Happy Earth Day! Fifty six years ago, millions of Americans participated in thousands of different events to celebrate the first Earth Day. Historian Marguerite S. Shaffer traces the origins of Earth Day, examines its impact on the environmental policies of its time, and explores its legacy.

When war between two generals and their forces over the future of Sudan erupted in April 2023, the world’s attention focused once again on Sudan. Kim Searcy traces the roots of these fractious groups back to British colonial policies and the Arab supremacism promoted by Libya in the 1980s.

Join Professor of History Hasan Kwame Jeffries Thursday, April 30th at 6pm at the Arthur C. Johnson Auditorium in the Ohio History Center for his talk "Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs: The Fight for Freedom and Democracy in Ohio"! Registration link: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

On this day in history, in 1865, the American Civil War came to an end. Four years of fighting and an unimaginable scale of destruction took as many as 750,000 lives. Yet, while the Civil War did come to an end, its effects, legacies, and competing ideologies continue to influence America today.⁠

On April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the European Recovery Act. Better known as the Marshall Plan, this act sought to support Western Europe's war-torn economies. The Marshall Plan marked a theretofore unprecedented display of U.S. power. ⁠

The Investiture Controversy has endured as a poignant historical mirror for key moments in history. But why? Scholar Emily Lovett explores the answer to this question and argues that at the heart of these colorful exchanges was a debate over power and who was able to wield it.

Who was the infamous "Typhoid Mary"? Mary Mallon, an Irish-immigrant living in New York City during the early 20th-century, was an asymptomatic typhoid carrier. Mallon worked as a cook, which made her the perfect super-spreader. Find out what happened to Mallon and those who crossed her path here!

It's awards season and Hollywood's biggest night of the year is fast approaching: the Academy Awards. And let's be honest, how many of us watch the Oscars for the fashion and not the awards? This season, prepare for the runway and read about the top ten origins of Oscars' dresses and fashion!⁠

We at #OSU @osuhistory.bsky.social & Ohio State are doing so much to think about the history that informs and has shaped our present in light of #America250 - here is historian Steve Conn on three other commemorations - 1876, 1926, 1976🗃️ @originsosu.bsky.social origins.osu.edu/read/happy-2...

Preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons has been a foreign policy imperative for years for the United States, Israel, and Western Europe. That imperative, as historian Annie Tracy Samuel tells us, fails to take Iran's own recent history into account, especially during the Iran-Iraq War.

United States President Donald Trump announced that he will release files related to unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and aliens. This is not the first time the government has looked into UFOs. In December 1969, the US Air Force concluded project Blue Book, which analyzed 12,618 UFO sightings.

Today marks the four-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian army has a strong historical prototype in the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries' Zaporozhian Cossacks, a fearsome people whose long legacy continues to inspire the Ukrainian spirit of independence to this day.

Can't get enough of Hamilton? Check out this article about the history behind the groundbreaking broadway musical to learn all about the Hamilton-Burr duel.

Check out this event and register at the link below! osu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

The August 28th, 1963 March on Washington made history as one of the largest American protests and for giving us Martin Luther King Junior's "I Have a Dream" speech. The march is credited with influencing the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Learn more here!

Happy #BlackHistoryMonth! This February, we'll be highlighting Black history from around the world. ⁠Start the month by reading from Professor Karen Flynn on public health and the vulnerability of Black Canadians. ⁠

In 1980, a momentous event occurred: the World Health Organization declared the smallpox virus eradicated. While it may have been the first disease to be eradicated, it was not the last. ⁠Join Professor Amanda Kay McVety as she highlights the eradicated disease you have never heard of: rinderpest.⁠

On #thisdayinhistory, the first successful insulin injection took place in 1922. Historian Jim Harris explains why a new generation of medical researchers took up the study of the pancreas during the First World War. Check out his article here!

Today marks the anniversary of the end of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War. The war became one of the most divisive wars in the history of post-independence Africa. Its traumatic effects continue to shape the narrative of Nigerian identity and the nation’s future.⁠

Venezuela's in the news. Wondering how we got here? Check out this article from political scientist John Polga-Hecimovich on the roots of Venezuela's failing state. Article available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

December 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the infamous "Acid Tests", carried out by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters in partnership with The Grateful Dead. Although the Acid Tests took place over less than a year, their influence continues to ripple through American culture and counterculture.⁠

Today is #nationalcupcakeday! 🧁⁠ Despite how we often take food for granted, the continuing loss of genetic diversity of the foods we eat today raises troubling questions about the vulnerability of the world's food supply. ⁠

25 years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision in the Bush v. Gore case, putting an end to the disputed 2000 presidential election. Historian David Stebenne examines just how contested the Court’s role remains in the American governmental system.⁠ #AlGore #GeorgeBush #Election

In December 1969, the Provisional IRA emerged from the widespread religious violence that wracked the six counties of Northern Ireland. Historian Jeffrey Lewis examines the legacy of the Provisional IRA, including the identity of the Provisionals as rooted in a rejection of parliamentary politics. ⁠

While Thanksgiving can be a time to express gratitude, for many Native Americans, the holiday symbolizes a deep sense of loss. The loss of homeland was made possible by legislation like the 1887 Dawes Act, which upended a long-standing system of communal land ownership. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

As #Thanksgiving approaches, we're thinking about food 🦃🥧⁠Food is everywhere and nowhere, so normal that we rarely consider how the production and consumption of food have shaped human culture. Listen to historians Chris Otter, Helen Veit, and Sam White discuss why what we eat matters. #History

Although October is over, it's never too late to learn more about vampires 🧛Ever wondered where tales of blood-sucking creatures come from? Read the latest from historian Madison Chapman, who explores the historical connections between revenants, vampires, and ghosts.🩸 #Vampires #Ghosts #Folklore

It's taco time! 🌮 Read from anthropologist Andrew Mitchel on how Mexican food influenced mainstream American cuisine, including the creation of Taco Bell.

Today is #ArmisticeDay, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War I. ⁠While the war is traditionally thought of as ending in 1918, historian Julie Powell asks us to consider alternative ending dates and new practices of mourning that emerged after the mass death of the First World War. ⁠

On November 4th, Millions of Americans cast their votes in general elections across the country. While the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the separation between church and state, politicians throughout U.S. history have merged religion with politics. ⁠ #Elections #USHistory

Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth! This month, take time to reexamine conventional American history from a Native point of view with Ojibwe scholar Deondre Smiles. At stake is not only a fuller understanding of our history, but also a people erased from the past are easily erased from the present.⁠

Today, millions of Americans trust the National Weather Service to provide timely warnings for hurricanes. That was not the case in 1900 for its predecessor, the U.S. Weather Bureau. The result was a tragedy that reshaped the Gulf Coast and led one man to devote himself to the study of hurricanes.⁠

Nearly 70 years ago, the U.S. Border Patrol enacted “Operation Wetback,” a campaign to deport Mexican workers who resided in the country illegally. Historian Delia Fernández explains how this policy began modern deportation raids and the militarization of the border common in the U.S. today.

Looking to get in the Halloween spirit? 🎃 Learn why Orson Welles's famous Halloween "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast started a nationwide panic, causing thousands of people to flee their homes on reports of Martian gas, and increased public suspicion of the radio. #Halloween #WaroftheWorlds

Halloween is almost here 🧟Get in the spooky spirit with historian Stephen Kern, who examines the origins of Mary Shelly's beloved Frankenstein.⁠ #Halloween #Spookyseason #Frankenstein

October is #domesticviolenceawareness month 💜 We live in a time when people across the planet are beginning to stand against misogynistic violence in all its forms.⁠ ⁠ Scholars Treva Lindsey, Cathy Rakowski, and Peggy Solic discuss how the history of gender violence helps us address the issue.

October is #Spookylakemonth! To celebrate thirty-one days of haunted hydrology, read from geographer B. Lynn Ingram on how the water crisis in the American West threatens the region’s vital agricultural economy, signaling a very spooky future indeed.⁠ #Historymatters #Climatechange #California

October means Oktoberfest! 🍻 Historian Paul Niebrzydowski explains why, in 1516, Dukes Wilhelm IV and Ludwig X limited the acceptable ingredients in beer to barley, hops, and water, creating the first German beer purity laws. ⁠ #Beer #Oktoberfest #Germanhistory

Congratulations to #Badbunny! 🥳 There are 3.4 million inhabitants of Puerto Rico, and another 4.9 million Puerto Ricans reside in other parts of the United States. Yet, many Americans remain unaware of the shared history. While we wait for the #Superbowl performance, read more scholar Amanda Lawson.

Listen to Professors Sara Butler and Nicholas Breyfogle explain how medieval women resisted oppression and challenged misogyny. While the medieval church gave birth to the misogyny that hinders women’s progress in the West today, it witnessed feminist opposition. #feminism #medievalhistory

Visitors from another planet or a trick of the eye? 🛸👽️ Historian Paul McAllister explains America's obsession with UFOs. ⁠ The United States government was less concerned with UFOs as evidence of extraterrestrial life than with the threat they posed during the Cold War. #UFO #Projectbluebook

September 15th to October 15th marks #HispanicHeritageMonth! This month, scholar Andrew Mitchel reviews the relationship between the United States, the Dominican Republic, and the game that both love.⁠ #Baseball #DominicanRepublic

Gwangju, a major city in southwestern South Korea, has been widely recognized as a center of civil resistance since May 1980, when a brutal military crackdown targeted protesting citizens. Yet Gwangju is not just a traumatic event that happened in 1980—it remains deeply embedded in the present.

What is all happening at the zoo? As Dan Vandersommers discusses, zoos have long been much more than simply places to spend an afternoon. Looking at how zoos have changed over the last two centuries can tell us as much about the humans who visit as about the animals on display. #History #Zoo

The Battle of Hastings, which took place on October 14, 1066 was a pivotal moment in the invasion from across the English Channel that resulted in the conquest of Anglo-Saxon England by William, the French Duke of Normandy. #MiddleAges

80 years ago, on August 6, 1945, the atomic age began between heartbeats at 8:15 am when the Japanese city of #Hiroshima was leveled by an atomic bomb. Three days later, the United States dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, marking the first time humanity broke atoms in anger. #ThisDayinHistory

The War of the Pacific, which pitted Chile against the allied forces of Peru and Bolivia, had a profound, long-lasting impact on the geopolitical balance of South America. The conflict resulted in a clear victory for Chile with Bolivia and Peru losing valuable land. #WorldHistory

When the Second World War (WWII) ended in 1945 and the rest of Europe was beginning to rebuild itself, Greece entered into a second war, more vicious than that fought against the Axis powers. #HistoryVideos

The influence of writer and musician Gil Scott-Heron is widely felt. However, assessing his legacy involves figuring out just what kind of artist he was. Read "Gil Scott-Heron: 'Closer to Langston Hughes than Huey Newton,'" by Steve Conn on Picturing Black History. #BlackHistory #Music #History

Casarae Abdul-Ghani explores the influential life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. #BlackHistory