Human Trafficking Still A Problem In The U.S.

Federal prosecutors and law enforcement are working to eliminate human trafficking. How that happens and how they help victims, from the sex trade to agricultural work, differs. Writer Noy Thrupkaew, WGBH reporter Phillip Martin and Amy Bennett Williams of The News-Press explain.

http://www.npr.org/2012/09/26/161824831/human-trafficking-still-a-problem-in-the-u-s

Saudi Arabia Plans a Women-Only Work Zone

NPR's, The World, featured a story about Saudi Arabian women today. Although this story is more about modern day Saudi Arabia, I'm making note of it here since my Early World History class examines the historical trajectory of patriarchal systems since ancient times. This is a good example of the gender roles of Saudi women today and can be compared to other historical examples.

"To Expand Job Opportunities, Saudi Arabia Plans a Women-Only Work Zone"

Link to full story:

http://www.theworld.org/2012/08/to-expand-job-opportunities-saudi-arabia-plans-a-women-only-work-zone/

Chinchorro People Made the First Mummies

Here's a super interesting radio program from NPR's "The World" on the first mummies from the Chinchorro people of Chile/Peru. These mummies are 2,000 years older than the Eyptian mummies and the reasons for the end of this practice are related to climate change.

Link to full story:

http://www.theworld.org/2012/08/chinchorro-mummies/

 

The Most Influential Evangelist You've Never Heard Of

NPR interview with David Barton. Link to full story:

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/08/157754542/the-most-influential-evangelist-youve-never-heard-of

Drones Help Map Ancient Ruins

Vanderbilt University is using drone technology to help them make maps of ancient Peruvian sites.
Heres' a link to the BBC article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19111257

New Sun God Temple Reveals Maya Beliefs

Check out this cool video about some new discoveries about a Mayan Sun God Temple from National Geographic:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/history-archaeology-news/guatemala-maya-sun-god-vin/

This same website has another video about a Mayan Calendar. Here's the link:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/history-archaeology-news/maya-art-calendar-vin/

National Geographic is a great place to explore recent news on historical and archaeological finds.

Freedom Deferred: On Stephen Kantrowitz

If you're a fan of Eric Foner, here's a book review he recently wrote for the Nation Magazine. Foner reviews More Than Freedom by Stephen Kantrowitz, Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The book discusses the lives of black activist in Boston over the course of the 19th century.

Link to the article:
http://www.thenation.com/article/168820/freedom-deferred-stephen-kantrowitz#

Jared Diamond Article in New York Times

Jared Diamond, professor at UCLA and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his book Guns, Germs and Steel, wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times today entitled, "Romney Hasn't Done His Homework." In it, he criticizes Romney for not properly conveying the message of his work when citing Diamond in a recent speech. The bulk of the op-ed outlines Diamond's main theories with regard to geography and world history. He spends less time talking about Romney himself. I personally did not read what Romney said with regard to Professor Diamond's work, but found the article useful in offering a short and concise version of Diamond's theory.

Here's a link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/opinion/mitt-romneys-search-for-simple-answers.html

World War II German U-boat discovered off the coast of Nantucket

Private groups searches for two decades to find German U-boat. Unfortunately, price to restore the vessel might be too costly.

Read full story:

http://www.capitolcolumn.com/news/world-war-ii-german-u-boat-discovered-off-the-coast-of-nantucket/

Before The D-Day Invasion, Double Talk And Deceit

Scott Simon (of NPR radio) interviews Ben MacIntyre about his new book Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day invasion. This is a pretty hilarious interview about the true story of how the allies hid the exact location of the D-Day invasion from the Germans during WWII. There's even double-agent pigeons involved!

Listen to the full story:

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/28/157443099/before-the-d-day-invasion-double-talk-and-deceit

In '1493,' Columbus Shaped A World To Be

Terry Gross (of NPR radio) interviews Charles Mann, author of 1493. The book discusses the ecological impacts of European arrival in the Americas. Mann talks about plants, animals, disease, and slavery as major contributors to a transforming continent.

Listen to the full interview:
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/138924127/in-1493-columbus-shaped-a-world-to-be

Welcome!

Welcome and thank you for following History in the News. I started this blog to share interesting stories I hear or read about in the news related to history. Of course there are many historical journals you can follow for more serious academic publications, such as the AHA (American Historical Association).  This blog is intended to compile stories in the general media, especially stories from NPR or Google News.

If you come across any interesting stories, please feel free to share them with me.

Thank you,
Surangi Frazier
History Professor
Yuba College