Sorry to intrude, but we have to talk about the climate crisis. I insist.
You know those big hurricanes that are destroying the U.S. East Coast? Scientists have been warning us about them for decades.
Latest
The strangest dictator: The odd world of Moammar Qaddafi.
The Libyan despot thought of himself as a fashion icon, a car designer and believed his political opponents were on LSD.
Antonioni’s “Zabriskie Point”: a terrible, senseless and fascinating film.
A truly awful film that even its star denounced as "a big lie," Antonioni's bizarre 1970 counterculture epic has some interesting implications.
The stupidest Presidential campaign in American history.
While Putin schemes and the world burns from climate change, the candidates are talking about eating house pets and working at McDonald's. What gives?
Behind the Scenes: August 1939, Eve of War.
My newest deep-dive video profiles the moment in time just before the outbreak of World War II in Europe.
Historic Photo: Two great liners, Olympic and Mauretania, about to die.
Two of the greatest-ever ocean liners are about to be sent to the scrap yards.
A brief history of Presidential debates.
There's no evidence that they matter, but they certainly are memorable.
The book I’ve been working on: introducing “The Gangster Crown.”
My upcoming novel is the classic story of the rise and fall of a criminal kingpin, with a few modern twists.
The real “King’s Speech”: George VI addresses Britain at the start of World War II.
Hear the actual speech as he made it on September 3, 1939.
Historic Painting: “Pollice Verso” by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1872.
"AM I NOT MERCIFUL??!!!?!?!?"
The fall of American conservatism.
The conservative movement, as exemplified by Goldwater and Reagan, is moribund because it mistook campaign messaging for actual policy.
Sunn Classic Pictures: how a movie studio introduced America to fake history.
A bunch of schlocky "documentaries" from a 1970s fly-by-night film studio were not just harmless entertainment.
Update: The WOW! Signal Solved.
I missed a major piece of scholarship explaining the fascinating 1977 celestial event.
First contact for real? The enduring mystery of the WOW! Signal.
On August 15, 1977, humanity detected a signal of some kind from deep space. Its origin remains a tantalizing mystery.
Boldly going nowhere: the checkered career of the space shuttle Enterprise.
What can you do with a spaceship that can't fly in space? Not much, it turns out.
Behind the Scenes: Putin, The Rise to Power.
My newest video details the early life and rise of Russia's complicated and mercurial leader.
The lamps that went out: My yearly thoughts on the outbreak of World War I.
Edward Grey's famous quote leaves us with a lot to think about 110 years later.
Historic Photo: Summer Jam Festival at Watkins Glen, NY, 1973.
The great youth-oriented music festival attracted a staggering 600,000 people, including one who contacted me.
My own Holy Grail: Wagner’s great opera “Parsifal.”
Wagner's greatest opera leaves the modern listener with a lot to think about.
When history gives us a new precedent.
Biden shattered U.S. historical precedent on Sunday. What does it mean going forward?
The Great Fire of Rome and Nero’s fiddle: an egregious historical distortion.
The emperor did not "fiddle while Rome burned." It's a bit more complicated than that.
This may be a good time to recall 1968, good and bad.
Here are some things that were going on during those 12 tumultuous months.
Dealing With Campaign 2024: Some Historical Perspectives.
Feeling uneasy about the election? Stop reading news. Start reading history.
Historic Painting: “The Girl Who Found The Golden Horn” by Harald Slott-Møller, 1906.
This painting commemorates the discovery, in 1639, of one of the world's great Iron Age art treasures, sadly now lost to history.
Fourth of July thoughts: The fragility of democracy.
The greatest threat to democracy comes from ourselves--because we may decide at any time that we no longer value it.
A tragedy I know too well: The assassination of Franz Ferdinand, 110 years on.
With as often as I've read about this famous 1914 event, I feel like I was actually there.
Popcorn and Purple Stuff: A Journey Through 1990s Cinema, in 25 Films. (Part V)
The final article on this journey through 1990s cinema takes us to the very best the decade has to offer.
Behind the scenes: The Rise and Fall of Pan Am.
My latest video chronicles the story of what was once America's flag carrier airline, and an institution in aviation history.
The sky’s happy behemoth: The amazing career of the Boeing 747.
The huge plane has been flying for over 50 years. How much longer will it grace our skies?
Vanished emerald city: the Dublin of James Joyce’s “Ulysses.”
What was Dublin really like in the era of James Joyce's iconic novel?
Sleeping with the enemy: the Quartering Acts, the Revolution and the Third Amendment.
The Third Amendment was a hugely important part of the Bill of Rights in 1791. Now it's dead. How come?
Historic Photo: LBJ and a basket of puppies.
Presidents have dogs and grandchildren too!
Popcorn and Purple Stuff: A Journey Through 1990s Cinema, in 25 Films. (Part IV)
The weekend I spent getting punished by global warming.
The effects of the climate crisis dominated almost everything that happened to me last weekend. It's getting worse, fast.
Byzantium didn’t fall in a day: Thoughts on the end of empires.
Lacking a dramatic moment like a battle or siege, as occurred on May 29, 1453, how do you know when an empire is really falling?
Donald Trump is insane. Why isn't this a bigger issue?
A major U.S. Presidential nominee is obviously suffering from a severely incapacitating mental illness. Why aren't we talking about this?
Vertigo at midnight: The psychology of my “Alfred Hitchcock dream.”
I keep dreaming that I'm falsely accused and can't prove my innocence. That fear is real for many people in America.
Behind the scenes: Garfield, the President, not the cat.
There's so much more to learn about the 20th President than just the story of his assassination. That's what I hope my video conveys.
While the media sleeps: what's at stake in the 2024 election.
The climate crisis, Putin, China, and the potential successor of a very old President are all on the table in 2024. But who wants to talk about that?
Historic Painting: El Jaleo by John Singer Sargent, 1882.
Popcorn and Purple Stuff: A journey through 1990s cinema, in 25 films. (Part III)
The third installment of 1990s cinema takes us to a convenience store in New Jersey, an apocalyptic desert in Australia, and the mean streets of L.A.
Farewell, Mein Führer: The German mass suicide wave of 1945.
Why did thousands of ordinary Germans kill themselves at the end of World War II? The answer may be more complicated than you think.
Last call: how the telephone died as a cultural object.
The telephone is dead. I, for one, do not mourn its death.
Historic Photo: Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shottery, England, 1880 and today.
Shakespeare's wife grew up and lived here until her marriage in 1582.
Magnetic intruder: the strange story of Korean Air Lines Flight 902.
Five years before the tragedy of KAL 007, the Soviets shot down another unarmed airliner under similar circumstances.
Is history disappointing? Or is it just me?
History can't always fulfill the expectations people have of it. I'm a flawed guy, in a flawed profession.
Popcorn and Purple Stuff: A journey through 1990s cinema, in 25 films. (Part II)
The second part of our 25-film journey through the 1990s involves technology, random violence, and a heartbreaking depiction of the Holocaust.
Putin's endgame: what he's waiting for, and why he might get it.
The Russian leader is hoping American voters will bail him out of the ditch he's in.
Behind the scenes: The Fourth Crusade, Biggest Robbery in History.
My latest video tackles one of the oddest and most tragic episodes of medieval European history.
Popcorn and Purple Stuff: A journey through 1990s cinema in 25 Films. (Part I)
"Daniel Vanished," my new book, is available for pre-order!
My new novel is about a long-cold missing persons case that suddenly becomes a live murder mystery 32 years later.
Historic Painting: Maslenitsa by Boris Kustodiev, 1919.
A brief blog hiatus, and a photo from Mexico.
Here's why you haven't heard from me in a little while.
"In The Line of Fire": Assassination, memory, generations and history.
This taut political thriller from 1993 evoked no deep thinking at the time, but it has some fascinating implications 31 years later.
Cover Reveal: "Daniel Vanished," my upcoming mystery novel.
Here's the cover for my upcoming mystery novel, due out in April 2024.
Behind the scenes: Koscot, the Interplanetary Scam.
My newest video explores one of the most audacious (and rapacious) pyramid schemes in American history, and its flamboyant creator.
Historic Photo: Antonio Prado Square, São Paulo, 1915.
This photo dates from a period of intense change in Brazilian society.
Greed and glitter: a journey through 1980s cinema, in 25 films. (Part V)
Our final foray into the cinema of the 1980s shows us both how long ago the decade was, and how little things have changed since then.
Remembering the brilliance of Umberto Eco.
The great Italian novelist and semiotician left a huge mark on the intellectual world, and his work continued to be relevant 8 years after his death.
Two Historic Paintings: Denali and McKinley.
What's in a name? A lot, apparently.
X'ed from history: why my generation will mostly be forgotten.
Generation X has contributed remarkably little to history. With all due respect, can you blame us?
Greed and glitter: a journey through 1980s cinema, in 25 films. (Part IV)
On Part IV of our journey into 1980s cinema we encounter military jingoism, Southern womanhood and a boiled bunny rabbit.
The icy surrender: the bitter frozen end of the Battle of Stalingrad.
The end of the most terrible battle ever fought on Earth leaves us with a lot of depressing thoughts about human nature.
Behind the scenes: 1924, the fascinating, forgotten election.
My newest YouTube video is a deep dive into a tumultuous but mostly forgotten political contest in American history.
Historic Photo: First Lady Grace Coolidge with her dog, 1924.
More than just an "aww" moment from the past, there is some interesting history behind this picture.
Greed and glitter: a journey through 1980s cinema, in 25 films. (Part III)
Rampaging monsters, glowing kung fu masters and an out-of-control freight train hitch a ride on our journey through 1980s cinema.
Stalin’s final purge? The mysterious case of the “Doctors’ Plot.”
Weeks before Stalin's death, the leader went on a tear against Jewish doctors. Was it the prelude to another bloody purge?
Disaster in memory: the Great Blizzard of 1975.
49 years ago this week, Midwesterners suffered the "blizzard of the century." How we remember weather events of the past matters.
Free history books! The mysterious murder in the library.
In 1969, a young woman was found dead in the aisles of the Penn State library. Who killed her, and why?
Historic Painting: "A Boyar Wedding Feast" by Konstantin Makovsky, 1883.
This scene depicting 16th or 17th century Russia has more to do with the present than you might think.
Greed and glitter: a journey through 1980s cinema, in 25 films. (Part II)
Part II of my look at 1980s cinema serves up a fantasy epic, space history and an ode to Boomer entitlement, among others.
Year's End: The best of the Garden in 2023.
On the last day of the year, here's a look back at what I think is the best of this blog in 2023.
The strangest Christmas: my experiences in the great PNW snowstorm of 2008.
This reminiscence is a special treat for my paid subscribers. Thank you and happy holidays!
Merry Jewish LGBT Black Jesus Byzantine Pagan Chinese African Christmas!
Have a wonderful holiday!
The plane that won't quit: celebrating the Douglas DC-3.
Over 150 DC-3s are still flying today in 2023, nearly 90 years after the first one went aloft. That's amazing!
Greed and Glitter: a journey through 1980s cinema, in 25 films. (Part I)
Part I of my series on what the cinema of the 1980s means, and where best to see it.
Historic Photo: New Orleans waterfront, 1900.
This fascinating look shows us the busy economic life of the South's largest port at the turn of the last century.
Day before infamy: December 6, 1941.
We all know what happened the morning after. What was Saturday, December 6, 1941 like?
Why the COP28 climate change talks are a farce, a fraud and an insult.
On Dec. 12, when UN Secretary-General Guterres reports yet another dismal failure to deal with the climate crisis, just laugh at him. He doesn't get it.
Behind the scenes: Watergate, a Geographic History.
My newest video examines the geographic dimensions of America's foremost political scandal.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Have a great holiday and thanks for reading.
The JFK Assassination at 60, and the poisoning of history.
Holding out for facts rather than conspiracy fantasy is an increasingly lonely vocation, but it's part of my job.
Historic Painting: “The First Thanksgiving” by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1914.
This view of the first Thanksgiving in 1621 is very far from accurate, but it's extremely American.
Smoke on the water: The Yarmouth Castle disaster.
The 1965 disaster that claimed 90 lives is obscure in history books, but alive in memories of people touched by it.
The darkest night: the Great Northeast Power Blackout of 1965.
On a cold November night, much of the U.S. Northeast and part of Canada went dark. Here's what happened next.
The malleable past: How easy is it to "fake" history?
Denial of certain historical facts--usually motivated by conspiracy theory--involves a misconception of what history is and how it works.
Historic Photo: The Rows, Chester, England, about 1895.
These medieval-era buildings were captured in a magnificent photo from the very end of the 19th century.
Behind the Scenes: The Fall of the Monarchies.
My newest and biggest video yet explores the spectacular collapse of five ruling families, who once controlled the fate of 1/3 of the world's population.
We're entering an era of history where anything can happen.
From the war in Israel to the effects of human-caused climate change, we live in a much more chaotic and dangerous world than we're used to.
Historic Painting: Amsterdam in winter, George Hendrik Breitner, 1897.
This interesting painting is obviously impressionist, but is posed like a photograph.
Celebrating Leigh Brackett: A journey from pulp sci-fi to Star Wars.
Star-crossed voyager: The sad career of the MS Achille Lauro.
Burned, blown up, hijacked, bankrupted, and finally sunk...ships don't get much unluckier than this one.
Historic Photo: Yonge Street Mall, Toronto, 1975.
Today one of Toronto's busiest intersections, this urban space was once a pedestrian mall back in the groovy 70s.
Circle in the sand: reflecting on the summer of 2023.
The summer of 2023 has been full of disaster and pessimism, but there's also been some very good things about it.
How did the Great Fire of Moscow start?
Was the city fired by the Russians themselves, or did the blaze begin accidentally?
Behind the Scenes: Manson, a Geographic History.
My newest deep-dive video attempts to tell an old story from an environmental historian's angle.
Where September 11 sits in history.
It's appropriate to memorialize 9/11, but we should not let that process obscure our understanding of the true event.
The Mad Baron of Mongolia: The bizarre bloody story of Roman von Ungern-Sternberg.
Meet the insane fake Russian baron who thought he was Genghis Khan and tried to take over Mongolia.
Historic Painting: "Many Happy Returns" by William Powell Frith, 1856.
There's a lot going on in this Victorian-era painting of a young girl's birthday party.
Hippies in space: A "Star Trek" episode in 1960s historical context.
One of Star Trek's "worst" episodes provides a fascinating insight into America in 1969.
Historic Photo: Cliff House, San Francisco, 1901, a lost building with a fascinating story.
This is not a matte painting from a 1930s horror movie, but a real place with a checkered history spanning some 150 years.
Behind the Scenes: The Persian Gulf War, Explained.
My newest deep-dive video takes on the short war that lies at a critical juncture in modern world history.
23 minutes on Venus: the hellish voyage of Venera 7.
Spending less than half an hour on the surface of Venus would give Dante Alighieri a run for his money.
All that sizzles: a geohistory of the great American steak houses.
The great American steak houses are about a lot more than just good steak. They tell a key part of the American story.
The Great Daylight Fireball of 1972.
This famous photo depicts an earth-grazing meteor, a comparatively rare event.
The day after Hiroshima.
Let's stop arguing about an unchangeable decision made in 1945. What are we going to do about today's existential problem, global warming?
A late summer reflection on history, climate and the world.
Here's what I'm working on, writing and thinking about in August 2023.
Historic Painting: "Home from Sea" by Arthur Hughes, 1862.
This beautiful painting shows many of the characteristics I love about 19th century art.
The July Crisis of 1914: How the world lost control.
The crowned heads and diplomats of Europe thought they were in control--just as our modern day leaders do.
Geography of murder: The Manson saga in space and time.
Eight places where some of the most infamous crimes of the 20th century occurred offer an unusual perspective on the events.
Oppenheimer: My spoiler-free, historical context review.
This is not a film about technology. It's about morality, relationships, the environment, and much more.
From the Moon to Jackson Park: Where are the Apollo space capsules now?
What happened to all the space capsules after they came back to Earth?
Historic Photo: Shipwreck at Chasland's Mistake, New Zealand, 1876.
I'm not sure who Chasland was, but this was certainly somebody's mistake.
The New York City Draft/Race Riots and "Gangs of New York."
The deadliest race riot in U.S. history is depicted in a controversial 2002 film which I think deserves another look.
The future sucks! The year 1999, as envisioned from 1967.
See the bizarre result when a 1960s company that manufactures TVs tries to tell us what they think the future will be like.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: My spoiler-free, historical context review.
The fifth Indiana Jones film isn't perfect, but it has a lot to commend it.
Shakespeare's wooden universe: London's old Globe Theatre.
The theater world of late 16th century London was an amazing panoply of egos, creativity, architecture and politics.
Historic Painting: Winter Scene on Broadway by Hippolyte Sebron, 1855.
There's a lot going on in this famous scene of Manhattan in a mid-19th century winter.
The lesson from medieval history that Putin didn't learn.
It's dangerous to rely on mercenaries. They may turn on you. Why didn't Putin know this?
The world turned upside down: Brexit, seven years on.
Seven years ago, this is what I thought Brexit would mean. I think I got it right.
The Leader is unavailable: The legend of Stalin's post-invasion breakdown.
Was Stalin so upset by the German invasion that he collapsed and went on a bender? Or is it a myth?
Historic Photo: Dining saloon of the SS Great Eastern, 1859.
Your table is ready aboard the Great Eastern. Hope you're not in a hurry!
Watergate: a place haunted by history.
An unusual view of the Peter Iredale, Oregon's beloved shipwreck.
The wreck, stuck in the sand since 1906, is more exposed now than almost ever before. Here are some photos.
Global warming, air quality, and the "Dark Day" of 1780.
New York's air quality catastrophe has some parallels in history, but climate change also makes it unique.
The 50 Most Important Things in History.
My new book will be out June 20 on Kindle. Pre-ordering it is a great idea!
Some thoughts on the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The 1989 massacre of pro-democratic demonstrators continues to resonate throughout recent world history.
Free history books! The man who survived the end of the world.
George Sphrantzes survived the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. His book is online, for free.
Historic Photo: The barricades of Bordeaux, France, 1968 (and what it looks like now).
Introducing The Morning History Show.
My new YouTube podcast profiles historical news that readers of this blog might find interesting.
The organic blockbuster: the original release of "Star Wars."
The triumph of the original Star Wars was not driven by marketing. It probably couldn't happen today.
Heeeeeere's Johnny's legacy: The Tonight Show's golden age.
For 30 years Johnny Carson was the face of the Tonight Show. When he signed off in 1992, an era ended.
KV35: Ancient Egypt's chamber of horrors.
It contained the remains of 12 people, dead for more than 2,000 years. What's their story?
Historic Painting: "Le Tache Noire" (The Black Spot) by Albert Bettannier, 1887.
This painting is a masterwork of light, emotion and human expression, but it also contains an explicitly political message.
The little prince: Charles, coronation and climate change.
Charles finally got his crown, but the kingdom he inherits is spinning apart.
Deadly poker game: The moral gamble of the Lusitania.
The Lusitania disaster was a terrible collision of chutzpah on one side and naïvete on the other.
"Chimborazo": the environmental romanticism of Frederic Edwin Church.
This 1864 painting is a beautiful example of Romantic-era environmental consciousness.
Retro future queen: the QE2's brief heyday as a 1960s design icon.
For three years after its introduction in 1969, the QE2 was the floating embodiment of that bizarre age.
Historic Photo: Nagasaki, Japan, 1865.
The medieval future: Villeneuve's "Dune" through the lens of history.
This science fiction film set in the distant future has a lot of elements that hark back to the past.
The Battle of Dan-no-ura: Japan's medieval reckoning.
The great battle for control of Japan, fought in 1185, has resonated in legend for 800 years.
Free history books! The heartbreaking story of the Fourth Crusade.
My lunch with Robert Sheckley, classic SF writer.
Historic Painting: "San Francisco Fire" by William A. Coulter, 1906.
Her cheating heart: That beautiful woman who wants me to buy crypto.
This doe-eyed model is unwittingly the public face of a monstrous global criminal empire.
The last thing Lincoln saw: the story of "Our American Cousin."
The play Lincoln was watching at the time of his assassination has an interesting history of its own.
Historic Painting: Ernest Blumenschein, "Star Road and White Sun," 1920.
This style of art brings back wonderful memories of New Mexico.
Norway’s Titanic: the “Scandinavian Star” disaster and its enduring mystery.
The dissenters: five who voted against American entry into World War I.
What I've been working on: the troublesome "Daniel Vanished."
The premium tier has launched.
You can now support this blog, and my historical work, at the premium tier.
Historic Painting: "The Colossi of Memnon" by Hubert Sattler, 1846.
Franklin Pierce: The Saddest President. (Video)
This in-depth video explores the life story of one of the most problematic U.S. Presidents.
Streets of fire: two New York City disasters converge in space and time.
Two similar disasters, one in 1911, another in 1958, occurred within a 5-block area. How are they linked?
Behind the Scenes: the enigma of Franklin Pierce.
My upcoming in-depth YouTube video examines the tragic, frustrating life of the 14th President.
The Iraq War, 20 years on: what we failed to learn.
America flunks history class yet again. There's no excuse this time.
Historic Photo: Aftermath of the Great Blizzard of 1888, New York City.
"All Quiet on the Western Front" and the meaning of World War I.
This classic story still resonates today because of the profound questions the war left unanswered.
Tragedy and farce: "Mister Roberts" and the not-so-Greatest generation.
Why fascism is on the rise again, and why it's so hard to stop it.
The road to dictatorship is paved with reply guys and tone police insisting, "It can't happen here."
Historic Photo: "Radio Row," New York City (later the World Trade Center site), 1936.
This area, whose shops used to sell old vacuum tubes, became one of the most tragic places in U.S. history.
The Caves of Nerja: humankind's rediscovered Stone Age home.
Frozen giant: Putin's options, one year into the Ukraine war.
The key to gaming out what Putin will do is to see him in the context of Russian rulers of the past.
Free history books! The solution to a submarine mystery.
Historic Painting: "The Funeral of Shelley" by Louis Édouard Fournier, 1889.
This painting captures the essence of a defining moment in 19th century Romantic literary history.
Gerontocracy and the fall of nations.
Speak no evil: the Satanic Verses affair, 34 years on.
The controversy over one of the world's most infamous books still leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
Free history books! The best presidential biography I've read.
It started with a bad glass of wine: the St. Scholastica Day riots.
The amazing story of how a single glass of wine led to a violent riot and a watershed moment in English history.
Iran-Contra: the real life "wall of crazy." (Video)
My new video analyzes and deconstructs the poorly-understood foreign policy scandal of the 1980s.
Behind the Scenes: Iran-Contra Explained, my most challenging video (to date).
June 18, 1178: The day the Moon blew up.
How five English monks witnessed an extraordinary astronomical event.
The Strait of Magellan: A passage through time and space.
Mr. Spock to the bridge: the real-life search for planet Vulcan.
In 1860, a French astronomer was convinced he'd discovered a planet he called Vulcan. Wait, what?
Saga of the Week: The epic TV miniseries of the 1970s.
In the late 1970s, the world came to a screeching halt when the latest epic miniseries came on network TV.
The long journey to this blog.
Here is how I got here, what came before, and why you might want to read what I write.