The History Reader offers articles, interviews, insights, and further reading for history buffs and book lovers everywhere.
In three successive waves, from spring 1918 to summer 1919, the ‘Spanish flu’ pandemic killed an estimated 100 million people worldwide. By 1919, Spanish flu was responsible for the deaths of 500,000 people in the United States, … Read the article
Take a trip back to the 1950s with authors Greg King and Penny Wilson, as they discuss the menu served on the glamorous Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria.
In the following excerpt from American Rebels, Nina Sankovitch discusses the education of John Hancock and John Adams from childhood schoolhouses and tutors to Harvard.
It was 1918 and there was a killer on the loose. Worse than any serial predator in modern history, its deadly grasp was swift, its hold resolute, and its thirst for killing unquenchable. No one was safe. … Read the article
Taxes, duties, and the stationing of troops to enforce payment of both were all causes of the American rebellion against the British. But not the only causes.
In The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria, Greg King and Penny Wilson offer a fresh look at the legendary liner and her tragic fate. Andrea Doria represented the romance of travel, the possibility of new … Read the article
Ireland, 1846. Father Theobald Mathew implores assistant secretary at the British Treasury, Charles Trevelyan, to provide aid to Ireland as the potato blight ruins crops across the country. Read on for an excerpt from Voyage of Mercy.… Read the article
Today, Frida Kahlo is one of the most celebrated artists in the world. Millions of people line up to pay homage to her work. Frida bags, bracelets, earrings, and shirts can be purchased around the globe. However, … Read the article
Stephen Puleo, author of Voyage of Mercy, discusses the remarkable story of the mission that inspired a nation to donate massive relief to Ireland during the potato famine and began America’s tradition of providing humanitarian aid around … Read the article
In The Age of Illusions, Andrew J. Bacevich presents a thought-provoking and penetrating account of the post-Cold war follies and delusions that culminated in the age of Donald Trump. Read on for an excerpt.