Welcome to the History Conference!

Jul 20 04:02 UTC 1991

Growing up as the son of a professor of American history, I picked up early
an appreciation of the long view, a degree of appreciation for the people
and the forces which have made us what we are.

This is an aspect of thinking which seldom gets exercised in computer
conferencing environment.  The immediacy of telecommunications forces us to
breathless attention for the newest and latest information.  Even ancient
history becomes late-breaking news, as with the recent fiasco over the
alleged assassination of Zachary Taylor.

But I think a lot of us still hunger for a broader understanding, for a link
with the past that formed our world whether we attend to it or not.  This
shows up in almost silly ways at times: for example, M-Net's user community
clings to its traditions as tenaciously as the House of Lords.  Anyone who
can dredge up nuggets of history that bear on the present is treated with
undue deference.

I hope the History conference will become a place where antiquarians and
historical analysts can mingle to mutual benefit.  The past is a big place,
and we have a lot of things we can talk about.  Just a few random thoughts:


     o  U.S. political history.  Was the 1876 election stolen?  What kind
        of president would Sam Tilden have been?  Who would you have voted
        for in 1912?  Was FDR a devil or a savior?

     o  The history of everyday life.  It's been said that women spend as
        much time (on the average) doing laundry today as before washing
        machines were invented -- standards of cleanliness have risen and
        kept laundry effort a constant.  How much has technology really
        changed housework?

     o  Economic history.  What caused the Panic of 1893?  What did we use
        for money before Federal Reserve Notes were introduced in 1913?
        In the past century, physicians rose from being merely middle-class
        to the top of the socioeconomic scale -- how did they do that?

     o  Local history.  Where did Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti get their names?
        How does the University of Michigan get away with claiming it was
        founded twenty years before Michigan was a state?  Which downtown
        Ann Arbor street used to be lined with livery stables?

     o  Architectural history (my own specialty).  What is wrong with common
        terms like "Victorian" and "pillars"?  What was the connection between
        octagonal houses and the Underground Railroad in the 1850's?  What
        style is Hill Auditorium?  How does the change in glass technology
        help to estimate the age of a house?

     o  World history (an especially weak area for me).  How close to the
        truth was the film "The Last Emporer"?  Who were the most interesting
        Popes?  Has anyone seen Freud's old digs in Vienna?

     o  Historical research.  How does one go about finding out ... 

     o  Movies.  I mentioned "Last Emporer" above.  I have sometimes noticed
        astonishing inaccuracies in cinematic portrayal of historic events
        and periods.  You too?  What about especially well-done examples?

That's just a few ideas.  However, there is one thing I'd rather we not spend
a whole lot of time on, because it could come to dominate the conference:
the intricate details of battles and military encounters.  If you really want
to talk Pickett's Charge to death, please go start an Avalon Hill conference.

But in any case, welcome!

response 2 of 89:

Jul 21 05:46 UTC 1991

   I'm really looking forward to this! History is a favorite hobby
of mine (if you can call reading books about the past a hobby).
I'm interested in the history of ideas, East Asian history, 
economic history, the Dark and Middle ages, the Renaissance, the
Enlightenment, Classical history, .....