Major occurrences documented by contemporary accounts.
Drawing on digitized newspaper archives from around the world, this article reconstructs how the Russian Revolutions of 1917 were reported, understood, and feared by contemporaries, from the February uprising to the Bolshevik seizure of power.
Based on recorded cockpit conversations, pilot memoirs, and contemporary assessments, this article reconstructs the opening months of Operation Rolling Thunder—the U.S. bombing campaign over North Vietnam—as experienced by the airmen who flew it.
Drawing on contemporary newspaper accounts, eyewitness descriptions, and the pioneering work of Science Service, this article reconstructs how the Scopes Monkey Trial was experienced and reported in 1925—a circus, a holy war, and a turning point for science journalism.
Drawing on survivor questionnaires, eyewitness testimony, and the accounts of Rev. David J. Beale, this article reconstructs how the people of Johnstown experienced the 1889 flood and their long road to recovery.
Drawing on the only reporter present, police statements, and official records, this article reconstructs how the Sharpeville Massacre was witnessed, reported, and understood at the moment it happened.
Drawing on letters, diaries, and press reports from 1918, this article reconstructs how ordinary people and medical authorities experienced the deadliest pandemic in modern history—what they knew, feared, and misunderstood.
Drawing on contemporary speeches, congressional debates, and propaganda efforts, this article explores how the Marshall Plan was sold to Americans and Europeans, what people feared and expected, and how the plan reshaped the postwar world.
On April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. announced from the Rackham Auditorium that the Salk polio vaccine was ‘safe, effective, and potent.’ Drawing on contemporary press releases, newspaper headlines, and eyewitness accounts, this article reconstructs the atmosphere of hope and fear that surrounded the largest medical field trial in American history.
Drawing on the oral histories of Ensign George Gay and other combatants, this article reconstructs the Battle of Midway through the eyes of the men who were there—revealing the chaos, courage, and intelligence that turned the tide in the Pacific.
Drawing on letters, diaries, carpool records, and local newspaper coverage, this article reconstructs the Montgomery bus boycott as it was lived and recorded by its participants—showing how a city’s daily routines were transformed by 381 days of protest.