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

What is the “deep state” exactly? Perhaps part of the power of the phrase is precisely that it is so slippery and vague. Historian Paul Croce gives us a history of the idea and examines how it has been used by different groups for different reasons. #History #DeepState

On August 22, 1485, King Richard III of England died fighting in the Battle of Bosworth Field. The victor, Henry Tudor, was promptly crowned King Henry VII. A century later, playwright William Shakespeare memorialized the battle. Read more from Hannah Keller on Origins. #MedievalHistory

R. Joseph Parrott discusses the signing of the United Nations Charter on Origins. #UnitedNations #WWII

In this exclusive interview, Michael Santiago discusses the responsibility of photographers in preserving history, the emotions behind his most powerful images, and what makes a truly great photo. He speaks to his experience of documenting the final crossing of Civil Rights icon #JohnLewis.

Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles was released in the United States on December 26, 1963, and in short order became that group’s first number-one single in the U.S. Read more about the song's legacy from Mitchell Carter on Origins. #Music #Beatles #History

Today is the International Day of Reflection & Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, designated by the UN General Assembly. This video by Origins OSU provides the details of that devastating time in history. #todayinhistory

On the night of 2-3 December 1984, a Union Carbide chemical facility at Bhopal leaked over 27 tons of the highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate, poisoning tens of thousands of people in the middle of the night, most of whom were sleeping in their homes. #ModernHistory #History

June 15, 1215, witnessed the signing of the landmark Magna Carta, the medieval English historic legal document that is seen as the origin of many modern-day legal rights and constitutional principles. #MagnaCarta #MedievalHistory #History

Lawrence Cappello provides historical context for the recent news that the Trump administration is building a national citizenship data system. He reviews the history of data collection, the debates they have generated, and the mistakes that privacy advocates have made.

This month, historian Neil Humphrey shows us that dogs only became our best friends during the 19th century in England and that they occupied this position because of profound changes to society during the Victorian age. #Dogs #MansBestFriend #History

Sierra Phillips tells the story of Grace Wisher, the Black girl who helped stitch the Star-Spangled Banner. #BlackHistory #AmericanHistory

Today marks the anniversary of Argentine President Juan Perón's death in 1974. Perón’s program “New Argentina” and Perónism advocated for social justice, political sovereignty, and economic independence, calling for nothing less than a total redefinition of the social contract. #Argentina #History

The Boxers, or Yihequan (“Righteous and Harmonious Fists” in Chinese), arose in Qing China at the turn of the 20th century as a reaction against foreign influence and a rejection of Western imperialism. Read more from Harry Hughen on Origins. #ChineseHistory #History #PublicHistory

Fifty-five years ago, on June 28th, 1969, a belligerent and diverse crowd led an uprising at New York’s Stonewall Inn. The event has become iconic in popular memory as the spark for a new radical lesbian and gay activism. #Stonewall #LGBTQHistory

Reproduction: it's as essential to life as breathing (more, actually), yet the right to make decisions regarding one’s reproduction is among the most divisive issues of our time. On this episode we discuss the past, present, and future of #reproductiverights and reproductive justice. #HistoryToday

This month, historian Stephanie Coontz offers a fascinating historical perspective on the desire for same-sex marriage. #AmericanHistory #Pride2025 #LBGTQHistory

As #PopeLeo XIV takes the helm over 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, consider what troubles the 267th Bishop of Rome. If warnings of the imminent rise of superhuman AI come to pass, he may be the last pontiff crowned during the Golden Age of Homo sapiens. Read more from Matthew Smith on Origins.

For #Pride Taylor Ajéwọlé Duckett explores the life of Gladys Bentley, a pioneering queer, Black performer. #BlackHistory #QueerHistory

Historian Daniel Rivers explores the history of same-sex marriage and the family. #Pride #LGBTQIAHistory #History

Ohio State University History Professor Thomas McDow presented a close look at the historical factors that shaped the global spread of HIV, from equatorial Africa to the world. #PublicHealth #WorldHistory #HistoryToday

Today marks the anniversary of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. Tom Gregoire, Mike Broman, and Keith Warren provide a brief history of the organization. #TodayinHistory #History

Historian Clay Howard examines the intersection of LGBTQ Rights and the economic development of America’s cities and suburbs. #History #Pride #LGBTQHistory

62 years ago, on June 7, 1962, members of the Secret Army Organization (Organisation de l’Armée Secrète, OAS), a far-right French terrorist group, detonated three phosphorous bombs at the University of Algiers. #History #TodayinHistory

81 years ago, on June 6, 1944, the Normandy Invasion, also known as D-Day, took place. It was the supreme joint effort of the Western Allies in Europe in World War II and remains today one of the best-known campaigns of the war. #ThisDayinHistory #DDay

Professor Kristina Sessa, an historian of Late Antiquity, presents her top 10 popes based on overall historical significance, appetite for intrigue, and messy electoral politics. #Pope #History

Check out our recent conversation (just wish we'd had more time!) and consider following @originsosu.bsky.social @osuhistory.bsky.social - for some superb historical content, articles, timely discussions, deep dives into research, you won't regret it 🗃️

In this article, historian Amanda McVety explores the history of #USAID to examine its role in fostering both international development and American foreign policy interests.

Talking Trump Administration Foreign Policy in Historical (& IR) Perspective at 100 Days - there just wasn't anywhere near enough time to keep the discussion going, so many terrific questions... @originsosu.bsky.social @osuhistory.bsky.social @mershoncenter.bsky.social youtu.be/j6LtZWxtFHs?...

In a new article, Jim Harris discusses the World Health Organization's efforts to eradicate smallpox. #AmericanHistory #Smallpox

Kevin Schindler explores the history of discovering #Pluto. #Space #History

Today!

"First 100 Days of the Trump Administration's Foreign Policy in Historical Perspective" expert panel, q&a discussion, come on out to @osuhistory.bsky.social @originsosu.bsky.social @mershoncenter.bsky.social Tuesday May 6 12pm (ET) free, public, remote, w/registration history.osu.edu/events/forei...

Join Ohio State faculty experts for a conversation that puts American domestic policy changes during the first 100 days of the second Trump administration into historical perspective. May 8, 2025 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm via Zoom #Trump #History

Just past noon on Monday May 4, 1970, a squadron of Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire at a loose collection of students gathered across an expanse of leafy lawns and campus parking lots at Kent State University in northeastern Ohio. Four students were killed. Nine others were wounded.

May 6th!

The movie #Conclave has left us all wondering: Do cardinals really behave that badly? As a historian of Late Antiquity (ca. 250-700 CE) who wrote a book about popes and the papacy (before there really was a papacy, in fact!), Kristina Sessa has a few answers.

Join Ohio State faculty experts for a conversation that puts American foreign policy changes during the first 100 days of the second #Trump administration into historical perspective. #AmericanHistory