Curated playlist
21st-century American historians
- Elizabeth D. LeonardElizabeth D. Leonard won the 2012 Lincoln Prize for a book on Joseph Holt, Lincoln's judge advocate general.
- James M. McPhersonHistorian James M. McPherson helped lobby against a Disney theme park near the Manassas battlefield.
- Don H. DoyleHistorian Don H. Doyle went from writing about Nashville to writing about the whole world.
- Retha WarnickeHistorian Retha Warnicke argues Anne Boleyn was born in 1507, not 1501. Most historians long assumed the earlier date.
- Joan WaughHistorian Joan Waugh has spent her career defending Ulysses Grant's reputation. She teaches Civil War history at UCLA.
- David A. BellHistorian David A. Bell argues nationalism was built, not natural. He traces it in France from 1680 to 1800.
- Seymour DrescherHistorian Seymour Drescher argued Britain ended the slave trade while it was still profitable.
- Kenneth PomeranzWhy did industrialization happen in Europe and not in China? Historian Kenneth Pomeranz answered in a 2000 book.
- Gabor BorittGabor Boritt, a Hungarian-born American historian, reached New York with exactly one dollar in his pocket. He judged it the dirtiest city he had ever seen. He was a teenager, a refugee, and far from anyone who knew him. Behind him lay a…
- John F. MarszalekIn July 2008, historian John F. Marszalek took charge of Ulysses S. Grant's papers.
- Daniel YerginDaniel Yergin started his energy research firm with a two-dollar file cabinet.
- George Dyson (science historian)From 1972 to 1975, George Dyson lived in a treehouse he built 30 meters above Burrard Inlet.
- Gary W. GallagherHistorian Gary W. Gallagher asks why Civil War soldiers fought and how Hollywood got it wrong.
- David Christian (historian)A historian of Russian peasants started a history course at the Big Bang. David Christian first taught it in 1989.
- Stephen GreenblattStephen Greenblatt was stunned when universities sought experts in "New Historicism," a phrase he coined.
- Gerald HoltonGerald Holton was labeled an "Enemy Alien" in America, yet Harvard hired him. He taught naval officers to use radar.
- Victor Davis HansonAfter earning a Stanford PhD, Victor Davis Hanson went home and farmed. He grew orchards and vineyards for four years.
- Claudia GoldinIn October 2023, the economist Claudia Goldin received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for having advanced our understanding of women's labor market outcomes". Only two women had won the award before her. None had ever won…
- Melissa DellMelissa Dell compared Peruvian communities on either side of an old forced-labor boundary. Gaps lasted centuries.
- David W. BlightYale asked historian David W. Blight to investigate Yale's own ties to slavery. His 2024 book gave the answer.
- Donald L. MillerHistorian Donald L. Miller wrote the book behind the Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air.
- Fergus BordewichFergus Bordewich toured Native American reservations as a boy with his mother. She led a Native American advocacy group.
- Eric FonerHistorian Eric Foner started college as a physics major. A Civil War seminar at Columbia changed his path.
- Edward Jay EpsteinAs a graduate student, Edward Jay Epstein published a 1966 book criticizing the Warren Commission.
- Clifford AndoHow did Rome keep far-off provinces loyal without armies alone? Clifford Ando points to law and shared symbols.
- Joel WhitburnJoel Whitburn began writing Hot 100 chart positions on index cards in 1958. Later came more than 200 books.
- Roger D. LauniusA NASA chief historian also wrote a book on a baseball showman. Roger D. Launius wrote about Charlie Finley too.
- Douglas BrinkleyHistorian Douglas Brinkley taught a college course on a bus he named the Majic Bus.