Advertisements are all around us today and have been for a long time; advertising-free "good old days" just don't exist. This guide offers an overview of advertisements as historical sources and how historians use them; a brief history of advertising; questions to ask when interpreting ads as historical evidence; an annotated bibliography; and a guide to finding advertisements online.
In an attic or an online archive, coming across personal correspondence and diaries can open a tantalizing window into past lives. This guide offers an overview of letters and diaries as historical sources and how historians use them; tips on what questions to ask when reading these personal texts; an annotated bibliography; and a guide to finding and using letters and diaries online.
Does the very thought of quantitative analysis make you shake in your shoes? "Making Sense of Numbers" provides a place for students and teachers to begin working with quantitative historical data as a way of understanding the past. Written by Gary J. Kornblith, this guide offers an overview of quantitative methods, how historians use historical data, and step-by-step instructions using actual historical data to determine totals, rates, averages, standard deviations, and coefficients of correlation.
From the Bowery Boys website:
"It's time for our third annual 'ghost stories' episode, our mix of historical facts and spooky legends from the annals of New York's past. For this round of scary tales, we visit a famous 19th century townhouse haunted by a lonely spinster, a West Village speakeasy with some guests who still haven't gone home, and the site of a former restaurant that might be possessed with the spirit of a famous folk singer. ALSO: we go back all the way to New Amsterdam for an old legend involving Peter Stuyvesant, a turbulent river, and the Devil himself!"
Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies makes suggestions for forming and leading effective roleplay scenarios. While the presentation specifically relates to roleplay scenarios from the Institute's Choices Program, it is also relevant to other roleplaying exercises.
From the "Littoral," blog of the Key West Literary seminar website:
"This recording from the 2009 Key West Literary Seminar consists of an hourlong conversation between Vidal and Jay Parini, his literary executor, a poet, biographer, and critic. Vidal discusses the influences on his work as a historical novelist, his views on the American educational system, and his admiration for figures including Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. George W. Bush, then serving his final week in office, is the target of particular scorn, as Vidal levels a litany of complaints accusing his administration of 'shredding' the Bill of Rights and striving 'to make lying the national pastime.' In a question-and-answer session, Vidal discusses efforts to bring Tennessee Williams's final play to the public, as well as his feelings on disgraced financier Bernard Madoff and former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin."
Missouri 8th-grade history teacher Eric Langhorst describes his visit to the Museum of Nebraska Major League Baseball in St. Paul, NE, while also relating several baseball history stories.
Historian, blogger, and author Gil Troy, speaking at the Organization of American Historians 2009 meeting, talks about his experiences as a historian blogging during the 2008 presidential election. He discusses his views on the role historians should play when contributing or responding to the media, providing studied, nonpredictive information and analysis, even in the face of demands for sound bites and snap judgments.
Historian and chair of the Division of Politics and Reform at the National Museum of American History, Harry Rubenstein, beginning a talk at the Organization of American Historians 2009 meeting, mentions the challenges of being a historian during the 2008 presidential election.
Julie Fenster, author of The Spirit of Invention, discusses the American faith in invention and inventors and the everyday drive to overcome inconveniences and more serious problems through experimentation and improvisation.
To listen to this podcast, scroll to "Podcast: Julie Fenster writes about the spirit of invention."