5 Historians Who Are Also Talented Writers
Great historians don't just accumulate knowledge about the past; they also know how to communicate what they know in a way that resonates with modern audiences. Whether you're a history student or a curious reader looking to learn something new, the authors on this list are worth looking into. These historians have written books about everything from Ancient Rome to the Great White Way. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
Historians Who Write Great Books
Ways To Engage In Lifelong Learning
- Read about history, science, and current events
- Visit a museum or historic site
- Teach others what you know
- Explore new places
- Start a creative project, like a vlog or podcast
- Get a good desk for your home
- Join a study group
- Take a hike through nature
- Listen to different types of music
- Look up words you don't know in the dictionary
Is There A Difference Between History and The Past?
8 Great Historical Movies
- The Sound of Music (1965)
- Hidden Figures (2016)
- Amadeus (1984)
- Lincoln (2012)
- Newsies (1992)
- Catch Me If You Can (2002)
- Pride (2007)
- Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017)
What is History For?
In Depth
Historians play a profound and essential role in telling stories of the past and how they impact the present. From examining the leaders of the Roman Empire to climate events, the rich tapestry of history has many tales to tell. Presented here in no particular order are five historians who excel at penning engaging narratives of bygone times.
Starting off the list at #1 is Richard Rene Silvin, a Palm Beach historian and expert on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, architect Addison Mizner, and the SS Normandie. Following his childhood in Switzerland, he earned a degree from Georgetown University and later an MBA in finance and hospital administration from Cornell University. He rose to the head of the International Division of American Medical International, which owned and operated hospitals across the globe.
Silvin's coffee table tome, Villa Mizner The House That Changed Palm Beach, explores the life and work of Addison Mizner, who was responsible for creating the Mediterranean Revival look in South Florida. His book, Normandie, The Tragic Story of The Most Majestic Ocean Liner, details the building of the French Line's Art Deco flagship until it sank in 1942. The author frequently travels the country as a lecturer and expert.
His book, Normandie, The Tragic Story of The Most Majestic Ocean Liner, details the building of the French Line's Art Deco flagship until it sank in 1942.
At #2 is Jennifer Ashley Tepper, a theatre historian and producer. She is the creator of the If It Only Even Runs a Minute series, which celebrates short lived and off Broadway musicals in concerts that feature photos, research, and songs. Tepper serves as the creative and programming director at the supper club, Feinstein's/54 Below, and is the recipient of a Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award.
Tepper is the author of three volumes of The Untold Stories of Broadway series, featuring interviews with two hundred and fifty theatre professionals and covering over seventy years of theatrical history. The books comprise stories of actors, designers, writers, and more. Both Playbill and NBC New York hail the books as must read.
Coming in at #3 is Doctor Dagomar Degroot, an associate professor of environmental history at Georgetown University. His written histories focus on extreme environments. In his book, The Frigid Golden Age: Climate Change, the Little Ice Age, and the Dutch Republic, 1560-1720, he explores how one society prospered as others faltered when volcanic eruptions cooled the Earth's climate in the seventeenth century.
In his book, The Frigid Golden Age: Climate Change, the Little Ice Age, and the Dutch Republic, 1560-1720, he explores how one society prospered as others faltered when volcanic eruptions cooled the Earth's climate in the seventeenth century.
Degroot is co-founder and director of the Climate History Network, an organization that reconstructs past climate changes to identify how those shifts affected human history. It offers contacts and resources for professors, teachers, students, and interested lay people, and regularly hosts workshops and speeches in the Washington, DC area.
Entering the list at #4 is Ciara Meehan, a political and social historian, specializing in modern Ireland. Her research spans the twentieth century, covering state building, the transformation of politics and society, and the everyday lives of women. She formerly served as lecturer at the Quinn School of Business at University College Dublin.
Meehan's book, The Cosgrave Party, tells the story of the Cumann na nGaedheal political party, born into the government amidst the bloodshed of the Irish Civil War. The narrative explores and investigates internal politics, ideological tensions, and personality clashes. The author's other published works include A Just Society for Ireland? and Perceptions of Pregnancy from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century.
The narrative explores and investigates internal politics, ideological tensions, and personality clashes.
Finishing up the list at #5 is Barry Strauss, professor of History and Classics, Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University, and a military and naval historian and consultant. As the series editor of the Princeton History of the Ancient World, he is a recognized authority on the subject of leadership and the lessons that can be learned from the experiences of such political leaders as Caesar, Hannibal, and Alexander.
In his book, Ten Caesars, Strauss tells the story of three and a half centuries of the Roman Empire through the lives of ten of its most important emperors, from Augustus to Constantine. It explores the practical wisdom that allowed Rome to maintain its rule over millions and examines the influence of women within the empire. The Wall Street Journal calls it a masterpiece, while National Geographic praises it as a page turner.
