Column Archives

History House has been publishing for nine years. Enjoy all our glittering historical wealth.

In History The dirt swept under the carpet of centuries of history A Day in the Life of a Peasant Medieval cat torture! Strange religions! Self-flagellation! All this and more A Popular Vote The Electoral College was hated by Jefferson, loved by Hamilton, used poorly by Burr, and exploited by Harrison. Alexander the Great Alex a cross-dressing, grudge carrying, god walking on earth? Believe it! American as Apple Pie How Apple Computers was almost run into the ground by Steve Jobs and his successors. Apple ][ Part Two of the skinny on how Apple computers ran into the ground. Athenian Rowdies What do Judge Judy and ancient Athens have in common? Drunkards and lawyers. Austin's Guy Town Austin, Texas's swank entertainment district has a more sordid past: prostitutes and saloons. Balkan Blunders The bumbled assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in all its pathetic glory Balloons I: The Jet Stream Gets Drafted Balloons in WWII: Japan's (not so) cunning plan Balloons II: The Winds of Fortune Part 2 of Japan's failed WW2 balloon attack on the US Caffeine and Opium - for Babies Caffeine-addled moms and dads got Junior to behave with opium sedatives. Caligula and Ceausescu Caligula and Ceausescu have more in common than pets in the military! Cambridge at the Time of Newton Cambridge was a complete dump. Professors skipping classes, etc. Catherine and Peter: The Odd Couple Russia's Catherine the Great looks on whilst husband Peter plays with toy soldiers. Catherine the Great's Ascent Russia's Peter III acts childish and loses the throne to Catherine the Great Christ's Brother goes to China Whoring leader of the Taiping Rebellion think's he's Jesus Circus Maximus: Rome's Astrodome Roman charioteers vie for glory in Rome's Circus Maximus De Sade De Sade was apparently not only a man with interesting tastes, but one with a knack for jailbreaks. Dyin' for Zion Middle East troubles between Israel and Palestine have roots in Judaism, Zionists and Napoleon. Edward II, Part I: The Gay Blade Fourteenth-century English king Edward II’s affair with Piers Gaveston proves costly both financially and politically. Edward II, Part II: The She-Wolf of France British Queen Isabella overthrows husband and King Edward II when he likes an advisor, Hugh le Despenser, a little too much Eugenics Part I: You Can’t Keep a Good Idiot Down Nineteenth Century eugenics gives 'good breeding' a whole new meaning. Eugenics Part II: License to Breed Nineteenth Century eugenics gives 'good breeding' a whole new meaning. Exploring their Way out of a Paper Bag Burke and Wills ill fated expedition across Australia will fail, thanks to drunken camels Foundering Fathers The Declaration of Independence gets passed around like a bowling trophy, with predictable results. Freud and Cocaine -- The Deal Freud leads the late nineteenth Century charge for the cause of cocaine. Garfield I: Who Shot Garfield? Who knows who killed President Garfield? You ought to - what a nutcase! Garfield II: A Lengthy Demise What happens when twenty doctors put their grubby fingers in President Garfield's gunshot wound? Garfield III: Guiteau Head in That Noose Garfield's assassin Guiteau finally meets his maker after providing a most entertaining trial. Hangin' with the Peasants Russian peasants had no need for well-meaning city-slickers. Have Gun, Will Vote 1880s Laredo, Texas weathers election riot between combatants armed with guns and a cannon. His Holiness Stephen VI A pope digs up his predecessor's body and puts him on trial. Hurricane 1, Galveston 0 Galveston gets smashed by the hurricane of the century in 1900. Weather Bureau screws up: Cuba saw it coming. If at First You Don't Succeed: Killing Castro What exactly did Castro do to make the CIA attempt to kill him with exploding clams? Jews, Cows, and Other Red Things Jews, Muslims, French Men and a Red Cow. Lousy with Lice It is only in the last century that mankind has not been largely covered with bugs. Love a Fez: Part I The history of the fez in turkey Love a Fez: Part II The history of the fez in Turkey LSD and the CIA Government operated lsd whorehouses? Believe it! Magellan's Demise Explorer Magellan brings disaster upon himself in an ill-timed invasion of a remote island of crafty natives. Medieval Lepers Leprosy in the Middle Ages was a convenient excuse for screwing over your neighbor. Millennium Fever: False Christs Millienialist eschatology brings about false prophets in the Middle Ages Olympic Follies Amateur glory of Olympics in the early twentieth century upheld in wacky marathon. Panama I: Things to do in Panama when you Have Yellow Fever Malaria and Yellow Fever building the Panama Canal Panama II: The Canal That Almost Wasn't More about how the Panama Canal was built in spite of its creators. Panama III: Death and Dying in Panama Disease and squalor nearly squash the plans of Panama's canal builders. Peace Treaty Shenanigans Nixon and Kissinger squabble and fail to end the Vietnam War Peter the Great Peter as Frat-boy: drunken orgies, boat building, and dinner parties. Peter the Great's Family Values So you're Peter the Great and you hate your kid Alexis 'cause he's stupid? Kill him! Philip and Pausanias Alexander the Great's dad gets offed by a gay lover. Frumpy Macedonians and more! Pilgrims: Grave Robbers And Fashion Plates Forget What You Learned In Elementary School Popess Joan A female popess Joan? Not quite. Put it on Washington's Tab General George Washington of the US Continental Army abuses his expense account. Rah Rah, Rasputin Rasputin gets shot and poisoned and keeps on tickin' Rats I: Bored in Gotham In the 1860s, New Yorkers would kill pretty much anything for a laugh. Rats II: Man vs. Vermin New York's finest hour: the rat-bait. Rebels Way Way Down South Confederates flee the US to Brazil after reconstruction: they're still there Russian Where Angels Fear to Tread Russians get woefully spanked in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, Admiral Togo snickers Russia's Dark Enlightenment Russia picked and chose from the Englightenment. Orgies: yes. Literacy: No. Self Love and Cereal I: An Apple a Day Keeps the Hands at Bay Reform-minded Americans advocate vegetarianism as an alternate to masturbation. Self Love and Cereal II: Bran Spankin' New John Harvey Kellogg and C.W. Post battle for dominance of the cereal industry and control over human lust. Sherman's March on New York General Sherman didn't sack Atlanta... He actually got lost and hit New York! Spelling, Schmelling Why on Earth is English spelled the way it is? Here's some clues. Starvin' the Peasants Ahh, Russia. Starving peasants and cruel government… Tattoos, Cannibals and Free Love Samoa stamp request reveals island past of Margaret Mead, sexual freedom, tattoos, and a mellow lifestyle. The Amazing Electric Telegraph Samuel Morse, arrogant xenophobe, invents a means of communication that brings the whole world together. Part 1 in our series on the telegraph. The Children's Crusade Questionable medieval records suggest children go on a crusade to liberate the Holy Land but get sold into slavery instead. The Definition of Crazy Literally crazy man writes a lot of the Oxford English Dictionary. Guess what? He's good at it. The Dictionary Wars I: Noah Webster Noah Webster was a boring old snoot and his Dictionary is practically holier than the Bible. Why? The Dictionary Wars II: Webster vs. Worcester A battle between two Dictionaries captures the imaginations of pre-Civil War America The Dictionary Wars III Why Noah Webster won the Dictionary Wars -- even after he died. The Formation of NATO The formation of NATO was required to stop the cheese-eating Frenchies! The Great Titian Neo-classical art, with its luscious nudes, was often no more than smutty bedroom material. The Iceboat Cometh World War II weapons makers deem icebergs as the ideal medium for boat design. The Raft of the Medusa The Medusa, an ill-piloted ship in the nineteenth century, runs aground and sets sailors adrift in a rickety raft. They resort to cannibalism. The South Sea Bubble The greatest of many stock market bubbles - classic stuff. The Spice Wars Dutch spice trade in the East Indies leads to warfare There's Something About Mary Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, had some serious issues trying to climb the social ladder. Those Burly Finns Finland puts up a hell of a fight in the Russo-Finnish Winter War. Tulipomania Like beanie babies and DrKoop, tulips used to be all the rage. Turkey's Toy Boat Turks make the best of WW1 dreadnought feud with Churchill Uncle Ronnie and his Contra Buddies Ronald Reagan, Oliver North and a bunch of buddies commit treason in the Iran-Contra scandal Voltaire's Beatings: Part I Voltaire gets the snot beat out of him. Again. Voltaire's Beatings: Part II Voltaire gets the snot beat out of him. Again. Voltaire's Beatings: Part III Voltaire gets the snot beat out of him. Again. Voltaire's Beatings: Part IV Voltaire finally beats up a detractor. About time. Water to Wine? I Get Fifteen Percent Successful medieval saints, such as William of Norwich and Thomas Becket, required the efforts of public relations specialists. What A Gas: Part I Who discovered nitrous and why did it take them so long? What A Gas: Part II Nitrous Oxide has always been used more for fun than for medicine. Why Only Women Get Hysterical Medical opinion of women in the nineteenth century was absurd. William the Conqueror William the Conqueror, the Norman hero of 1066 was so fat at his death that his body burst at his funeral! Wiretapping for Fun and Profit Kissinger authorizes submarines to wiretap phonelines in Soviet territorial waters

Under The Sun Relating yesterday's current events with today's history (discontinued column) Acquired Immunity from Details Syndrome South African President Mbeki's aberrant views on AIDS cause social problems not unlike those encountered in the history of syphilis. Back to the Future Terrorist attacks convince Bush the 350 year-old Treaty of Westphalia has outlived its usefulness Conventional Wisdom Presidential primaries have a history of corruption, bribery and weren’t very democratic: Ask FDR. Damned Kids Kids screw with ex post facto laws throughout history It Ain't de Diamonds, it's de Beers de Beers has long been a criminal organization Master Debaters Presidential debate formats have been warped and bent by candidates from Reagan to Ford, from Carter to Mondale. Military Myopia Bad Military Planning Through History: Pyrrhus blows it Put Up Your Nukes Recent Los Alamos security gaffes remind us of the Stimson's State Department in 1929, Pearl Harbor So you Say you Want a Revolution? Yugoslavian revolution flashpoint has distinct parallels to those of the Romanian and American revolutions. The Coast is Toast Phillipine Volcano eruption reminds us of Mount Aetna Under the Skirt Supreme court gets flustered dealing with pasties and g-strings Volusian Confusion: Tilden-Hayes 1876 Tilden-Hayes presidential election smacks of 2000 Gore-Bush contest, even down to Florida. We'll Beat the Daylights Into You Medieval clock pride leads to fierce independence in the twentieth century when time zones and daylight savings time are established. When Slaves Go Roman, There's Trouble Roman slave revolt led by onetime gladiator Spartacus meets untimely end. Will Firestone Get Retired? Firestone tire debacle smacks of public outcry concerning pork following publication of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Book Reviews We read books aplenty so you can find the good ones A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous Fourteenth Century by Barbara Tuchman Brilliant account of the dark Fourteenth century in medieval Europe A Is for American by Jill Lepore Language helps to define an American identity A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin The definitive one-volume history of the collapse of the Ottoman empire and the creation of the modern Middle East. A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich Breackneck tour of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire from Constantine I to the fall of Contantinople ot the Turks by a true admirer. Acid Dreams: The CIA, LSD, and the Sixties Rebellion by Martin Lee and Bruce Shlain The CIA financed LSD shenanigans. Really. An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson The first of three books on the liberation of Europe, a compelling history of the Allies' invasion of North Africa. Arming America : The Origins of a National Gun Culture by Michael A. Bellesiles Did America always have the gun cultrue we see in the last half of the twentieth century? Black Southerners 1619-1869 by John B. Boles Best history we've read about blacks in the US. Hands down. Blood of the Liberals by George Packer History of the Liberal tradition from a family member. Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz American and Englishman retrace Captain Cook's voyages of discovery in educational and entertaining style. Review contains an interview with the author. Churchill: A Biography by Roy Jenkins Political biographer has a steady pace, uses fun words, and has a keen mind, but not many insights. Communities of Violence by David Nirenberg Academically amazing and chock full of amusing detail, a brief history of persecution in the Middle Ages. Constantine's Sword by James Carroll A Catholic priest wanders through his own personal desert, grappling with the demons of his religion's institutional anti-Semitism. Crucible of War by Fred Anderson All you ever wanted to know about the Seven Years' (French and Indian) war and its role in setting the stage for the American revolution. Denmark Vesey by David Robertson Excellent history of the 1822 slave rebellion led by Denmark Vesey. Devil Take the Hindmost by Edward Chancellor Amusing history of financial speculation through time. Diplomacy by Henry Kissinger Henry Kissinger explaining foreign relations since Metternich to the layman. Does America Need a Foreign Policy? by Henry Kissinger Henry Kissinger eloquently, if with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, states the foreign policy challenges faced by the United States in the 21st century. Duel by Thomas Fleming Great treatment of the famous Burr-Hamilton duel. Duty: A Father His Son & the Man Who Won the War by Bob Greene A personal view of WW2 from the man who dropped The Bomb. Executioner's Current: Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the Invention of the Electric Chair by Richard Moran The commercial battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse underpins a social history of capital punishment in the Gilded Age. Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay Nineteenth century wit grapples successfully with timeless idiocy. For God, Country and Coca-Cola by Mark Pendergrast Social and economic history of the world's greatest brand -- a rip-roaring tale. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis Fresh off biographies of those involved, Joseph J. Ellis aims for another literary prize with a new, mushy, history of America's Founding Fathers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom by Conrad Black Well told, insightful biography of the century's most important president. Not afraid to pull punches. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond A successful stab at the age-old of question of why some cultures win and some cultures lose. History of the Present by Timothy Garton Ash A collection of eyewitness accounts of post-communist Eastern Europe brings us valuable observations of societies in flux. Hitler's Italian Allies by MacGregor Knox Intensive study of Mussolini's Fascist society that revolves around a single explanation for Italian losses: comically inept armed forces. Honey, Mud, Maggots, and Other Medical Marvels by Robert Bernstein and Michele Bernstein A skeptical but productive look at non-traditional medicine through history. I, Claudius by Robert Graves Classic work on the border between history and literature. In an Uncertain World by Robert E. Rubin, Jacob Weisberg Page turning Treasury Secretary memoir? If economics or foreign policy interests you, yes. Jefferson Davis, American: A Biography by William C. Cooper, Jr. Successful biography of Jefferson Davis -- a hard guy to figure. John Adams by David McCullough A great biographer write a bad biography of a second rate president. Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis Seminal account of the rise and fall of Wall Street in the 1980s by zeitgeist champion Michael Lewis. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen A left-wing attack on the woefully inadequate teaching of history in America -- with its heart in the right place. Magic in the Middle Ages by Richard Kieckhefer What did medieval sorts really think about magic? Did they actually believe in dragons? Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie One of the largest primary sources of medieval times: a day to day chronicle of a real French village. Brilliant. Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton The Age of Exploration centered around the search for spices -- an adventure deftly handled in this book. Not War But Murder: Cold Harbor 1864 by Ernest B. Furgurson History of an ill-fated Union campaign to capture Richmond in the penultimate year of the Civil War. One Drop of Blood by Scott L. Malcomson A history of race in America. Operation Rollback: America's Secret War Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Grose How the US played dirty in Eastern Europe and Russia. Oxford Illustrated History of Britain by Kenneth O. Morgan (ed.) Brilliant one-volume history of Britain Pox Americana by Elizabeth A. Fenn Ever think about the role of disease in the American Revolution? Perhaps you should. Presidential Inaugurations by Paul F. Boller Jr. Bathroom reader jaunt through American presidents' inaugural balls and keggers. Rats, Lice and History by Hans Zinsser Brilliant history of disease from a wonderfully crotchety man. Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder Bestselling history of successful treasure hunter who recovers Spanish gold. Straight up or on the Rocks by William Grimes Jaunty ride through the history of the cocktail, America's contribution to international cuisine. The Big Test by Nicholas Lemann A history of the SAT and its attempt to create an American meritocracy. The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s by Piers Brendon One of the truly great general histories: a colorful history of the 1930s. The Emergence of the Eastern Powers, 1756-1775 by H.M. Scott Historiography charts the rise of the Eastern powers (Russia and Prussia) of such great importance to the 19th and 20th centures. The Fever Trail: In Search of the Cure for Malaria by Mark Honigsbaum Wonderfully written history of the efforts to bring quinine out of South America and into common use by imperialist Europeans for the treatment of malaria in their colonies. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by H.W. Brands Laudatory, readable and inspiring biography of America's rennaisance man, but perhaps a little to stingy with criticism. The Formation of a Persecuting Society : Power and Deviance in Western Europe by R.I. Moore How medieval society laid the groundwork for modern prejudice and persecution. The Gates of the Alamo by Stephen Harrigan Historical fiction about the defenders of the Alamo is great summertime reading. The Historical Jesus : The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant by John Dominic Crossan What did Jesus really say? What sort of peasant could gain such notoriety? You could go to any of thousands of churches for lots of takes on the answer or you could take a shot with historians' tools. The Ice Master by Jennifer Niven History of a doomed arctic expedition in 1913. Ice aplenty! The Mapmakers by John Noble Wilford A history of mapmaking. Sounds boring? On the contrary, a great history of science. The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand Frenetic, peripatetic tour of the birth of American intellectualism, focusing on Oliver Wendell Holmes, Charles Sanders Pierce, William James and John Dewey. The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson Bill Bryson in top form talking about the oddities of English. The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto Why is the West rich and everyone else poor? Here's the answer. The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough This decade's best popular history writer tackles the tragicomedy of the Panama canal. Brilliant. The Riddle and the Knight: In Search of Sir John Mandeville by Giles Milton Retracing the steps of John Mandeville, medieval pilgrim, travel writer, and precursor to Marco Polo. But were his accounts fictional? The Rise of the English Town by Cristopher Chalklin Survey of literature on the urbanization of Britain from 1650-1850. The Singular Beast: Jews, Christians & the Pig by Claudine Fabre-Vassas Linguistic Deconstruction of European Anti-Semitism The Wealth and Poverty of Nations : Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor by David S. Landes An economic history with an eye to explaining cultural ascendance. The Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars by Rene Weis A study that is both scholarly and readable of the Albigensian (Cathar) heresy, and one of our best pictures of everday medieval life. Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris George W. Bush claims to have read this book. Don't let that scare you - it's an excellent biography of the first real 20th century president. It even has big words. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow Masterful biography of the most notorious robber baron of them all. True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey Australian criminal gets goes down in a hail of bullets, but not before he tells his tale. A Booker prize winner. Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergast A caffeine-inspired trip through modernity with java-tinted glasses. Ungentlemanly Acts by Louise Barnett An incest trial in Texas forms the basis for a great book about the Old West. War and Gender by Joshua S. Goldstein A masterly sociological, historical, and anthropological survey work on the topic of war. Worldy Goods: A New History of the Renaissance by Lisa Jardine Materialist history of the rennaisance scores points for comprehensiveness. Zarafa by Michael Allin A giraffe's voyage from deepest Africa to nineteenth Paris tells the story of the collision of two cultures.