History Archives

History

The intertwined history of state lotteries and convenience stores

By Jonathan D. Cohen

This past summer, millions of Americans were transfixed by the prospect of becoming billionaires. After weeks with no winner, the jackpot for the multi-state lottery game Mega Millions rose to $1.3 billion before being won by an as-yet-unnamed gambler who purchased the winning ticket at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, Illinois. Or, more specifically, at the convenience store portion of the gas station, where customers can purchase gas, food, drinks, cigarettes, and, of course, lottery tickets.

Howard Carter and Tutankhamun: a different view

By Peter Der Manuelian

On 4 November 1922, Englishman Howard Carter acted on a “hunch” and discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, setting the world at large on fire, archaeologically speaking. “King Tut’s tomb” and the (much older) Pyramids of Giza;:have any other monuments come to symbolize ancient Egyptian civilization—and archaeology—better?

Distrust in institutions: past, present, and future [podcast]

By Steven Filippi and Meghan Schaffer

In this episode of The Oxford Comment, we speak with Brian Levack, Robert Faris, and Tom Nichols on the past, present, and future of institutional distrust, with a particular focus on the contentious 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections.

Networks of Modernity: Germany in the Age of the Telegraph, 1830-1880

10 German history titles to read this autumn [reading list]

By OUP History

Here are 10 books that we recommend if you want to learn something new about Germany’s past, but don’t know where to begin.

Shipwreck tales: bounty from the archives

By David Cressy

News broke in 2022 that the royal frigate Gloucester that sank in 1682 had been located off the coast of Norfolk. The discovery excited marine archeologists and treasure hunters, and drew attention to the scandal of the warship’s loss.

Alice le Fynch and new ways of seeing medieval society from below

By Christopher Dyer

Everyone in the village of Sedgeberrow must have known Alice le Fynch, a determined personality defending the interests of her family. Christopher Dyer discusses why Alice, and other medieval peasants like her, should not be underestimated.

Four Very Short Introductions podcast episodes on the Classical world

By The VSI Podcast Team

Did “Ancient Greece” exist? Are all Epicureans decadent dandies? What do we really know about Alexander the Great? Explore the people, places, and philosophies of the Classical world through these four podcast episodes from the expert authors of our Very Short Introductions series.

Unmanly men and the flexible meaning of kinaidos in Classical antiquity

By Tom Sapsford

Tom Sapsford discusses the “kinaidos”: a type of person noted in ancient literature for his effeminacy and untoward sexual behaviour. Some scholars think he was perhaps an imaginary figure, but Sapsford looks into financial records, letters, and temples that complicate our understanding of this figure.

The need for affordable and clean energy [podcast]

By Steven Filippi and Stella Edison

Check out Episode 75 of The Oxford Comment to hear from Martin J. Pasqualetti and Paul F, Meier on the need for affordable and clean energy, the history of energy in the US, and the dire implications of not changing our energy habits.

News from Moscow: Soviet Journalism and the Limits of Postwar Reform

Has Russian journalism returned to Soviet era restrictions?

By Simon Huxtable

Simon Huxtable explores the history of Russian journalism in the Soviet Union and asks how, or whether, it compares to the situation of Russian journalists after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

Why Waterloo? How the Battle of Waterloo took its place in Britain’s national identity

By Luke Reynolds

How does a country choose what to commemorate? What elevated the victory of 18 June 1815 over other great British victories in the previous quarter century of war?

The politics of interracial friendship

By Saladin Ambar

There have been instances of interracial friendship even in the worst of times. Explore some of these noteworthy friendships, which have served as windows into the state of race relations in the United States.

24 hours in revolutionary Paris: 9 Thermidor [timeline]

By Colin Jones

The day of 9 Thermidor is universally acknowledged as a major turning-point in the history of the French Revolution. Discover the outline of the key events on 27 July that ultimately led to Robespierre’s death.

Democracy at work? France’s uncertain political future [long read]

By Emile Chabal, Michael C. Behrent, and Marion Van Renterghem

In the last of our essays, we discuss the unexpected outcome of the legislative elections and look back on the electoral cycle as a whole. What does French politics look like after a series of fractious campaigns? And do the results offer any hope for the future?

Classical music, privilege, and ghosts of the French Revolution

By Rebecca Dowd Geoffroy-Schwinden

The word privilege is a lightning rod in United States culture. For some, it indexes systemic inequities shaped by race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality, while for others, it represents a “woke” vocabulary used to enforce political correctness. Perhaps unsurprisingly, accusations of privilege have reached the classical music world.

Hong Kong 2022: one country, two systems? [podcast]

By Steven Filippi and Patrick Horton-Wright

The first of July 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. It also marks the halfway point of a 50-year agreement between China and Hong Kong that established the “one country, two systems,” rule – a system designed to allow Hong Kong to “enjoy a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs” while still remaining a Special Administrative Region of China.