Edward T. O'Donnell, Historian-at-Large
LightNews LightNews
banner
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Edward T. O'Donnell, Historian-at-Large
@inthepastlane.bsky.social
1K followers 300 following 510 posts
Historian, author, college prof, public speaker, podcaster. Seen on
@History channel + @PBS. Founder of @WeemsyAwards. All my social media is @inthepastlane. More at www.EdwardTODonnell.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
inthepastlane.bsky.social
“Can we call this a free country, when I am afraid to go to sleep in my own home in Mississippi?” – civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer born #OTD in 1917 #civilrights #equality
October 6, 2025 at 1:33 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Trump falsely compares his use of the military against the American people to actions by other US presidents
#ushistory #americanhistory #nationalguard #memphis #hegseth #trump #constitution
October 4, 2025 at 5:17 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Trump has renamed the Dept of Defense the Dept of War, cuz he and Hegseth want you to know they are manly men.
#ushistory #americanhistory #militaryhistory #bonespurs #history #APUSH #historian #petehegseth #departmentofwar
September 7, 2025 at 12:45 AM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
I recently gave a talk about The Gilded Age for @LecturesOnTap at the @DemocracyBrewingBoston. It was a fun night of drinking and thinking!
#ushistory #americanhistory #history #GildedAge #GildedAgeHBO #LaborHistory #APUSH #rockefeller #carnegie
September 5, 2025 at 7:39 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
“Fitness personality” Jillian Michaels wants to teach you about the history of slavery
#ushistory #americanhistory #JillianMichaels #smithsonian #trump #slavery #whitenationalism
August 17, 2025 at 2:13 AM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
The Trump administration goes after the Smithsonian to promote a white nationalist version of American history.
#ushistory #americanhistory #Trump #smithsonian #americanexceptionalism #whitenationalism www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8BRFRjU/
August 15, 2025 at 10:54 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Trump says he’s “going to Russia” on Friday (actually, he’s going to Alaska)
#ushistory #americanhistory #history #diplomatichistory #trumpputinsummit #trumpcognitivedecline #sewardsfolly
August 12, 2025 at 1:34 AM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
American Eagle threads some eugenics through their new ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney.
#ushistory #americanhistory #history #americaneagle #sydneysweeney #eugenics #greatjeans #euphoria #whitelotus
July 30, 2025 at 10:30 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Homeland Security uses imagery of Manifest Destiny to promote white nationalism, amidst ICE carrying out Trump’s mass deportation policy.
#ushistory #americanhistory #immigrationhistory #blackhistory #stephenmiller #nativism #massdeportation
July 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Here’s why the children of MLK are upset that the Trump administration released 240,000 documents related to King’s death in 1968. It’s all about the nefarious history of the FBI’s war against MLK.
#ushistory #americanhistory #blackhistory #MLK #FBI #civilrights #trump #epsteinfiles
July 23, 2025 at 4:28 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Trump is demanding the restoration of racist Native American names for pro sports teams - specifically, the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians.
#ushistory #americanhistory #nativeamerican #washingtoncommanders #washingtonredskins #pocahantas #clevelandguardians #clevelandindians #trump
July 20, 2025 at 9:04 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Liberty Bell made out of Legos at the Philadelphia International Airport. Fun fact: the Liberty Bell was made famous not by the American Revolution (there’s no evidence it rang on July 4, 1776) but by abolitionists in the 1830s who adopted it as a symbol of their cause to abolish slavery
July 8, 2025 at 2:16 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Just in time for Pride Month, Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to rename a ship named for Harvey Milk.
#ushistory #americanhistory #history #APUSH #USNavy #PeteHegseth #confederatemonuments #gayhistory #LGBTQhistory #homophobia #pridemonth
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Mb2Ekw/
June 6, 2025 at 7:31 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Did you hear about #Trump’s unique history lesson about the US economy? It’s been nominated for a 2025 Weemsy Award™. They spotlight the year's most false & ridiculous things public figures say about #USHistory. #history #Trump #TrumpTariffs #GreatDepression #GildedAge www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8jdpk6Y/
April 4, 2025 at 1:42 AM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Did you hear that Pete Hegseth’s anti-DEI crusade might purge the Enola Gay from Pentagon webpages? It’s been nominated for a 2025 Weemsy Award™
#ushistory #history #blackhistory #WW2 #EnolaGay #gayhistory #LGBTQhistory #PeteHegseth #womenshistorymonth #tuskegeeairmen
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP82h8CR1/
March 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Did you hear what Donald #Trump said about #GeorgeWashington? It’s been nominated for a 2025 Weemsy Award™. They spotlight the year's most ridiculous & false statements by public figures re #USHistory.

#TrumpHistory #TrumpSpeech #presidents #Lincoln #AndrewJackson
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP82L8C7D/
March 5, 2025 at 10:41 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Did Trump humiliating Zelensky in the Oval Office remind you of other moments in presidential history? #ushistory #americanhistory #presidents #zelensky #zelenskyovaloffice #ovaloffice #history #historian #Trump #FDR #JFK #JimmyCarter #RonaldReagan #winstonchurchill www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8YoYKPQ/
March 1, 2025 at 7:24 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Did you hear what Pete Hegseth said about American military history?
#ushistory #americanhistory #militaryhistory #petehegseth #APUSH #historian #Custer #VietnamWar
#iraqwar www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8YXAXAS/
February 18, 2025 at 1:24 AM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
The National Park Service has purged references to trans people from its history of the #StonewallRiot - even though they played a crucial role in the iconic event
#ushistory #Orwell #greenwichvillage #stonewallriot
#gayhistory #LGBTQhistory #transhistory #transphobia
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Y9Up8B/
February 16, 2025 at 1:25 AM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Linda McMahon, Sec of Education, refuses to answer a simple question: will Trump defund public schools that teach African American history?
#ushistory #americanhistory #blackhistory #history #lindamcmahon #historian #Trump #DEI #CRT #WWE
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8YHUKxA/
February 15, 2025 at 3:03 AM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Book Review - Building the Worlds That Kill Us: Disease, Death, and, Inequality in American History by David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz thetimesweekly.com/2024/12/buil...
January 1, 2025 at 4:32 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
a selection of our Christmas cookie creations, some via cutters and others free style
December 25, 2024 at 8:13 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
#MarjorieTaylorGreene is up for a 2024 Weemsy Award™ for claiming the #Founders were Christian Nationalists. The Weemsies™ are awarded every December to spotlight the stupid, false, & outrageous things that public figures say about #UShistory.
Winners announced tomorrow!
#darwinawards #goldendukes
December 9, 2024 at 9:23 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Natural Wonder of the Day - these bird tracks in fresh snow on our doorstep
#NWOTD #nature #winter #awe
December 9, 2024 at 7:38 PM
inthepastlane.bsky.social
Remember that massive history fail by Nikki Haley when she said the US “has never been a racist country”? It’s up for a 2024 Weemsy Award™ which spotlight the stupid, false, and outrageous things that public figures say about #UShistory.

#darwinawards #goldendukes #therazzies
December 8, 2024 at 10:05 PM