futurism.com/future-socie... lol

250 years ago today, Thomas Jefferson…bought a thermometer. And he recorded Philadelphia’s highest temperature that day: 76 degrees. Today’s heat-dome, climate-change high is 99.

It is July 4th, 2026 and we are in the midst of the Trump administration's attempts to define what Americans remember about their early history. In a special holiday essay on Commonplace, Lindsay DiCuirci and Duncan Faherty ask, Whose 250th? Give it a read here:🗄️ commonplace.online/article/whos...

A quick 4 for the 4th. karinwulf.com/trove/four-f...

It was so moving to be in Boston this morning for the annual Declaration reading on the 250th anniversary of its adoption. The crowd was joyful, boisterous, and as welcoming as @wutrain.bsky.social proclaimed Boston will be for another 250 years. #America250 #Boston250 @revolution250.bsky.social

The Pope has decided that instead of competing against each other, Portugal will play Brazil while Spain plays Mexico.

Only bright spot is that we defeated the fascists just nine months later.

#Skystorians, head over to Reddit and @askhistorians.bsky.social today where @emilysneff.bsky.social is answering questions about the Declaration of Independence! www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...

To my great dismay, not because I wanted more exposure, two major international news outlets canceled on me last minute yesterday after the decision dropped. Both believed the danger had passed b/c the birthright was upheld. They should've let me explain. I am doing so in a blog this AM.

I have carved out the Nationals-Red Sox recap and have made it available free to everyone. In it I talk about Cade Cavalli hurling a racial epithet at a player of color and put it in context with other such incidents. The ball is in Rob Manfred's court.

THIS IS SO CRAZY WHATS HAPPENING AND I SAY THAT AS A PARENT!!!

Back in the normal #America250 world, I talked with the 52 Weeks of Firsts podcast this week about the first paper maker in America, William Rittenhouse of Pennsylvania. #VastEarlyAmerica

People, for the love of God, please stop treating birthright as some kind of sweeping victory. It was 5-4 on the constitutional issue. The dissent laid out a fucking ROADMAP for what Trump should do next. The court always gives Trump multiple bites at the apple WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU HAPPY ABOUT?

"It's over, right?" a journo asked me this morning about the birthright citizenship case. No. No legal or political result is final unless the losing side gives up fighting. They will try again. New prez, new judges. There's a social movement based on racial grievance + scapegoating immigrants.

Well, this is dumber than I expected it to be! *Right* before seeing this I'd just told someone I figured it was Bad CMSing publishing a prewrite based on a misunderstood internal (Slack-shaped) comment. Much worse that Totenberg heard wrong and no one verified. www.npr.org/sections/npr...

A special virtual issue of The Public Historian is now available! Considering the Revolution gathers five years of conversations about the content and substance of commemoration in the lead-up to #America250. @ucpress.bsky.social https://loom.ly/dzk-tLE

Rooting for two things: 1. Exciting matches; 2. The late match to finish in regular time.

I have long wanted someone to write a follow up or response to this peace and maybe now is the time.

In honor of the last regular decision day of this appalling #SCOTUS term, @talkingpointsmemo.com has an adapted excerpt from my forthcoming book, The Political Supreme Court. Put it in your pocket for the next time someone tells you the justices are apolitical or calling balls & strikes.

Delighted to share I’ll be the 2026-27 Mellon Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the @amantiquarian.bsky.social completing my book “We Are All Equal” (under contract with @princetonupress.bsky.social)

"It [Slaughter] embraces a remarkably strong form of the unitary executive theory. It runs roughshod over a heck of a lot of sophisticated, persuasive scholarship arguing that Founding-era understandings were far more nuanced and complicated about the sharing of power across the branches."

The ethics of historical fiction. This theft of Rachel’s work on Charity and Sylvia is awful and it has costs. Two years ago I wrote about an author writing a mystery about Martha Ballard and slighting *Laurel Ulrich*. scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2024/01/18/m...

The documents are remarkable: two letters and a draft act that Dickinson sent to the banker David Barclay Jr. in London. The letters warned that America was on the brink. The draft bill is astonishing: legislation Dickinson wrote that Parliament could adopt to end the crisis.

The documents, and a set of interpretive essays, will soon be published in a forum in the William and Mary Quarterly coinciding with the 250th of U.S. independence. Until then, the WMQ have made the transcripts of the documents available for viewing. oireader.wm.edu/open_wmq/the...

Thanks, John. Should have thought of that: bookshop.org/p/books/char...

One of the most incredible things I have ever worked on: Recently discovered documents, written by John Dickinson in 1775, that reveal his secret and previously unknown efforts to prevent the American Revolution. Now featured in the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...

An open letter, to readers, about Charity and Sylvia. I am very pained to feel the need to write this. #queerhistory #pride

As we kick off the Round of 32, I give you what these matchups are really about: 1. Canada 🇨🇦 vs. South Africa 🇿🇦 - Battle of the Commonwealth nations 2. Brazil 🇧🇷 vs. Japan 🇯🇵 - Battle of the Portuguese Jesuit "colonies" 3. Germany 🇩🇪 vs. Paraguay 🇵🇾 - Battle of *chuckles nervously* (1/x)

Join @shearites.bsky.social and the @amphilsociety.bsky.social - in learning about the launch of the Civics Exchange program!

If you're hoping to see a copy of the Declaration of Independence in this #America250 week, @emilysneff.bsky.social has put together a list of some of the many museums and historic sites with editions on display. www.declarationstories.org/stories/on-v...

As if we needed any more evidence: the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and his constitutional insurrectionist colleagues think Reconstruction was the problem.

“In 2024, Google DeepMind unveiled a ‘Habermas Machine,’ which has been described as a ‘scaffolded pair of LLMs designed to find consensus among people who disagree.’ The philosopher had not given Google permission to use his name, and he was horrified when he heard about the scheme.”

Mel Brooks has been around for 40% of the US's existence.

*taps microphone* Is this thing on?? I AM LOOKING FOR SCIENCE HISTORIANS. IF THAT IS YOU PLEASE WAVE AT ME OR YELL LOUDLY IN MY DIRECTION! (It's for a wee little side project)

In the 1630s, two new immigrants entered Dutch New Amsterdam: they left their mark in court cases and an infamous indecent exposure incident. Alan Mikhail joins us at Sally Franklin's Bookshelf to tell us more about them from his book, Newcomers. #VastEarlyAmerica @wwnorton.com

"You could have been born at any point in time, but here you are, alive when ice cream, antibiotics, and indoor plumbing have all been invented, and Mel Brooks is turning 100." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...

Happy 100th, Mel Brooks. I interviewed you recently. I don’t think I have yet fully processed what that meant to me. You are probably the single most important cultural figure in my life. You were as curious about me as I was about you. I love you, Mel. www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

Happy 100TH BIRTHDAY to the king Mel Brooks, who wore a fake extra finger to his handprint ceremony🥳🎂🥳

Mel Brooks is a comedy genius, true — but he’s also our last bridge to a whole century of American comedy: Borsch Belt, slapstick, burlesque, the classic American musical, the Stooges, Marx Brothers, the Ritz Brothers, Sid Caesar, Get Smart… the list blurs as it goes on youtu.be/LnF1OtP2Svk?...

All hail Mel Brooks! YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is his comedy masterpiece...

A sizable portion of the Great American State Fair is halfassed corporate trade displays

Happy 100th birthday, Mel Brooks! Here’s some great advice he gave me back he was a wee lad of 95. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

Last night featured a festive #Brown2026 event hosted by RI Historical — complete with Revolutionary era printing tech! @theotherrbg.bsky.social @jmadelman.bsky.social @sethrockman.bsky.social (not pictured @katytelling.bsky.social and @kawulf.bsky.social )

An excellent use case for why people really need to be able to define “AI” and recognize it’s an umbrella term, not a synonym for heavyweight commercial LLMs/frontier models.

absolutely. i think that there should be more of these big, federally organized civic activities. an annual fair where each state showcases their best food and fare is actually a great idea.

Hey #NutmegSky you can tour @marktwainhouse.bsky.social for free July 1-3 and July 5 if you are a Connecticut resident thanks to CT Humanities!

I dunno, I know this is a lost discourse for now but New England has been thinking a lot about climate change and how to deal with it and struggling a lot because of those old choices and because of dumb zoning and because of intransigence and I'm just saying maybe there are lessons here.

Yup. One of my favorite random historical tidbits is to show students a map of Native paths in New England from Kate Grandjean’s first book, and then point out that the 16th-century Native path from what’s now central Mass. to the Connecticut River is the same route as modern I-84.

Come be my colleague! American University's History Department is searching for a tenure-track assistant professor of science, tech and society. I am chair of the search and pleased to answer any questions either on here or email (grao at american) american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...