I recently finished parsing out the production of the B-26C, produced from August 1942 to April 1944 at Martin's subsidiary plant in Omaha, Nebraska.

One of our Classics Professors has a new free online course coming out which might be interesting: http://rdg.ac/FLvirtualrome

He's using his own award-winning virtual model of ancient Rome to show what the city would have been like at its peak, and to try and answer some common questions:

Why was this ancient city built where it was? Did all roads really lead to Rome? How was drinking water supplied to the city’s million inhabitants? Where did Romans worship their gods and meet their political masters? And which buildings provided a backdrop for the spectacular events that both celebrated emperors and secured the loyalty of the masses?

He's also keen to take part in an AMA, so let us know if you're interested in talking to him here in the community!

Tim - University of Reading

I managed to read a vast and excellent study on the economic history of Finland from 1860 to 1990 written by a Ritta Hjerppe and published by Bank of Finland.

Another was the comparative study done by European Union on the tax structure and fiscal policy of all the member States. Well, let's just say that the economic prospects for European countries are not good. On the other hand it also provided evidence from France that how property taxes can work towards reducing risks of Property bubble while collecting quite a lot of tax revenue.

Third one was a white paper published by the authors of the book "Rescuing Retirement" written by Teresa Ghilarducci who was with the left leaning think tank 'Economic Policy Institute' and Hamilton James who was with the asset management company Black Rock on proposals to reform the retirement saving system in the US (which is currently a disaster waiting to happen).

I decided to read this in tandem with 1491 so I can write Mann angry letters when I catch him shilling for Big Archaeology. Thoughts?

Also, what's a good follow up to 1491?

I received a copy of Chris Bishop's Medievalist Comics in the American Century, which looks at the theme of "medievalist" comics - taking as particular examples of close study Prince Valiant, Green Arrow, Conan the Barbarian, etc. as American comics seized on these "medieval" archetypes of knights, archers, and swordsmen as heroes in the 20th century. From page 29:

By the time Hearst had acquired the rights to publish Prince Valiant, he could already lay claim to a sizable collection of medieval objects. Hearst reputedly possessed the world's largest private collection of medieval armor, far outstripping his nearest rivals the industrialist Henry Ford and the banker Andrew Mellon.

This reminded me of Bashford Dean's Helmets and Body Armor in Modern Warfare - Dean was associated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and was a noted collector and cataloguer of arms and armor; his book, published during WWI, shows clearly how contemporary minds were struggling to come to terms with the change in technology and tactics - trench warfare really being a throwback to siege warfare, swords rapidly obsolete as side-arms but still present (as were bayonets), and in this book Dean focuses on the design and effectiveness of personal body armor, helmets, and shields, noting their forebears in medieval forms. There, Dean noted that Ford was a notable manufacturer of helmets for World War I, and writes on page 212:

Thus, in the summer of 1917, this helmet, after having been shown to the experts of several manufacturing ocncerns, who feared that it could not be made, was turned over to teh Worcester Pressed Steel Company with directions to produce it in an experimental lot in 12 per cent manganese steel. Dies accordingly were prepared and every effort was made to deliver the helmets needed. Ufnortunately, however, the dies which this firm employed were inadequately designed and in the end the only helmets produced were defective, having their sides wrinkled and their tops thinned out. Later, however, this helmet was shown to Messrs. Ford and Company of Detroit who declared that it could be pressed and pressed well without an important breakage of metal. Accordingly, this firm, receivne an order from the Ordnance Department, produced a set of experimental dies. On these, during the fall of 1918, a couple of thousand helmets were turned out. It may be mentioned that the principle upon which Messrs Ford and Company proceeded was quite similar to that which an armorer would have used in olden times, for the top of the helmet was pressed not as a final but as an earlier operation.

This in turn reminded me of a bit of verse from Robert E. Howard's letters - Howard being the creator of Conan the Barbarian, and an early and incredibly influential writer in the genre of Sword & Sorcery fiction, had a great interest in arms and armor, including a modest collection of swords (most of them being American military swords) - but this "medievalist" aesthetic was always contrast against what he saw as contemporary civilization, as when he wrote:

L'Envoi

Now flapper ridden flivvers whiz

Along the ancient road.

An Armours packinghouse does biz

Where once King Bahthur strode.

Bootleggers slink along the paths

Where knights kissed ladies’ hands,

Where shield crashed shield in tourney great

A filling station stands.

Centuries gone, those noble knights,

Forgot, their helmets rust,

Yet in their homage let us sing,

“Flourish the packing trust!”

• Robert E. Howard to Tevis Clyde Smith, date unknown, but ca. before July 1925, Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard 3.469

Which is a long way to not doing anything productive, just following some tangents I found interesting.

Managed to get some writing done on a much overdue answer about Nullification which has slowly grown into "explain everything about the Nullification crisis while rereading the major text and some important papers". It's not done yet, but I am up to 1829.

It's coming, OP. I promise.

Can any historian tell me if Indian history is really interesting, but just poorly researched? Sometimes it seems to me as an Indian that we don't have as compelling a founding myth as the Americans, Europeans and the Chinese. Yes I know about the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, but still: why is Chinese history so much better known than Indian history? I'm sure we made some technological advancements and great discoveries too. Many Indians I meet claim India in the past was the wealthiest country in the world. I don't see this claim gaining support from any western sources. Sorry, I don't think this merits a full thread. Maybe I'm just envious.

A new Farinelli-themed recital album is coming out in February! Amusingly, The Guardian's review makes it sound like a CD of fart sounts. I look forward to ripping one... off of the library holds shelf... when this comes out.

Today I'm working on accessioning photographs that have been found in the collection, which is honestly one of the things I like the most about my job. Partly because trying to figure out who all the sitters are, to connect the genealogical dots, etc. is a good puzzle, but also because there's something satisfying in making sure that this person who lived in their hometown their whole life and never did anything "important" is still known and remembered. It's also a great way to learn about local families and schools and other social groups without sitting down to go, "Okay, I work at the county historical association, I need to know all of the country schools."

(I'm weirdly enthralled by country schools. I want to do an exhibition on them this year.)

I wasn't sure where to turn but I need help identifying someone on a shirt. I'm so sorry for the potato quality! Thank you again!

http://imgur.com/GIneoJe

What documentaries have people been watching here? I'm a history noob but I'm looking for history documentaries that have a high degree of accuracy/correctness and I'd love to read some suggestions.

I'm working on a historical fiction book set in Reconstruction South about the founding of a University in Appalachia. The book is on its fourth draft and I was hoping to maybe swap critiques with a historian familiar with the time period.

I've read a ton of books about the time period but I'm a lawyer by day. I worked as an editor and freelance writer for years before law school, the book is just a side project.

I can link to some of my other stuff, the only other thing that qualifies as historical fiction is an HP Lovecraft homage set in 1830 on a plantation. Here's the link.

Happy to be a test reader for any kind of book in exchange, or maybe even proof a thesis. I'm used to long, technical reads.

Are there any other pop history authors as good as Barbara Tuchman? I don't know why but her style of writing is really enjoyable.

I'm launching a site where you can answer with data visualizations in addition to regular text.

Here are examples where I think the idea is illustrated well: https://graphme.io/t/how-did-germany-utilize-its-armies-in-the-battle-of-the-bulge/108/2 https://graphme.io/t/where-were-and-how-powerful-were-the-worlds-nuclear-bomb-tests/99/2

Can anyone recommend any books in English on the migration era and steppe cultures like the Xiongnu?

Any information on the bagaudae?

Not much to report for this week...cause, thankfully, my profs gave me an extension! My second draft is now due on February 3. I coulda gotten it out by the 29th, but the extra 5 days lets me polish it up a little 8)

Hi everyone, I have been looking for a specific book that I can't recall the title of, and I am hoping someone here can identify it or recommend something similar on the topic.

The topic of the book was the American Civil War and I read an excerpt from the introduction along with a positive review in (probably??) either the NY Times or the Washington Post, probably around 2008-2009ish? The excerpt described how at the beginning of the Civil War, two escaped slaves took refuge with some Union soldiers, expecting to be protected by them, but the Union soldiers were unsure of what to do with them, because at the time the Union had not explicitly chosen to be absolutely against slavery. The book chronicled the political progress on the Union side leading to that point and to the Emancipation Proclamation. It sounded very interesting but I am pretty sure I read this when I was in grad school (not for history!) and didn't have time to read it.

If anyone knows what book I am talking about OR can another book on the topic of progression of Union political thought on slavery, I would greatly appreciate it.

(It's possible I've gotten some details wrong because I have honestly looked for this book pretty seriously already and I can't understand how it's so hard to find a book I read excerpted in a major newspaper within the last decade......???)