Based on original AP, AFP, and New Yorker coverage, this article reconstructs how people on Earth watched the first Moon landing on July 20, 1969—what they saw, felt, feared, and expected.
Oral histories capture the voices of those who lived through the past, but using them as evidence requires careful listening, critical reflection, and cross-checking. This article draws on guides from the Library of Congress, TeachingHistory.org, and WSU Libraries to show how historians analyze interviews, navigate memory’s fallibility, and uncover the perspectives often missing from the written record.
In 1969, the United States stood at a crossroads: the Apollo 11 moon landing fulfilled a national dream, while the Vietnam War and social upheaval divided the country. From Woodstock to Stonewall, this year reshaped American culture and politics in profound ways.
Drawing on the pages of Āyandigān and other dailies, this article reconstructs the Iranian Revolution as it unfolded in real time—through the fears, hopes, and headlines of a press newly freed from the Shah’s censorship.
Drawing on the guidance of archivists and historians, this article explains how letters and diaries serve as primary sources, the conventions that shape them, and the methods for extracting reliable evidence from these personal texts.
Drawing on oral histories, presidential recordings, and personal testimonies, this article reconstructs the Cuban Missile Crisis as it was experienced by the leaders and ordinary people who lived through the thirteen days of nuclear brinkmanship in October 1962.
Drawing on contemporary accounts, this article explores how the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s transformed everyday life—from the home and workplace to the ballot box—and how Americans at the time understood and resisted these changes.
From the migration of the Al-Utub tribes to the oil-fueled transformation and the modern constitutional pact, this article traces how the Al-Sabah family ruled Kuwait through dramatic change, using official records and contemporary scholarship as primary grounding.
How historians use photographs as primary sources, from the Pit Brow Girls of 1893 to modern archival practice, revealing the power and pitfalls of visual evidence.
Drawing on women’s memories, oral histories, and contemporary reports, this article reconstructs how Chilean women experienced the 1973 political crisis—from anti-Allende marches and pro-Allende resistance to the coup’s brutal aftermath—revealing a gendered history of protest, survival, and memory.