cumbres Pass, Colorado


Preservation Designation

Last week, the Secretary of the Interior announced the designation of 27 new sites as National Historic Landmarks.  

Join Sheena Morrison as she takes you to the meeting of the Landmarks Committee where these sites were first reviewed for consideration as National Historic Landmarks.


Picture
Monk, Zhou Jichang, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Monks Behaving Badly

Sex.  Embezzlement.  Violent Crime.  Devin Fitzgerald introduces you to some monks who behaved very badly while exploring whether Buddhist monks really deserved their bad reputation.    

Picture
Battle of Culloden, David Morier
   Romancing the Scot

How did a failed uprising shape our views of Scotland and the Scots? 

Picture
Deep in the heart of an archive
Preparing to be a History Detective

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the records you seek in an archive. 

Stephanie Stegman shares her tips on researching in the archives. 

Picture
Hogarth famously depicted 18th century drinking.
Burning Questions


On the night of February 19th, 1725, Jeanne Lemaire was found dead.  Was it murder or something even stranger?

Join Michael Lynn as he explores the question of spontaneous human combustion in 18th century France.

Picture
Dress, DAR Museum, UHP Photo
Fashioning the New Woman

After taking you behind the scenes as curators and conservators prepared dresses for an exhibit on the New Woman, we now take you in through the front door for a sneak peak at this new exhibit that explores how and why women's fashions changed during the Downton Abbey era.

Picture
Mannequin, DAR Museum, UHP Photo
Getting Dressed

We take you behind the scenes at a historical museum as curators and conservators dress mannequins and prepare for an exhibit on Downton Abbey style clothes.

This is a two-part series so be sure to come back to read more about the exhibit on Wednesday!

Picture
Lesley J. McNair, Image Courtesy of Time
An Army for Victory 
On July 25, 1944, as Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair crouched in a foxhole approximately thirty yards from his command post, he was tragically killed.

Marc K. Blackburn discusses McNair's legacy and his role in building an army for victory during World War II.

Picture
Book Cover, Grosset and Dunlap, 1932.
The Genealogist's Toolkit 

Tucked away in the deep, dark recesses of our homes, most of us have some treasured family documents, photographs, a grandmother’s wedding dress, or other items.   
 
Join Lindsey Hobbs as she gives us some tips on how to protect our keepsakes for future generations. 

Picture
African American soldier and child, Library of Congress.
Understanding the Civil War

This week witnessed the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam as well as the release of President Lincoln's preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.  

We sat down to talk with Professor Eric Foner, one of the leading historians of this period, about the Civil War and its meaning today.

Picture
Public Domain
Remembering Slavery

On September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued a preliminary
emancipation proclamation.  In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of this, we take you to the site of what was the largest slave trading firm in the country.

Picture
John Hodges home, Darnall's Chance c. 1741-42
Patriot or Traitor?
Join Courtney Hobson as she follows the winding path of John Hodges.

Picture
Belgian Force Publiqe, Postcard from Belgian Congo, 1909.
Belgian Colonial Education Policy

Jessica Achberger explains how the difficulties faced by the newly independent Congo in the 1960's were rooted in Belgium's unique colonial education policy.

Picture
The main concourse of the old Penn Station, NYC.
What Do Preservationists Do?

Christine O'Malley takes you behind the scenes to discover how and why historic sites are preserved.

Picture
Public Domain
Riots and Rye:  Bread and the French Revolution

Michael Lynn explores the role of bread riots in 18th century France.


Picture
Luna Park,1909. Author's Collection
America's Playground:
Coney Island


Say good-bye to summer as John Parascandola takes you to historic Coney Island.

Picture
Park Hiking Trail, 2005, Courtesy of Adina Langer
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park


To celebrate the birthday of the National Park Service  this month, Adina Langer take you to the Great Smoky Mountains!

Picture
Women Knitting, 1909, Hebrides Archive
The Back of Beyond

In August of 1930, the residents of this small island archipelago packed up their belongings, shut the doors of their homes and left their homes for forever.

Find out why.

Picture
Setting the aluminum apex in place, Harpers Weekly, 1884
"The Whole Monument Trembled"

It's been a year since a 5.9 earthquake damaged the Washington Monument.  Repairs are ongoing with the monument scheduled to re-open in 2014. 

We take you back to 1885 and a different natural catastrophe---which led to a similar crack in the capstone.

Picture
Frances Kelsey of the FDA, FDA History Office
Toward a More Informed Union

How does the government understand its own history?

Rob Schoenbeck introduces you to government historians who preserve, document and interpret the history of various federal agencies and even different states.

Picture
Santa Fe, 1866, Harper's Weekly

A Fatal Handshake

Discover how a simple but extraordinarily ill-timed handshake derailed New Mexico statehood.

Picture
Public Domain

That's The Way They Liked It

Put your dance shoes on and discover the freedom and fantasy of disco fashion with Diana Mankowski.


Picture
Courtesy of the Department of Health and Human Services
"Find Them, Teach Them, Treat Them!"

Stephanie Stegman takes you to the Southwest where scientists from the National Institutes of Health discovered an extraordinarily high rate of a disease which "smouldered undetected" among the Pima Indians during the 1950s and 1960s.

Picture
Lincoln reading to son Tad in Feb. 1864

On the Trail of an Assassin


Travel along with Detective McDevitt as he attempts to unravel the events of April 14th, 1865. 

Picture
Jewish Quarter, Amsterdam, 1941, Public Domain
Confronting the Unthinkable

Nicolaas P. Barr Clingan travels to Amsterdam where he explores the complex and difficult history of the Netherlands' Jewish community.

Picture
Girls at a pool, 1929, Public Domain
Not For Old Fogies

Come join a flapper flock and rebel against the forces of the past!

Roll down your stockings as Susan Ferentinos introduces you to flappers, their flippers, and one of their favorite magazines.


Picture
Loading Tea at Canton, c. 1852, Peabody Essex Museum
Long Time No Speak


How can you conduct business if you can't speak the language of your trading partners? 

Join Devin Fitzgerald as he discusses the emergence of pidgin, a hybrid language, used by European and Chinese traders during the nineteenth century.

Picture
Manuscript on Astronomy, Timbuktu, Wikipedia
From Here to Timbuktu

It's a fantastical place---even more beautiful than you  imagined and incredibly important historically.

Jessica Achberger discusses the threat to Timbuktu, a World Heritage Site.

Picture
Moulinex Ad, Courtesy of Moulinex
Another Load of Laundry

Loads and loads of dirty laundry.  Rebecca Pulju comes clean about its history.

Discover how French women were finally liberated from this unpleasant chore during the twentieth century.

Check out Orville R. Butler's companion piece on doing laundry in France during the previous three centuries.

Picture
Girl Mourns Her Father, 1860s, Library of Congress
Commemorating the Civil War

Robert K. Sutton, the Chief Historian for the National Park Service, discusses past commemorations of the Civil War and provides insight into why Americans and non-Americans are so fascinated by this war.  He also introduces you to America's newest national park (an important Civil War site) and provides some thoughts on the events he finds most interesting about this war.

Picture
Inoculation, 1885, Harper's Weekly
The Modern Medical Breakthrough

Mad dogs.  Young boys in danger of dying.  Blockbuster headlines.  Join Bert Hansen as he introduces you to the first medical breakthrough to become a major media event.


Dirty Laundry

Picture
English Laundress, 18th century, Library of Conress














Over time, loads and loads of it have accumulated.   Put a load in your machine and kick back as Orville R. Butler explains how people did laundry in the past.

Check out Rebecca Pulju's companion piece here.

Subscribers only.


Remembering Rwanda

Picture
Rwandan Children, 1990s, University of Texas














Stephanie McKinney travels to Rwanda to discover how tour operators there are coming to terms with the nation's difficult and troubled past.




Subscribers only.



Applying to Hogwarts

Picture
Michael Maier, Atalanta Fugiens, 1618














Michael Lynn, a Muggle historian who teaches the history of science and magic, applies to replace Professor Binns who teaches the history of magic at Hogwarts.




Subscribers only.


Lost at Sea

Picture
British Children, c. 1940, Public Domain












Discover how when u-boats attacked two British ships during the Battle of the Atlantic, the British government was forced to reassess an important wartime policy. 



Subscribers only.

Flush It

Picture
Cleaning the Toilet, Public Domain












Overflowing privies, cold seats, and stinky outhouses.  Life was pretty awful without it. 

And just in case you haven't gotten enough of bathrooms, check out James Jacobs' companion article on the development of the master bathroom!

Subscribers only.



Varner-Hogg Plantation

Picture
Varner-Hogg Plantation, Texas State Historical Commission










Join Antony Cherian as he takes you to a forgotten plantation where the stories from the past provide a chilling reminder of the brutalities of slavery.



Available for Free Now.



Before the Whiteout

Picture
Peasant Bride, Pieter Bruuegal, 1568













Vera Wang shocked fashionistas everywhere with her red wedding gowns this spring.  But she was really just being traditional.



Available for Free Now.

The Oldest Board Game?

Picture
Playing outside Petra, Library of Congress












Dig a few holes, find some pebbles, and sit down to play what may be the world's oldest board game.

Subscribers Only.


The Frontiers of Nursing

Picture
Frontier Nurse, 1930s, Public Domain












Debutantes, isolated farms, and scientific medicine.  Laura Ettinger explores the origins of the Frontier Nursing Service, providing insight into how health care was provided in the past.

Available for Free Now.




Defecating Ducks, Barking Dogs and Hunters on the Prowl

Picture
French Stamp, Public Domain















A barking dog, crazed courtiers, and an angry king.  Discover the triumphs and disasters of some eighteenth-century showmen who took technology to a new level.

Subscribers only.


Down with the Veil!

Picture
Rossisskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv kinoforotdokumentov















During the 1920s and 1930s, the USSR embarked on a campaign to liberate Uzbek and other Central Asian Muslim women from wearing the veil.  But women responded to the campaign in ways that surprised and confounded government officials.

Available for Free Now.


How Much is That Dress Worth?

Picture















Where did dollar princesses like the fictional Cora, Lady Grantham, go shopping? Discover the nineteenth-century designer whose clothes undoubtedly inspired the costume designers on Downton Abbey.


Subscribers only.



Saving Forgotten Ellis Island

Picture
Detained Children, c. 1910, US Public Health Service












Historians, the federal government, and a non-profit organization are working to save the unrestored and forgotten south side of Ellis Island.


Subscribers only.

They Asked for a
Cup of Coffee

Picture
Greensboro Lunch Counter, Smithsonian












An actress teaches visitors to the Smithsonian how to participate in a sit-in...at the Greensboro lunch counter.



Subscribers only.


Revenge, Passion, and Murder

Picture
Who is she? Wikimedia Commons












She was, Alexandre Dumas claimed, “the third corpse to be thrown over the balcony of Aversa.”   Laura Morreale introduces you to a medieval queen with a somewhat tarnished reputation.

Subscribers only.

The Royal Rejection

Picture
Two royal cousins, Public Domain











They were cousins who had spent summers together visiting their Danish grandparents.  But when one cousin abdicated, the other did nothing to prevent his execution.   Find out why.

Subscribers only.



Gardens of Industry

Picture
Garden, Hell's Kitchen, 1906, NY Parks











Doing some gardening this weekend?  Joseph Cialdella digs up some dirt on how and why urbanites took up gardening.



Subscribers only. 

African-American Health

Picture
Waiting for a Doctor, 1940s, Library of Congress











"Freedom and health are intimately and inseparably related."   Discover how and why African-American reformers saw health care as fundamental to the battle for civil rights.


Subscribers only.

The Vietnam War in Vietnam

Picture
Escorting a Suspected Viet Cong, Public Domain












Travel with Jessica Achberger to Vietnam as she discovers how the Vietnamese remember the Vietnam War. 

Subscribers only.

Surrounded by Water

Picture
Brighton Mermaids, c. 1810, Public Domain












Getting your pool ready?  Dip into the past to discover how Britons, residents of an island nation, took up swimming.

Subscribers only.

Thoroughly Corned

Picture
Corn Mural, Wikimedia Commons













It's the quintessential American food...but who knew it was also a building material? 


Subscribers only.

Discover More History!  Check out past articles!

Picture
Juneteenth Celebrations, University of Houston

Hop into your buggy and join us as we travel back into the past to discover the foods people ate, the games they played, the fashions that they loved, and the issues that concerned them.








Subscribe and gain access to all our articles!

Picture
The Battle of Hattin, Wikimedia Commons

Articles on the Ultimate History Project appear free for only two months; they then disappear behind a paywall.  A subscription to the Ultimate History Project provides access to all of our articles at all times! 



Just $25 a year!

If you want  to read The Ultimate History Project for free, we recommend making us your homepage.  New articles appear every week and having us as your homepage will ensure that you get a chance to read articles before they disappear behind a paywall.  Please click through frequently as that enables us to increase our ad revenue and therefore pay for the articles you are reading. 

Sign up for daily updates from The Ultimate History Project at daily@ultimatehistoryproject.com
Sign up for weekly updates from The Ultimate History Project at weekly@ultimatehistoryproject.com
We never sell your contact information to anyone else and we never send you additional emails beyond the update.


Picture
Picture
Picture
Web Hosting by Bluehost