On Oct. 1, 1986, Canadian author Robert Munsch released his book Love You Forever. It became one of the most successful children's books ever written, selling 38 million copies. This is the story of how Munsch turned personal tragedy into a book beloved by generations. 🧵 1/10

Thanks to everyone who was part of making our Religions of Revolution Symposium such a wonderful day of scholarship and conversation last Saturday. We hope to see you all at 14 Beacon again soon!

Happy to share my New Books Network interview with historian Mary E. Hicks about her new book! newbooksnetwork.com/captive-cosm...

Heading into Boston today for the Religions of Revolution symposium, sponsored by @congrelib.bsky.social and the New England Quarterly. Looking forward to a great day of discussion thanks to @sarageorgini.bsky.social and Lauren Hibbert! #America250 www.congregationallibrary.org/religions-re...

Sometimes when researching, you find documents that don't exactly fit your current project, but are worthy of study nonetheless. Thanks to everyone at the Journal of the American Revolution for giving this piece a home.

Incredible photo of yesterday's sunset! 📸 Mike Surette

On this day in 1759, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham was fought outside Quebec City. A victory for the British, it left nearly 200 dead including General James Wolfe and General Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm. It was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War.

Kind, generous, and seemingly an endless repository of knowledge. Peter made time to talk with me about a project of mine this summer, providing invaluable recommendations. I hope he has the very best retirement. He’ll be greatly missed.

Registration for our "Religions of Revolution" symposium closes in two weeks, and limited seats remain, so register soon if you'd like to join us at 14 Beacon on September 27th. Learn more and get your ticket at congregationallibrary.org/religions-re...

Graduate students & faculty: Join us on September 17 for our Graduate Student Reception! Enjoy free refreshments and learn about the resources we offer to support your scholarship, from research fellowships to our seminars. Virtual attendees also welcome. Register: www.masshist.org/events/gradu...

New in 'Transactions of the Royal Historical Society' 'Irish Catholic Recruitment into the British Army during the American Revolution: A Case Study of the 46th Regiment of Foot', by Sadie Sunderland bit.ly/4m80z84 What can Irish recruitment tell us about the complexity of the C18th military? 1/2

"The Department of History invites applications for an assistant professor who will make enough leftist remarks to annoy conservative talk radio hosts but whose politics will ultimately support the neoliberal mission of the university." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/hon...

What if we designed communities in Halifax around fun and play? Morning File by @suzannerent.bsky.social

I wrote about the state of Canadian rage for @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/o... The piece is a kind of capstone to all the work of Gloves Off. shows.acast.com/gloves-off

About this Florida vaccine story: When they were little - 1 yr and 3 1/2 - my two older boys, who’d had all their shots, got whooping cough. We asked their pediatrician what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been vaccinated. “Oh, they’d have died.”

The Revolutionary generation (Founders and ordinary folks alike) broadly understood that communicable disease is the tyrant. Disease is the enslaver we can't otherwise escape. Inoculations and vaccines are gifts of liberty.

"I confess I am afraid, that the Discouraging of this Practice, may cause many a Life to be lost, which for my own part, I should be loth to have any hand in, because of the Sixth Commandment." --Prominent atheist Increase Mather on inoculation in 1721

Are you an educator thinking about how to teach the Revolution to the next generation during Rev250? Or would you like to revisit a literary classic to celebrate 250? Consider virtually joining me and other enthusiasts at Old North Church to discuss Forbes’ classic “Johnny Tremain” later this month!

I don’t know anything about the science behind this, but considering that a bottle of mouthwash left in the backseat of my car exploded today, I’m guessing a sand batter in Florida would store enough power to heat the entire world.

*Colonel* Robert E. Lee. He was only a general in an illegal army

I've been doing a deep dive into the Boston Overseers of the Poor records, which are a major and unexploited resource for the history of African Americans in early C19 Massachusetts. This account of Patience Boylston from 1818 gives a sense of how rich the records are 🗃️

“Bluenose II cancels visit to U.S., cites 'uncertainties' with crossing the border” Hell yeah, Bluenose. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

If you teach early American history, you’ve probably shown the “Washington’s Dream” SNL sketch in class. Alexandra Garrett has a great explainer today at @shearites.bsky.social Panorama on how to teach with its historical humor. #VastEarlyAmerica #teaching

There’s a lot going wrong everywhere. But today’s “Beatdown in the Bronx” was pure bliss.

album covers but with muppets: thread

One of the biggest developments of the Bicentennial era was communities who didn’t see their story included in American history creating museums, preservation efforts, and other ways to save and share their histories. That the 250th is being used to actively erase those stories is a travesty.

“One soft, infested summer me and Terry became friends, trying in vain to breathe the fire we was born in.”

Loyalist Land Ownership in Upper Canada’s Norfolk County, 1792–1851 by Colin Read is a comparative study of landholding among Loyalist and non-Loyalist settlers in Upper Canada. Out now! buff.ly/inP1cvc

I take my little one to our local library here in Tampa every Tuesday to get new books. Today he pulled this one off the shelf unassisted, proving he has some Maritime blood in him after all b'y! 🇨🇦

A new #AMA is here #Skystorians! Dr. Zara Anishanslin, author of "The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution" is here to answer any & all questions about art, things, history, and revolution-on both sides of the pond! www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...

This symposium promises to generate some really interesting conversations as we continue to think about Rev250. If you’re in Boston, think about registering and participating!

How about that? A victory for people who actually read.

Looking for a real-life historical romance? During the Siege of Boston, a daughter in a loyalist family maintained a secret correspondence with the legal officer of George Washington. Our blog shares more about these letters between Delia Jarvis and William Tudor: www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/...

Read this, Blueskis! "Let’s stop referring to Trump’s 'interpretation of American history.' He doesn’t have an interpretation of anything remotely related to history. What Trump has is an authoritarian agenda that demands control over how Americans remember history." @civilwarmemory.bsky.social 🗃️

Aug. 11, 1775: Gen. Washington rules out any offensive actions against Nova Scotia, which remains loyal to the British crown. "That province has not acceded, it is true, to the measures of Congress, but it has not commenced hostilities against them nor any to be apprehended. 1/2

Apropos

Not saying I disagree, but Herodotus also talked about gold-digging ants larger than foxes living in India.

Could @brucespringsteen.net make a charitable donation to save Monmouth County’s ONLY history department? I mean, the Springsteen Department of History sounds awesome.

Yesterday I used Google to seek sources on one British army officer’s remarks after the Battle of Lexington & Concord. The AI offering was at the top, so I couldn’t help but see it. And couldn’t help but see that it summarized the story exactly wrong. 1/

Why leisure matters for a good life, according to Aristotle

Article 1, Section 9 & 10 have been removed from the official Govt website on the US Constitution. Among numerous points: •Section 9 forbids suspending The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus •Section 10 forbids ex post facto laws This better be a joke. Ignoring these is full blow dictatorship

Recording his travels through the area in 1783, 24-year-old Captain Alexander Thompson noted the scars from Oriskany were still plainly visible. “I went over the ground where General Herkimer fought Sir John Johnson [...] I saw a vast Number of human Sculls and bones scatterd through the woods.”

Another Lady in Grey sighting I suppose.

What's the best thing you can do for families? Elect. Women. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Colleagues, think about pitching a paper, research intro, or poster, or participate in a teaching roundtable!

Tomorrow is #EmancipationDay. For this week’s #HiddenHistory, Kate Adach & I discussed #Windsor ‘s #JacksonPark & The Greatest Freedom Show on Earth (1932-1967). You can listen to the conversation here: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-... #CBC #swont #cdnhist #BlackHistory