History Geeks Unite!

[nausicaa]

I am obsessed with World War I (not II though). An odd interest, I know. I joined a book club at my library that was covering WWI and was the only woman there and younger than the average member by about thirty years. :lol:

I also really like

- Franco-Prussian War (which really set the stage for WWI)

-early 20th century history

-the Hapsburgs and Austria-Hungary

-clothing history in general.

Assuming most of you are female, do you find that others, especially men, express surprise at your interest in history? Like you're the first woman they've met who has this interest? I'd never thought of history as a "guy thing." And honestly, I find it to be revealing of sexism sometimes. Sometimes the subtext seems to be "Hey, you're a girl. But it's like you use your brain and do stuff other than shop and paint your nails!"

[PennySycamore]

When I was an anthropology major at the University of Georgia back in the mid-70s, I discovered that I could take a number of history courses and have them count toward my major coursework. I took 4 terms of Asian history (one survey course and three specifically Chinese history courses) and two medieval history classes. I also took two terms of Classics where I had to write a paper on Why Rome Rose. I loved all these classes. I also loved the two history classes (Western Civ survey and US from 1820 to 1890) I took at Furman when I returned to study biology.

I just ordered David Md Cullough's The Path Between the Seas about the Panama Canal. I think it may be the most interesting book I've ever read. I don't know I have a favorite period, but I especially like social history and scientific history. Heck, I even like military history.

Tonight is the premiere of What History Forgot on AHC which used to be the Military Channel. One of the topics featured is when NY Harbor was bombed by Germany in 1916. The show might be interesting.

[ADoyle90815]

I'm a bit of a history nerd myself, with my favorite periods being ancient Rome, the Viking age, Tudor England, and World War I because it ultimately led to WWII because how Germany was treated in the end.

[Phoenix]

World War II but mostly because my college mentor was with Patton in Europe. Netflix currently has a documentary called "The Unfinished Film" that is raw footage of the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw taken weeks before the Nazi's destroyed it. The footage was taken by the Nazi's themselves for an unknown propaganda purpose. It is both eerie and fascinating to watch it.

Just about anything Churchill.

US Civil War

British Monarchy over the centuries. Pretty cool that they found King Richard's actual grave.

Archaeology of all kinds but especially European and Ancient

Victorian and Edwardian England

Also search YouTube for interesting BBC history documentaries. Australia's version of 20/20 has some great stuff too.

Factual Biographies

Just drop me off at the library and come back next week.

[sparkles]

English history

The Middle Ages

World War II

Ancient cultures (Maya, Inca, Aztec, Olmec…) I'm doing an online lectures series in South American cultures right now. Fascinating.

I love, love, love reading history and probably should have switched my major once I wised up to the fact that someone who needs a calculator to add two single-digit numbers probably shouldn't be studying geophysics.

[DaffyDill]

I watched a couple of series on the History Channel (Australia) The Normans, and The Plantagenets, a few months ago. Really interesting. As well as the 100 Years War.

I like a lot of programs by Lucy Worsley, curator at Historic Royal Palaces (she works at Hampton Court I think - I am SO envious!). She shows how people lived in various times in England's history, what they wore, what they ate, what the average home was like etc and isn't above making a dill of herself and laughing - all the while keeping things factual.

[Kailash]

I tend to go through phases where I'm really interested in a specific part of history. It usually starts with some historical fiction that gets me interested enough to research non fiction accounts, if available. Once it was Chinese foot binding. I was shocked (and horrified!) to find pictures of people who had bound feet. The practice continued until the 1950's in some places!

I find myself drawn to stories from World War II, especially Jewish stories, experiences of people in Russia during that time, and also places like Paris. (Places I hadn't known were affected until I researched a bit.)

So much of history is unbelievable, and not in a good way.

[greycat]

I love history. On Netflix there are couple of shows I have been binge watching. One is Myth Hunters, so may stories I have never heard before. I just couldn't quit watching!

[princessmahina]

Ooh, I love history! I majored in it as an undergraduate, and minored in Classics. I'm about to start my Master's in the subject. I'm particularly interested in the Roman Republic- though I have a particular fondness for the Eastern Empire in the 6th century :)

Other historical interests: medieval & early modern England, religious history, gender & sexuality.

[47of74]

Yes I'm really interested in history. I'm espeicially interested in the following subjects;

Roman history

Italian history

Church history

Local history

WWII

Revolutions (American, French, etc)

I've been to both the original Rome and the Nova Roma (aka Istanbul). In addition to being educational it's incredibly moving to see places where events of great importance took place.

[Maggie Mae]

I live history. Especially Russian revolution, and US expansion/ political history. And reconstruction. I'm not interested in battles or war. More interested in what happened after. Also enjoy the cultural stuff. Clothing, music, art.

[sawasdee]

Love almost all history, but particularly Classical Greece, Anglo Saxon and Medieval England,the British Empire, Scotland and Ireland over the last 2000 years, and early history of the church.Some sparked by particularly good fiction - that of Mary Renault on Ancient Greece, Edith Pargeter on Medieval England and Wales, Nigel Tranter on Scotland, Peter Tremayne on early Christian Ireland. They lead me to the non fiction, and down the rabbit hole I go.....

There are also some very good Open University (UK) and National Geographic documentary series on a variety of subjects - The Story of Maths, A History of Mapmaking, and Camels, Courts and Concubines (about medieval traveller Ibn Battutah) I found particularly good.