Drawing on declassified Soviet and American primary sources, this article reveals how the Cuban Missile Crisis was understood, reported, and feared on both sides of the Iron Curtain, from the secret deployment of missiles to the dramatic Dobrynin–Kennedy meeting.
Drawing on contemporary UPI, Guardian, and British press reports, this article reconstructs how the Nuremberg Trials were experienced, reported, and understood by the world in 1945–46—from the opening day to the historic verdicts.
Drawing on survivor letters, oral histories, and official reports, this article reconstructs the 1900 Galveston hurricane—the worst natural disaster in U.S. history—through the voices of those who lived through it, from a grieving Weather Bureau scientist to a child who watched her city vanish.
Drawing on UPI and Guardian reports from August 1945, this article reconstructs the announcement of Japan’s surrender, the immediate celebrations, and the expectations of the future.
Drawing on primary sources from the National Humanities Center and contemporary accounts, this article reconstructs how Americans of the 1920s experienced the economic boom, cultural ferment, and social anxieties of the decade—from Harding’s ‘return to normalcy’ to the eve of the Great Depression.
Drawing on April 1968 newspaper reports, broadcast transcripts, and eyewitness testimony, this article reconstructs how Americans first learned of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, the immediate riots, and the nation’s fears and expectations in the spring of 1968.
Drawing on U.S. Embassy telegrams, newspaper accounts, and official reports, this article reconstructs the 1953 Iranian coup as it was observed and reported in Tehran at the time, revealing confusion, rumor, and the rapid unraveling of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosadeq’s government.
From the 1963 coup that toppled Ngô Đình Diệm to the final surrender of Saigon in April 1975, this article reconstructs how Dương Văn Minh — ‘Big Minh’ — became the last president of South Vietnam and ended a war.
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.