Five eminent historians give us a sense of both the excitement and frustration of life as a professional historian on the front lines of research. Featured are: Richard Janko (University of Michigan), Miri Rubin (QMUL), Darrin McMahon...

HISTORICAL PARALLELS: Professor Ruiz talks about the haunting parallels between the spread of the plague in 14th-century Europe and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, including how more poor people died from the plague...

Ever wonder about the identity of the woman posing for the Mona Lisa, or think about the life of the “farmers” depicted in American Gothic? Check out who the people in these 12 famous paintings actually were. Artists Leonardo da Vinci,...

In this video, UCLA historian Teo Ruiz reflects on the challenges faced by modern historians who are increasingly specialized yet required to teach broadly in smaller colleges. He shares his personal experience of struggling to decipher...

University of Oxford historian John Elliott reflects upon the various trends in historical scholarship, and urges young historians to be aware of the dominant themes while sticking with their own orientations.

University of Oxford historian Sir John Elliott describes why the search for historical objectivity implies that it is important for all historians to have one foot in the past and one foot in the present.

Historian David Armitage, University of Harvard, relates how examining the historical evolution of key terms and phrases can uncover the many sedimented meanings associated with them, thereby pointing the way to deeper historical...

Historian David Cannadine, Princeton University, uses the example of his popular book, The Undivided Past, as a window to demonstrate his view of the societal role of history: that historical understanding can be a worthy antidote to...

Historian Linda Colley (Princeton) reminisces on the beginnings of her historical career.

Historian David Armitage, Harvard University, describes how trying to understand how our modern age can appreciate the ideas and other cultural forms of the past triggered his move from literary scholarship to the history of ideas.

Princeton historian of science Michael Gordin gives various examples of how historians of science might help improve current scientific practices.

Princeton University historian David Cannadine describes his belief that the standard historical categorisations of religion, nation, class, gender, race or civilisation that have been often used to understand history might not actually...

Harvard University historian David Armitage discusses the question of how the past can be used to shape today’s policy, describing how policymakers should not only try to avoid making the same mistakes, but also consider worthy roads not...

Historian David Armitage (Harvard) uses the example of international intervention to show how history can help us guide today's decisions.

Historian David Cannadine, University of Princeton, describes how he believes the time is ripe for historians to increasingly interact with geneticists and neuroscientists in an attempt to better address the fundamental question of what...

Princeton historian of science Michael Gordin reflects upon the internal mechanisms behind the publication of Immanuel Velikovsky’s notorious book Worlds In Collision in 1950, explaining how peer review was very different then than it is...

Princeton historian of science Michael Gordin describes a set of attitudes that most practicing scientists have towards historians, philosophers and sociologists of science, and outlines ways in which appreciating the past might help...

A video entitled "Cuneiform" introduces students to the history, evolution, methods for writing, and the lasting influence of Sumerian cuneiform.

A video entitled “Pocahontas” describes the life of Pocahontas.

Who are the Druze?

You may have seen paintings of George Washington kneeling in prayer—an image that gives the impression that Washington was a very religious man. But was he?

The video provides a detailed exploration of the life of Sir William Wallace, separating fact from fiction and delving into his role in the Scottish fight for independence. It discusses key events, battles, and alliances that shaped...

A video exploring what made John such an unpopular and unsuccessful king.

Let HipHughes coax you into listening to some ideas about teachin' and the learnin'. In this episode Hughes explain why the word "teacher" sucks and he prefers "Facilitator of Learning Experiences"