Blog Profiles: History Blogs, Volume 2
Welcome to Blog Profiles! Each week, we select a topic and handful of blogs that do a great job contributing to the conversation. These history blogs are bound to keep you reading. Do you have a blog that deserves recognition? Tweet our writers at @BeyondBylines.
I’m a history nerd.
I love all history – it’s fascinating. The older, the better. The more complicated, the more closely I pay attention.
There’s a constant stream of history sites that populate my Facebook newsfeed. And, for Halloween this year, I took my son to George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon, because that’s the kind of place I like to celebrate everyday occasions.
So here are some of my favorite places for history news.
(If you are craving even more history content, check out our original list of history blogs.)
1. Atlas Obscura
There’s so much to read on Atlas Obscura.
The blog says it’s the “definitive guide to the world’s wondrous and curious places.” Indeed.
“In an age where everything seems to have been explored and there is nothing new to be found, we celebrate a different way of looking at the world,” the blog says. “If you’re searching for miniature cities, glass flowers, books bound in human skin, gigantic flaming holes in the ground, bone churches, balancing pagodas, or homes built entirely out of paper, the Atlas Obscura is where you’ll find them.”
Some of the history-specific posts that caught my eye include Found: A New Ice Age Cave Network Below Montreal, When a City and a Bishop Went to War Over Beer, and Using a Particle Accelerator to See Inside a 1,900-Year-Old Mummy.
Follow @atlasobscura on Twitter.
Credit: @atlasobscura on Instagram
2. The History Blog
The History Blog was launched June 2006. It’s being managed by a writer by the name of livius.
“My interests are primarily European ancient and medieval, but I’m quite undiscriminating when it comes to history, so I’ll pretty much blather about anything that catches my eye,” livius says. “I also intend to make a note of all the topically relevant books I read, and a list of all the topically relevant books sitting in a pile glaring at me.”
Notable posts on The History Blog include Google, British Museum digitize Maya collection, 3D animation of sculptor’s cave, and Ancient orca geoglyph rediscovered in Peru.
Oh, and this dino-mite gem: Hundreds of fossilized pterosaur eggs, some with embryos, found in China.
Follow @TheHistoryBlog on Twitter.
3. The Vintage News
This site. Honestly, The Vintage News has some of the best content.
It covers news, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, glamour, strangeness, and it also features video.
“We are a group of enthusiasts who are interested in all things vintage,” the editors say. (The Vintage News also accepts guest posts, in case you’re interested.)
Interesting posts that I recently found include The centuries-old “Underground Salt Cathedral” of Poland is so vast, it’s possible to go bungee jumping, “America’s Best Girl” stole the nation’s heart by swimming the English Channel in 1926, and later dedicated herself to the deaf children she taught to swim, and When Athelhampton House’s owner died in 1598, his four daughters equally divided the manor and it remained divided for 250 years.
Follow @TvnVintage on Twitter.
Credit: @the_vintage_news on Instagram
4. Mental Floss
While not a traditional history blog, Mental Floss has some pretty great historic bits.
One of the more amusing posts I recently found was 2000-Year-Old Cat Pawprint Found on a Roof Tile. (I’m a longtime and sympathetic cat owner; I think that post is fabulous.)
Other history goodies include A Mystery Shipwreck in Canada Might Be Tied to the 1917 Halifax Explosion, 84 Years Ago Today: Goodbye Prohibition!, and ‘I Am Almost Always Alone’: Auctioned Letters Explore Greta Garbo’s Private Life.
Follow @mental_floss on Twitter.
Credit: @mental_floss on Instagram
P.S. Ever wonder how we come up with ideas for our blog profiles? Our handy list of industries and subjects on PR Newswire for Journalists stays top of mind. If you’re a blogger or journalist looking for men’s interest news, let us know. We can customize a newsfeed for you.
Christine Cube is a senior audience relations manager with PR Newswire and freelance writer. Follow her at @cpcube.
