Historian Edward T. O’Donnell explores America’s dramatic shift from neutrality to engagement in World War I, highlighting the war’s overlooked but profound impact. He examines the causes of the conflict, American isolationism, and the pivotal events that led to U.S. involvement. O’Donnell also discusses military mobilization, the nation’s role in defeating the Central Powers, and the domestic consequences, including propaganda, suppression of dissent, and Wilson’s promotion of the League of Nations.
Around the year 1000, explorer Leif Erikson crossed west from Greenland and made his way down the coast to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Viking activity in the Americas has been more precisely dated to 1021 by scientists examining a Norse settlement in Newfoundland. But there is more to the story of Norse exploration of North America. Historian, writer, and BBC broadcaster Eleanor Barraclough shares other evidence and delves into the 19th-century afterlife of Viking adventures.
Scholars contend that the Haitian Revolution remains the only successful large-scale revolt in which enslaved people won their freedom, overthrew the existing colonial government, and established an independent state. Historian Alexander Mikaberidze traces the rebellion from its beginnings during the French Revolution to its culmination in 1804, which reshaped ideas about race, freedom, and sovereignty across the Atlantic world.
In the mid-20th century, three trailblazing women journalists bore witness to the great changes happening and transformed readers’ understanding of the world. Martha Gellhorn stowed away in the bathroom of a Red Cross hospital ship to report from Omaha Beach on D-Day. Emily “Mickey” Hahn filed stories from Japanese-occupied Shanghai that transported American readers into the wartime life of a Chinese family. Rebecca West interviewed the sister of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s would-be assassin in 1930s Yugoslavia and then covered the Nuremberg trials. Journalist Julia Cooke shows how these three women not only found stories that others overlooked but also pioneered new ways of telling them.
Gumbo and beignets may be the flavors most people know, but the real story of New Orleans food is one of struggle, resilience, and power, reveals historian Ashley Rose Young, author of Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans. She uncovers how, from 1800 to today, street vendors, cooks, and customers turned meals into weapons of influence—shaping taste, battling officials, and rewriting laws. Beneath the powdered sugar and peppery roux lies a history of conflict and creativity—of ordinary people whose daily struggles over food helped define the identity of one of America’s most captivating cities.
The Declaration of Independence paints King George III as a notorious villain and justifies the Revolution as necessary to sever ties with him. In reality, says historian Patrick Allitt, he was a sober, conscientious man, serious about his limited role in Britain’s constitutional monarchy—and eager to prevent the colonial rebellion, then to defeat it when it began. Allitt revisits the story of why he failed.
Expectations have always been high when it comes to the British line of succession, says historian Siobhan Clarke, and the birth of a royal baby could shape an empire. She explores the historical significance of these important infants from the 15th century to today, examining how the fertility, pregnancies, and childbirths of queens have shaped politics—and why the nation’s history has often hung on a tiny heartbeat.
Improv quiltmaking allows for spontaneous design development as opposed to following a pre-determined plan. Using today’s trends with raw edge piercing and applique skills, students are inspired to create their very own wall hanging/table runner.
