In the 1920s, leaded gasoline solved the problem of noisy automobile engines—and caused a public health crisis. In #AHAPerspectives, historian @dcsackman.bsky.social asks about the risks of embracing new technology like generative AI before understanding the consequences. 🗃️

In the May issue of #AHAPerspectives, there are two articles from historian-teachers that take a critical eye to AI in education today. 🗃️ @johnfea1.bsky.social is retiring after nearly 3 decades in college classrooms, and AI was one factor in why he's stepping down now:

The second critical look at AI in education today in the May issue of #AHAPerspectives comes from @dcsackman.bsky.social, who writes about the purpose of assigning a long research paper. He draws on his knowledge of the history of technology to make a broader argument against AI. 🗃️

Historical thinking is essential to public life. The American Historical Association defends academic freedom, supports teaching and scholarship, and develops professional standards. See our latest advocacy work:

This Pride Month, we're revisiting a 2024 #AHAPerspectives article by Anne Gray Fischer, who argues it's essential “to prioritize teaching LGBTQ+ histories that foster community in places that are both hostile and home.”

As you might be able to see by now, this stuff is my jam so I really enjoyed co-writing a piece with @profgabriele.com for @historians.org about how we communicate history while doing justice both to our research ethics and the needs of different audiences: www.historians.org/perspectives...

The AHA has released a statement expressing concern about Florida’s newly announced FACT US History framework, a state-designed alternative to AP US History. The statement warns the framework presents a “partial, distorted, and educationally unsound account” of US history. Read the full statement:

Join the AHA and Wiki Education for Wikipedia as Pedagogy: How Students Are Shaping Historical Narratives and Opening Up Access, an #AHAOnline webinar on how faculty are incorporating Wikipedia editing into their pedagogy. With Maura Hametz, Allison Marsh, and Jasmine Yarish. Register now.

"Do colleges exist to prepare citizens who can think critically, empathize, and imagine? Or do they exist solely to deliver skills as efficiently as possible?" In #AHAPerspectives, @johnfea1.bsky.social#AHAPerspectivesexamines the tension between AI and historical thinking on college campuses. 🗃️

The #AHR’s new #AHRSyllabus project, Authoritarianism 101: A Global History, features 30 teaching modules on authoritarianism across global history, with primary sources, historical context, and teaching resources. Start exploring today.

AI cannot do what history professors do. My piece on historical thinking, artificial intelligence, and the intellectual formation of college students is now up at Perspective on History, the magazine of the American Historical Association. Here is a taste: AI promises efficiency, personalization,…

The deadline for select 2026 AHA teaching, public history, and equity awards has been extended to May 31. There’s still time to nominate a deserving historian, including yourself!

Using data, articles, and other AHA resources, the AHA’s Department Advocacy Toolkit can help department chairs, faculty, administrators, academic advisers, career counselors, and students argue for the value of studying history.

Take action by May 26. The NIH is accepting public comments on its FY 2027–31 Strategic Plan. Tell the NIH to support the National Library of Medicine through investment in research infrastructure, digitization and preservation, and stewardship of medical history. Submit comments:

This Memorial Day, we’re revisiting a 2021 #AHAPerspectives piece by Kim Clarke. After World War II, Clarke's widowed grandmother and “thousands of others insisted the government uphold a commitment it had made to military families for decades: to bring home its fallen soldiers.”

She made history for decades. Now she has a degree in it. Congratulations to Billie Jean King on earning her BA in history from from Cal State LA, 65 years after first enrolling.

Looking for a dissertation on a particular topic? Curious about which students an adviser has mentored? Check out the AHA’s Directory of History Dissertations, which can be searched by school, adviser, title keywords, and more.

Why do presidential records matter? AHA executive director Sarah Weicksel in the New Yorker on the stakes of the AHA’s Presidential Records Act lawsuit: “What’s at stake is the ability of Americans in twenty, fifty years to have access to a full history of the United States.”

Take action by May 26. The NIH is accepting public comments on its FY 2027–31 Strategic Plan. Tell the NIH to support the National Library of Medicine through investment in research infrastructure, digitization and preservation, and stewardship of medical history. Submit comments:

Historians provide critical context for today’s economic policy debates. In this AHA program, historians shared perspectives on tariffs directly with elected officials and congressional staff, examining their history and economic impacts in the U.S. and globally.

I enjoyed participating in this conference back in the day. For #AcRel scholars and teachings, the videos include one of the session on African American religious history.

The AHA's Vetted Resources compile materials that have been professionally vetted by historians, offering instructors access to high-quality accessibility guides, pedagogy resources, and materials specific to a range of places, eras, topics, and fields that meet professional standards.

BREAKING: Today, the US District Court for the District of Columbia granted emergency relief in the AHA and American Oversight’s lawsuit concerning compliance with the Presidential Records Act. 🗃️

The AHA’s report on academic hiring in history for the 2024–25 cycle is now available. Read more in #AHAPerspectives.

What is the value of an introductory college course in history? What are the most effective ways to train students in core elements of historical thinking? Find out with the AHA’s new “Designing Introductory History Courses for Student Success” booklet.

The AHA leads or participates in several initiatives to provide resources and support for history educators facing intensifying controversies about the teaching of the American past. Learn more about our Teaching History with Integrity initiatives:

With more than one billion artillery projectiles fired during World War I, shell casings became an abundant resource. One unexpected second life? Trench art. In #AHAPerspectives, Michael S. Donovan reflects on an intricate lighter inherited from his great-grandfather. #EverythingHasAHistory

We need historians because what we remember matters. Public memory shapes how we understand the past and present. What story do you think should be remembered more widely? #WeNeedHistorians #TalkAboutHumanities

Do you know about trench art? Learn about these decorative items crafted during war through the latest #EverythingHasAHistory article in #AHAPerspectives.

The AHA recently announced the Community Action and Resource Exchange (CARE) network, which brings historians together to discuss shared professional issues and concerns, exchange ideas, and collaborate on strategies and solutions that strengthen the discipline. Get involved today.

Today is the last day to submit nominations for the AHA’s awards and prizes! The AHA recognizes outstanding historical work, including exceptional books, distinguished teaching and mentoring, film, and digital projects and resources. Help us recognize the work shaping the discipline.

Looking for classroom resources for courses in African American history? Check out these videos from The Future of the African American Past, a landmark 2016 conference co-hosted by the AHA & the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture that brought together 60+ scholars. 🗃️

The AHA Events Calendar shares upcoming events, including conferences, webinars, and virtual events. Anyone may submit events of interest to historians to the calendar. Learn more:

We interviewed Sarah Weicksel, Executive Director of @historians.org, for the latest issue of #WeltweitVorOrt, the @maxweberstiftung.de magazine, about the current status & future of archives in the U.S. The interview is now available here! gab.hypotheses.org/23186

This week, AHA staff celebrated marketing coordinator Rebecca West earning her MA in history from George Mason University and AHR managing editor Sarah Muncy's birthday with cake in the office. Congratulations, Rebecca, and happy birthday, Sarah!

Presidential records are essential for accountability and historical research. AHA members Timothy Naftali and Matthew Connelly submitted declarations supporting the AHA’s lawsuit defending the constitutionality of the Presidential Records Act. Read more:

The AHA offers resources for educators and students on the importance of studying history and the value of a history degree, and reflections on why learning about the past helps us understand the present.

How would you describe a Confederate soldier on his way home from the battlefront at the end of the war? Disheveled, tired, wearing dirty tattered rags? In #AHAPerspectives, AHA executive director Sarah Weicksel describes the enduring Civil War myth of the ragged rebel.

It's a good week at #AHAPerspectives. Today, executive director Sarah Weicksel writes about a Civil War myth that lives on in stories and even statues.

Make a nomination for the AHA Equity Award. This award recognizes groups and institutions that have achieved excellence in recruiting and retaining underrepresented racial and ethnic groups into the historical discipline. Nominations due May 15.

Historians provide critical context for today’s public health debates. In this AHA program, historians shared perspectives on vaccines directly with elected officials and congressional staff, exploring public trust, federal policy, and the histories of smallpox, polio, and measles vaccines. Watch:

What does collaboration make possible in humanities research? AHA executive director Sarah Weicksel joined a convening hosted by the American Council of Learned Societies and the New York Public Library focused on collaborative scholarship in the humanities and social sciences.

Join us in congratulating AHA executive director Sarah Weicksel, elected to the 2026 cohort of the American Antiquarian Society. Founded in 1812, AAS is a research library and learned society that elects members for distinguished achievement in academic and public life.

The Long Overdue Project at #AHAPerspectives aims to publish obituaries for historians of color whose passing the AHA did not mark. Learn more about the project, read the tributes, and contact us if you'd like to contribute:

In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Professor Jones tells his class, “70% of all archaeology is done in the library” and that “X never, ever marks the spot.” In #AHAPerspectives, AHA president Suzanne Marchand uses the clip to explore the work of historians and archaeologists.

Turns out AHA president Suzanne Marchand is a fan of Indiana Jones. Such fun editing this #AHAPerspectives column on the work of historians and archaeologists.

The AHA has developed recommendations for department chairs to improve the status of non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty. Click the link for a list of ways chairs can play a leadership role in supporting their NTT colleagues.

Your voice can make a difference. The AHA offers practical tips on advocating for history, including how to contact lawmakers, respond to federal regulations, and craft effective messages in support of history education and research.

Submit nominations for the AHA’s awards and prizes by May 15. The AHA recognizes outstanding historical work of many types, including exceptional books, distinguished teaching and mentoring, film, and digital projects and resources.

A lovely tribute to my MA and PhD advisor, John Wunder in @historians.org Perspectives. I still miss him regularly. www.historians.org/perspectives...