Author Archives
I have a PhD in United States History and I am a legal refugee. I run a history wiki called DailyHistory.org and the blog Dailyhistoryblog.com.
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What was the evolution of water technologies like?
The history of water use and technologies to bring water to human societies is long, particularly in some of the world’s most arid regions where human settled societies first began. Technologies of water also evolved as other technologies developed and… Read More ›
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Why Was the Battle of Antietam a Pivotal event in the American Civil War?
Gettysburg, perhaps the most renowned battle of the American Civil War, was the second incursion of Confederate troops onto Union soil. The first offensive in the North taken by General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia… Read More ›
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Why did the United States and Soviet Union Reach Detente During the Cold War?
Detente was a period lasting approximately from 1972 to 1981 in which there was a thaw in relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was punctuated by major and surprising events, including the end of American involvement… Read More ›
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I would like to Apologize.
I recently redirected my old wordpress.com blog to my new history wiki – DailyHistory.org. Unbeknownst to me, every change made on DailyHistory.org after that redirect was posted on your wordpress.com readers. I have a feeling that dozens and dozens of… Read More ›
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The Conspiracy of Free Trade: Interview with Marc-William Palen
Marc-William Palen’s new book The “Conspiracy” of Free Trade: The Anglo-American Struggle over Empire and Economic Globalisation, 1846-1896 is relevant not only to historians of imperialism, capitalism, and economics, but to the 2016 American presidential primary election. Once again, free… Read More ›
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How did Winston Churchill become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War Two?
Winston Churchill led an extraordinary life, but perhaps the most remarkable element in his life was how he became prime minister in 1940. Just a few years earlier he was widely seen as politically isolated and was widely ridiculed… Read More ›
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What did Prussia’s victory in the Franco-Prussian War mean for Europe?
The Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 was one of the most significant wars of the nineteenth century. It changed the balance of power in Europe and resulted in the relative decline of France and confirmed the rise of a United Germany as… Read More ›
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What was the Impact of the Tanzimat Reforms on the Ottoman Empire in the Nineteenth Century?
The Tanzimat reforms were carried out between 1830 and 1870 in the Ottoman Empire. They were a wide ranging series of educational, political and economic reforms. They were an attempt at modernization to stop the decline of Ottoman power. The… Read More ›
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How did Sharia Law develop?
Sharia is an Arabic word, literally meaning “the right path”. It commonly refers to the traditional Islamic law, derived from the religious precepts of Islam, particularly the Quran[1]and the Hadith[2]. Islamic law or the Sharia is therefore the expression of… Read More ›
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What Factors Led to the Creation of the First Cities?
The rise of cities in the ancient Near East during the fourth millennium BC (4000-3000 BC) is a key event in the history of the world, as urban patterns that first arose there became patterns inherited in many societies, including… Read More ›
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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… Read More ›
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Shantytown, USA: Interview with Lisa Goff
The Harvard University Press recently published Lisa Goff’s new book Shantytown, USA: Forgotten Landscapes of the Working Poor. There’s a chance that one of your American ancestors lived in an American shantytown. While we may not realize it now, shantytowns… Read More ›
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Why was Alexander the Great So Successful In His Conquests?
In the public’s mind, few well known conquerors in history match the exploits of Alexander the Great. In just a few years, from 334-330 BC, Alexander would go on to conquer the largest empire the world had known and establish… Read More ›
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Was Elizabeth I Justified in having her Cousin Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland Executed?
Elizabeth I executed her cousin Mary Stuart on February 8th, 1587. Was this necessary? When studying the lives of Elizabeth I and her rival cousin Mary Stuart, modern interpretations paint a fairly definitive picture of their perceived personalities. Elizabeth’s character… Read More ›
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What are the Origins of Astronomy?
Astronomy is often thought of as a field that has developed from ancient Greek scholars, but its stretches even further back most likely before recorded history. We know that astronomy has played a vital role in the agricultural cycle and early religions. These early… Read More ›
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Hodges’ Scout: Interview with Len Travers
Here is DailyHistory.org’s recent interview with Len Travers about his book Hodges’ Scout: A Lost Patrol of the French and Indian War published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Travers’ book examines a group of colonial scouts who were ambushed on a… Read More ›
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The New Blog for DailyHistory.org
Recently, DailyHistory.org went through a radical change. We shifted from a blog to history wiki. I wanted to create a open source history project instead traditional blog. This blog will keep you updated as the changes at DailyHistory.org. These changes… Read More ›