Origins OSU
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Today is #nationalcupcakeday! 🧁 Despite how we often take food for granted, the continuing loss of genetic diversity of the foods we eat today raises troubling questions about the vulnerability of the world's food supply.
Conserving Diversity at the Dinner Table
Historians still squabble over whether there really was a "first" American Thanksgiving. But a handful of documents give us a hint at what might have been served: likely roasted venison and fowl—proba...
origins.osu.edu
December 15, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Today is #nationalcupcakeday! 🧁 Despite how we often take food for granted, the continuing loss of genetic diversity of the foods we eat today raises troubling questions about the vulnerability of the world's food supply.
25 years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision in the Bush v. Gore case, putting an end to the disputed 2000 presidential election. Historian David Stebenne examines just how contested the Court’s role remains in the American governmental system.
#AlGore #GeorgeBush #Election
#AlGore #GeorgeBush #Election
Bush v. Gore Twenty-Five Years Later | Origins
On December 12, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision in the Bush v. Gore case. It put an end to the disputed presidential election held that year.
origins.osu.edu
December 12, 2025 at 6:19 PM
25 years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision in the Bush v. Gore case, putting an end to the disputed 2000 presidential election. Historian David Stebenne examines just how contested the Court’s role remains in the American governmental system.
#AlGore #GeorgeBush #Election
#AlGore #GeorgeBush #Election
In December 1969, the Provisional IRA emerged from the widespread religious violence that wracked the six counties of Northern Ireland. Historian Jeffrey Lewis examines the legacy of the Provisional IRA, including the identity of the Provisionals as rooted in a rejection of parliamentary politics.
History Milestone: The Provisional Irish Republican Army
Fifty years ago, in December 1969, the Provisional IRA was born from the widespread religious violence that had wracked the six counties of Northern Ireland since the preceding August. From modest beg...
origins.osu.edu
December 5, 2025 at 2:50 PM
In December 1969, the Provisional IRA emerged from the widespread religious violence that wracked the six counties of Northern Ireland. Historian Jeffrey Lewis examines the legacy of the Provisional IRA, including the identity of the Provisionals as rooted in a rejection of parliamentary politics.
While Thanksgiving can be a time to express gratitude, for many Native Americans, the holiday symbolizes a deep sense of loss. The loss of homeland was made possible by legislation like the 1887 Dawes Act, which upended a long-standing system of communal land ownership.
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
The Dawes Act: 135 Years Later
The land allotment scheme was in one sense a project of social engineering and in another a way to transfer transfer of hundreds of millions of acres of land from tribal communities to the United Stat...
origins.osu.edu
November 26, 2025 at 5:32 PM
While Thanksgiving can be a time to express gratitude, for many Native Americans, the holiday symbolizes a deep sense of loss. The loss of homeland was made possible by legislation like the 1887 Dawes Act, which upended a long-standing system of communal land ownership.
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
As #Thanksgiving approaches, we're thinking about food 🦃🥧Food is everywhere and nowhere, so normal that we rarely consider how the production and consumption of food have shaped human culture. Listen to historians Chris Otter, Helen Veit, and Sam White discuss why what we eat matters.
#History
#History
Food for Thought: Diet in History (a History Talk podcast)
YouTube video by Origins OSU
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:39 PM
As #Thanksgiving approaches, we're thinking about food 🦃🥧Food is everywhere and nowhere, so normal that we rarely consider how the production and consumption of food have shaped human culture. Listen to historians Chris Otter, Helen Veit, and Sam White discuss why what we eat matters.
#History
#History
Although October is over, it's never too late to learn more about vampires 🧛Ever wondered where tales of blood-sucking creatures come from? Read the latest from historian Madison Chapman, who explores the historical connections between revenants, vampires, and ghosts.🩸
#Vampires #Ghosts #Folklore
#Vampires #Ghosts #Folklore
Revenants, Vampires, and Ghosts, Oh My! European Folklore and the Supernatural | Origins
Whether or not you are a fan of all things spooky, odds are you have heard some iteration of vampiric legend. From Robert Eggers’ 2024 box office smash-hit Nosferatu to the early 2000s obsession with ...
origins.osu.edu
November 21, 2025 at 6:39 PM
It's taco time! 🌮 Read from anthropologist Andrew Mitchel on how Mexican food influenced mainstream American cuisine, including the creation of Taco Bell.
Mexican Food in the United States | Origins
Though restaurants and their customers use such words as “traditional,” “authentic,” and “pure,” recipes and cuisines are similar to all other historical phenomena: They change over time. This is cert...
origins.osu.edu
November 17, 2025 at 7:52 PM
It's taco time! 🌮 Read from anthropologist Andrew Mitchel on how Mexican food influenced mainstream American cuisine, including the creation of Taco Bell.
Today is #ArmisticeDay, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War I. While the war is traditionally thought of as ending in 1918, historian Julie Powell asks us to consider alternative ending dates and new practices of mourning that emerged after the mass death of the First World War.
History Milestone: The
End of World War I?
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the Armistice went into effect, silencing the guns of the Western Front and ending the First World War. Or so the story goes.
origins.osu.edu
November 11, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Today is #ArmisticeDay, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War I. While the war is traditionally thought of as ending in 1918, historian Julie Powell asks us to consider alternative ending dates and new practices of mourning that emerged after the mass death of the First World War.
On November 4th, Millions of Americans cast their votes in general elections across the country. While the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the separation between church and state, politicians throughout U.S. history have merged religion with politics.
#Elections #USHistory
#Elections #USHistory
God in the Voting Booth: How Religion Shapes the Politics of Both Republicans and Democrats | Origins
In view of the decades-long close alliance between the Christian Right and the Republican Party, it may not have been a surprise when President Donald J. Trump established a White House Faith Office i...
origins.osu.edu
November 5, 2025 at 3:05 AM
On November 4th, Millions of Americans cast their votes in general elections across the country. While the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the separation between church and state, politicians throughout U.S. history have merged religion with politics.
#Elections #USHistory
#Elections #USHistory
Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth! This month, take time to reexamine conventional American history from a Native point of view with Ojibwe scholar Deondre Smiles. At stake is not only a fuller understanding of our history, but also a people erased from the past are easily erased from the present.
Erasing Indigenous History, Then and Now
“We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here...I mean, yes we have Native Americans but candidly there isn't much Native American culture in American culture.” —Rick Santorum, Apr...
origins.osu.edu
November 3, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth! This month, take time to reexamine conventional American history from a Native point of view with Ojibwe scholar Deondre Smiles. At stake is not only a fuller understanding of our history, but also a people erased from the past are easily erased from the present.
Today, millions of Americans trust the National Weather Service to provide timely warnings for hurricanes. That was not the case in 1900 for its predecessor, the U.S. Weather Bureau. The result was a tragedy that reshaped the Gulf Coast and led one man to devote himself to the study of hurricanes.
Galveston 1900: 125 Years After the Storm | Origins
“If we had known then what we know now of these swells, and the tides they create, we would have known earlier the terrors of the storm which these swells...told us in unerring language was coming.” —...
origins.osu.edu
October 30, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Today, millions of Americans trust the National Weather Service to provide timely warnings for hurricanes. That was not the case in 1900 for its predecessor, the U.S. Weather Bureau. The result was a tragedy that reshaped the Gulf Coast and led one man to devote himself to the study of hurricanes.
Nearly 70 years ago, the U.S. Border Patrol enacted “Operation Wetback,” a campaign to deport Mexican workers who resided in the country illegally. Historian Delia Fernández explains how this policy began modern deportation raids and the militarization of the border common in the U.S. today.
The Continuing Legacy of "Operation Wetback"
Sixty years ago this May, the U.S. Border Patrol enacted “Operation Wetback,” a campaign to deport Mexican workers who were in the country illegally. The program succeeded in rounding up over 1 millio...
origins.osu.edu
October 27, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Nearly 70 years ago, the U.S. Border Patrol enacted “Operation Wetback,” a campaign to deport Mexican workers who resided in the country illegally. Historian Delia Fernández explains how this policy began modern deportation raids and the militarization of the border common in the U.S. today.
Looking to get in the Halloween spirit? 🎃 Learn why Orson Welles's famous Halloween "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast started a nationwide panic, causing thousands of people to flee their homes on reports of Martian gas, and increased public suspicion of the radio.
#Halloween #WaroftheWorlds
#Halloween #WaroftheWorlds
Orson Welles’s " War of the Worlds" Radio Broadcast
October 30, 1938. The first signs were those explosions. The news interrupted the regular Sunday night CBS orchestra, with Ramón Raquello’s ensemble playing a Spanish tune. According to the alert, “...
origins.osu.edu
October 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Looking to get in the Halloween spirit? 🎃 Learn why Orson Welles's famous Halloween "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast started a nationwide panic, causing thousands of people to flee their homes on reports of Martian gas, and increased public suspicion of the radio.
#Halloween #WaroftheWorlds
#Halloween #WaroftheWorlds
Halloween is almost here 🧟Get in the spooky spirit with historian Stephen Kern, who examines the origins of Mary Shelly's beloved Frankenstein.
#Halloween #Spookyseason #Frankenstein
#Halloween #Spookyseason #Frankenstein
Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
Over two hundred years ago Mary Shelley, at age nineteen, published the gothic novel Frankenstein. It has become a classic of English literature.
origins.osu.edu
October 20, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Halloween is almost here 🧟Get in the spooky spirit with historian Stephen Kern, who examines the origins of Mary Shelly's beloved Frankenstein.
#Halloween #Spookyseason #Frankenstein
#Halloween #Spookyseason #Frankenstein
October is #domesticviolenceawareness month 💜 We live in a time when people across the planet are beginning to stand against misogynistic violence in all its forms.
Scholars Treva Lindsey, Cathy Rakowski, and Peggy Solic discuss how the history of gender violence helps us address the issue.
Scholars Treva Lindsey, Cathy Rakowski, and Peggy Solic discuss how the history of gender violence helps us address the issue.
Violence Against Women: A Conversation
Violence against women has a long history in human communities. Yet, we live in a time when people across the planet are beginning to give greater attention to this problem and, at times, to stand aga...
origins.osu.edu
October 13, 2025 at 7:16 PM
October is #domesticviolenceawareness month 💜 We live in a time when people across the planet are beginning to stand against misogynistic violence in all its forms.
Scholars Treva Lindsey, Cathy Rakowski, and Peggy Solic discuss how the history of gender violence helps us address the issue.
Scholars Treva Lindsey, Cathy Rakowski, and Peggy Solic discuss how the history of gender violence helps us address the issue.
October is #Spookylakemonth! To celebrate thirty-one days of haunted hydrology, read from geographer B. Lynn Ingram on how the water crisis in the American West threatens the region’s vital agricultural economy, signaling a very spooky future indeed.
#Historymatters #Climatechange #California
#Historymatters #Climatechange #California
The West without Water
What Can Past Droughts Tell Us About Tomorrow?
origins.osu.edu
October 8, 2025 at 3:10 AM
October is #Spookylakemonth! To celebrate thirty-one days of haunted hydrology, read from geographer B. Lynn Ingram on how the water crisis in the American West threatens the region’s vital agricultural economy, signaling a very spooky future indeed.
#Historymatters #Climatechange #California
#Historymatters #Climatechange #California
October means Oktoberfest! 🍻 Historian Paul Niebrzydowski explains why, in 1516, Dukes Wilhelm IV and Ludwig X limited the acceptable ingredients in beer to barley, hops, and water, creating the first German beer purity laws.
#Beer #Oktoberfest #Germanhistory
#Beer #Oktoberfest #Germanhistory
Keeping Beer 'Pure': The 1516 Reinheitsgebot
Prost! This year marks the 500-year anniversary of a decree that became the famed German Reinheitsgebot, or beer purity law. Originally a somewhat mundane trade regulation law, the Reinheitsgebot is t...
origins.osu.edu
October 1, 2025 at 7:00 PM
October means Oktoberfest! 🍻 Historian Paul Niebrzydowski explains why, in 1516, Dukes Wilhelm IV and Ludwig X limited the acceptable ingredients in beer to barley, hops, and water, creating the first German beer purity laws.
#Beer #Oktoberfest #Germanhistory
#Beer #Oktoberfest #Germanhistory
Congratulations to #Badbunny! 🥳 There are 3.4 million inhabitants of Puerto Rico, and another 4.9 million Puerto Ricans reside in other parts of the United States. Yet, many Americans remain unaware of the shared history. While we wait for the #Superbowl performance, read more scholar Amanda Lawson.
Top Ten History: Puerto Rico and the United States
In January 2018, President Donald Trump made a set of disparaging comments about Puerto Rico. They underscored just how little many Americans understand about the value and complexity of the relations...
origins.osu.edu
September 30, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Congratulations to #Badbunny! 🥳 There are 3.4 million inhabitants of Puerto Rico, and another 4.9 million Puerto Ricans reside in other parts of the United States. Yet, many Americans remain unaware of the shared history. While we wait for the #Superbowl performance, read more scholar Amanda Lawson.
Listen to Professors Sara Butler and Nicholas Breyfogle explain how medieval women resisted oppression and challenged misogyny. While the medieval church gave birth to the misogyny that hinders women’s progress in the West today, it witnessed feminist opposition.
#feminism #medievalhistory
#feminism #medievalhistory
Medieval Women's Rights: Setting the Stage for Today
YouTube video by Origins OSU
www.youtube.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Listen to Professors Sara Butler and Nicholas Breyfogle explain how medieval women resisted oppression and challenged misogyny. While the medieval church gave birth to the misogyny that hinders women’s progress in the West today, it witnessed feminist opposition.
#feminism #medievalhistory
#feminism #medievalhistory
Visitors from another planet or a trick of the eye? 🛸👽️ Historian Paul McAllister explains America's obsession with UFOs.
The United States government was less concerned with UFOs as evidence of extraterrestrial life than with the threat they posed during the Cold War.
#UFO #Projectbluebook
The United States government was less concerned with UFOs as evidence of extraterrestrial life than with the threat they posed during the Cold War.
#UFO #Projectbluebook
The Air Force Investigation into UFOs | Origins
On December 17, 1969, the United States Air Force concluded Project Blue Book, its investigation into Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). Headquartered at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, ...
origins.osu.edu
September 25, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Visitors from another planet or a trick of the eye? 🛸👽️ Historian Paul McAllister explains America's obsession with UFOs.
The United States government was less concerned with UFOs as evidence of extraterrestrial life than with the threat they posed during the Cold War.
#UFO #Projectbluebook
The United States government was less concerned with UFOs as evidence of extraterrestrial life than with the threat they posed during the Cold War.
#UFO #Projectbluebook
September 15th to October 15th marks #HispanicHeritageMonth! This month, scholar Andrew Mitchel reviews the relationship between the United States, the Dominican Republic, and the game that both love.
#Baseball #DominicanRepublic
#Baseball #DominicanRepublic
The Dominican Republic and the United States: A Baseball History
Over the past century, baseball has become a truly global game.
origins.osu.edu
September 22, 2025 at 4:05 PM
September 15th to October 15th marks #HispanicHeritageMonth! This month, scholar Andrew Mitchel reviews the relationship between the United States, the Dominican Republic, and the game that both love.
#Baseball #DominicanRepublic
#Baseball #DominicanRepublic
Gwangju, a major city in southwestern South Korea, has been widely recognized as a center of civil resistance since May 1980, when a brutal military crackdown targeted protesting citizens. Yet Gwangju is not just a traumatic event that happened in 1980—it remains deeply embedded in the present.
Gwangju Then and Now
YouTube video by Origins OSU
www.youtube.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Gwangju, a major city in southwestern South Korea, has been widely recognized as a center of civil resistance since May 1980, when a brutal military crackdown targeted protesting citizens. Yet Gwangju is not just a traumatic event that happened in 1980—it remains deeply embedded in the present.
What is all happening at the zoo? As Dan Vandersommers discusses, zoos have long been much more than simply places to spend an afternoon. Looking at how zoos have changed over the last two centuries can tell us as much about the humans who visit as about the animals on display.
#History #Zoo
#History #Zoo
What's All Happening at the Zoo?
Let’s start with two stories. On Sunday, February 9, 2014, at the Copenhagen Zoo, a 2-year-old giraffe stretched out its neck toward an inviting piece of bread held between the fingers of a keeper. Ma...
origins.osu.edu
September 16, 2025 at 2:52 PM
The Battle of Hastings, which took place on October 14, 1066 was a pivotal moment in the invasion from across the English Channel that resulted in the conquest of Anglo-Saxon England by William, the French Duke of Normandy.
#MiddleAges
#MiddleAges
1066: The Normans Conquer England
YouTube video by Origins OSU
www.youtube.com
August 11, 2025 at 11:06 PM
The Battle of Hastings, which took place on October 14, 1066 was a pivotal moment in the invasion from across the English Channel that resulted in the conquest of Anglo-Saxon England by William, the French Duke of Normandy.
#MiddleAges
#MiddleAges
80 years ago, on August 6, 1945, the atomic age began between heartbeats at 8:15 am when the Japanese city of #Hiroshima was leveled by an atomic bomb. Three days later, the United States dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, marking the first time humanity broke atoms in anger.
#ThisDayinHistory
#ThisDayinHistory
History Milestone: The Atomic Bomb Drops on Hiroshima
The atomic age began between heartbeats at 8:15 am on August 6, 1945 when the Japanese city of Hiroshima was leveled by an atomic bomb. Three days later, the United States dropped a second bomb on Nag...
origins.osu.edu
August 6, 2025 at 8:11 PM
80 years ago, on August 6, 1945, the atomic age began between heartbeats at 8:15 am when the Japanese city of #Hiroshima was leveled by an atomic bomb. Three days later, the United States dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki, marking the first time humanity broke atoms in anger.
#ThisDayinHistory
#ThisDayinHistory