7 Questions With Mo Aguiari, Commemorative Air Force

Moreno “Mo” Aguiari was born in Italy and moved to the U.S. in 1999 – becoming a U.S. citizen in 2007.  He is a pilot and in charge of Marketing for the CAF. He is also the co-chairman of the annual Atlanta Warbird Weekend, a showcase for World War II planes and re-enactors. When not flying or marketing for the CAF, he enjoys time with his wife, three kids and two dogs.  The CAF Dixie Wing’s website is http://www.dixiewing.org/ .

1.      How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
I was born in Italy therefore I was born with history around me. Since a young child i was fascinated with history and aviation, therefore working with warbirds was a natural thing to do. 

2.      What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
If you know History you can understand the present and very likely expect things to happen in the future.

3.      How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
I am the Director of Digital Marketing for the CAF, so it became part of my career. 

4.      Why is studying/knowing history important?
As mentioned if you know History you can understand the present, the people, different cultures and gain knowledge which would allow you to have a more fulfilled life.

5.      What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
Probably the Roman Empire since it set the basis for the modern western society with its political settings, democratic principles and architectural achievement. The first part of the 1900th century it also one of my favorite due to the many technological innovation. The airplane is one of them, simply fascinating.

6.       What is the mission of the Commemorative Air Force?
The Commemorative Air Force was founded to acquire, restore and preserve in flying condition a complete collection of combat aircraft which were flown by all military services of the United States, and selected aircraft of other nations, for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations of Americans.

More than just a collection of airworthy warplanes from the past, the CAF's fleet of historic aircraft, known as the CAF Ghost Squadron, recreate, remind and reinforce the lessons learned from the defining moments in American military aviation history.

7.      What projects are upcoming for the CAF?
We always have something cooking. The most exciting project we just completed can be seen here:http://www.warbirdsnews.com/category/warbird-restorations/c-47-thats-all-brother

7 Questions With Shane Bell, Archivist at the National Archives at Atlanta

Shane Bell holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Clayton State University.  He worked for NARA as a graduate student employee beginning in 2007 and joined the agency full time in 2011.  Shane has extensive experience with records from NASA, the Atomic Energy Commission, and 19^th century federal courts.  He has compiled finding aids for holdings related to The War of 1812, the 19^th century illegal slave trade, the Civil War, and 20^th century science and technology.  In addition to his archival work he also teaches Modern and Pre-Modern World history at Clayton State.


1.      How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
I took advanced and then AP history in grades 10 & 11 in high school.  I always found it interesting and seemed to remember facts and concepts easily.  For some reason my natural proclivity for history and reading didn't translate to majoring in history when I went to college.  When I went back to college in my late 20s, however, I was bitten by the history bug and changed my major.  There wasn't a single book or author that hooked me.  I became interested in exploring many different time periods and approaches to history.  A well written historical story, of course, is always interesting and makes a good catalyst for further investigation.

2.      What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
I'm an avid reader of history and I've got a long list of books I'll probably never get to.  I read with what free time I have.


3.      How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
I get to "do" history nearly every day at work.  We interact with documents from the late 18th century to the late 20th century often.  Having a history background helps put these documents in their historical context and underscores their value.  It also makes understanding them a bit easier.

4.      Why is studying/knowing history important?
The importance of history is understanding how we got where we are.  History won't necessarily allow humanity to avoid the mistakes of the past, but then again it might - in some situations.  For example, one can't understand the current conflict in the Middle East without understanding its modern beginnings during World War I.  Knowing that makes us more informed citizens.  Perhaps then we can make better decisions in the future.

5.      What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
I've always liked the era of the early republic in the U.S.  The ideas and decisions that turned this country from a loose confederation of newly independent British colonies to a major world power were sowed in the first few decades of our existence.  The Medieval Era has also always fascinated me.  Western Europe dealing with the end of the Roman Empire, the ascension of a relatively new religion, and the clash of various Germanic tribes along with former Roman citizenry made for an interesting time in human history.  I also like the post-war era.  This is probably because my parents came of age in the mid-20th century and I have memories of family members describing events that you now only read about in history books.  It’s a little more personal than the earlier eras mentioned above.

6.      What led you to become an archivist and how did you prepare for your profession?
I was originally on a path to academia as I entered graduate school.  Ultimately, the prospect of a job in archives opened up and I decided to pursue that route instead, ending my formal education with a Master's Degree.  Once I began work I had to catch up.  I read archival journals and studied some of the things that grad students in archival studies would be reading.  I also embarked on a series of site visits to other archival facilities.  I asked a lot of questions and tried to take in as much as I could about how other institutions go about their work.

7.       What are some challenges and rewards of being an archivist?
Probably the greatest reward is unearthing a hidden gem in the records.  This could be a photo, an unknown signature of a famous historical figure, a map, a letter, or a handwritten note quickly dashed off with little thought as to its relevance to posterity.  Finding these little time capsules gives us a glimpse into the past.  It breaks through some of the haze and allows us to view one more piece of the past.  This can also be a challenge - we only possess certain pieces of the puzzle.  More frequently than not, our pieces lead to still more questions and more conjecture about the full puzzle.

7 Questions With Claudio Saunt, Author of West of the Revolution

Claudio Saunt is the chair of the history department at the University of Georgia, the Co-Director of the Center for Virtual History (http://www.ehistory.org/ ), and Associate Director of the Institute of NativeAmerican Studies  . He teaches and writes about early American and Native American history at the University of Georgia and am currently at work on a book about Indian Removal. His most recent publication is West of the Revolution: An Uncommon History of 1776.

1.      How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
I was not hooked until college, when I took a class with James Shenton at Columbia University.  He was a legendary teacher, who could keep a room full of kids on the edge of their seats with his gripping lectures.  Yet I never focused narrowly on history and still don’t.  I like to read science journalism and am interested in cartography and population genetics, among other subjects.

2.      What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
Perhaps it is more interesting to ask what role my personal life has played in the history I have written.  In some ways, all history is autobiographical.  In my case, I grew up in San Francisco and developed an interest in the people and places who rarely appear in traditional accounts of early America, which focus so narrowly on the thirteen British colonies, and often even more tightly on a handful of founding fathers.

3.      How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
I am the chair of the history department at the University of Georgia as well as a teacher and author, and I keep busy both as an administrator and as a scholar. 

4.      Why is studying/knowing history important?
History students learn to analyze, to sustain an argument, and to write, all qualities that employers value and that are useful in a wide range of pursuits.  They also learn that the world is more diverse and complex than appears from our own small corner of globe.   I’m also a firm believer that good history makes for good citizens and that it is difficult to carry on an informed public conversation without some knowledge of historical context.  Without an understanding of slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow, for example, it is impossible to have an intelligent discussion about race in the United States.

5.      What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
I am interested in early America, a place and time full of diverse people and places, with stories that continue to amaze me, even after twenty-five years of studying the era. 

6.       Tell us about your book West of the Revolution?
In 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, the Continental Congress declared independence, and Washington crossed the Delaware.  We are familiar with those famous moments in American history but know little about the extraordinary events occurring that same year far beyond the British colonies.  West of the Revolution explores the rest of the continent not covered by the thirteen colonies then in rebellion against Great Britain.  In 1776, the Spanish established the first European colony in San Francisco and set off a cataclysm for the region’s native residents. The Russians pushed into Alaska in search of valuable sea otters, devastating local Aleut communities. And the British extended their fur trade from Hudson Bay deep into the continent, sparking an environmental revolution that transformed America’s boreal forests.  I tell these stories and more in West of the Revolution.

7.      What surprising things will readers learn from your book?
There are so many because we teach so little about early America in our US history classes. For starters, it will probably come as a surprise that the thirteen colonies that declared their independence from Britain in 1776 covered not even 4% of the North America.  All kinds of formative events were occurring elsewhere.  The Sioux Indians, for example, exploring the Great Plains, “discovered” the Black Hills in 1776.  The mountain uplift has since become their sacred homeland.  The Osage Indians were building their own empire in the heart of the continent in the 1770s.  “The truth is,” Jefferson would admit in 1804, the Osages “are the great nation South of the Missouri.”  The Kumeyaay Indians, in the vicinity of present-day San Diego, launched their own war for independence a few months after the “shot heard round the world” in distant Massachusetts marked the beginning of the American Revolution.  More generally, the book opens up vistas that we rarely get to see survey in traditional narratives of the period.

7 Questions With Ron Smith and Mary O. Boyle, Authors of Prohibition in Atlanta: Temperance, Tiger Kings & White Lightning

Although Ron Smith and Mary O. Boyle have both long held a dream of writing and publishing a book, the dream came to fruition because a commissioning editor for The History Press made contact. They’d been maintaining a blog about beer in the Atlanta area. The editor found some history articles on the blog and asked if Ron would consider writing a book on Atlanta beer to be part of their American Palate series. Ron recruited Mary to be co-author and they brewed up a book.

Ron’s background is in biology and environmental sciences, though he’s long nurtured a deep interest in history. Mary started in accounting and then segued to information technology. Both are detailed researchers and believe that snapshots of the moment do not cover the complexities of where people and places developed from. This is especially true in the South, where much of the history was literally burned away.

1. How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?

RS: As a kid I always liked Revolutionary War history. However, working on my family genealogy in my 30s got me moderately hooked. Researching for the books set that hook.

MB: I’ll give Ron primary credit for stoking my interest in history. I tend to be a here-and-now or looking-to-the-future person, and Ron’s thoughtfulness about the past has strengthened my appreciation for it.

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

RS: My family has interesting historic moments. One in particular is that my Great Grandfather served in the US Army during the Civil War. That’s pretty dramatic when his home county was overwhelmingly Confederate. Also, my father worked on the Apollo missions that put humans on the moon. So, it’s a bit of a “Forrest Gump” story (not the major players, but right next to their shoulders).

MB: My fraternal grandma--whom I spent a lot of time with as a child--would talk about traveling for days in a covered wagon as a little girl. She also recounted that my grandfather hung her by her dress on the coat hook of their door once when she was being ornery as a 16 year-old bride. It made me realize that to truly understand someone’s multi-dimensional view of the present, you must tap into their stories of the past. The same is true for places and organizations.

3. How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?

RS: Over the last 18+ years, I have worked next to cultural resources professionals (archeologists, anthropologists, architectural historians, etc.). I have learned a lot from their work, papers, and presentations.

MB: I tapped history in a different way…by being able to remember problems and solutions of the past to help solve tricky technical problems in my IT work. You can save a lot of time if you remember and honor lessons already learned!

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?

RS: To me it’s understanding context. X affected Y, and became what we now know of as Z. This can be seen in the blending of people, their cultures, their food, their drink, to become something new…like New Orleans.

MB: In some ways, I think humans elevate themselves when they explore, document and preserve knowledge and artifacts of history. The richness of life is lost if we lose track of the events and developments that shaped who we are. Understanding the past can help dispel a lot of faulty assumptions, too, or at least make them less powerful.

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

RS: The US “Roaring Twenties” and the Gilded Age that led up to the 1920s. In my opinion, modern America was developed in the 20s: modern advertising, social change for women, wide-scale credit, “off time” for the average worker, and casting off of Victorian mores.

MB: Hmmm. I’m not tied to a specific time, but I am intrigued by events where the role of women in society changed. I love learning about particular women or groups that defied the norms and shook things up. Oddly, then, I have to give a lot of credit to Frances Willard, who in leading the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union fought for equality and took a much higher public profile than was typical for women.

6. Tell us about your book Prohibition in Atlanta: Temperance, Tiger Kings and White Lightning.

The beginning of the book was really the prohibition chapter in Atlanta Beer. That was by far the hardest chapter to write, but we kept distilling the information to a workable chapter. The feedback from readers was very positive, yet we knew that we’d only been able to present the Reader’s Digest version. In Prohibition in Atlanta, we were able to give a more thorough visit to the very long history of prohibition in Atlanta—which goes back to General (Governor) Oglethorpe’s ban of “demon rum.”

The book is about the ups and downs in regard to perceptions of alcohol, but to frame those cycles we discuss the religious, gender, race, and political climates across decades (a couple of centuries, really). There are some unexpected connections, such as that the women active in the temperance movement were also highly influential in securing voting rights for women. From the standpoint of the alcohol industry, reviewing this evolution certainly helps explain the messy remnants of blue laws and local option that exist today across Georgia.

7. What history related projects are you working on currently?

RS: I keep researching beverage history as I can. I’m currently reading Wood, Whiskey and Wine: A History of Barrels by Henry H. Work. Fascinating--and it might be useful in future writing. Maybe something more light-hearted about the history of drinks is in the shaker.

7 Questions With Gretchen Henrich, Director of Interpretive Education at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Gretchen Henrich joined the staff of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in 1999 as the Children’s and Family Program Coordinator. She has a degree in Zoology from the University of California, Davis and began her education work in zoos. In her 25-year career, she has developed both humanities and science education programs in museums.

As Director of the Interpretive Education Division, she is currently responsible for managing interpretive programs and services as outlined in the Center’s Interpretive Plan. She also works on exhibit element interpretation, hands-on exhibitions, visitor service elements, and evaluation throughout the museum.


1.         How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
I would say I really got hooked on history later in my life than most. I struggled with history in school, nobody was able to light that spark in my early life. I was an animal lover, good at science and math, and I couldn’t see the relevance of history to my life or future career path. I think my true fascination with history came when I started working at the Center. The Center, where I currently work, has five museums that cover art, cultural, and natural history. The tangible objects in the museum revealed stories and meanings that helped me begin to understand history and its value. Because the museum’s collections are so diverse, I was beginning to learn about aspects of history from many sources. I was no longer learning history facts from a book, but I was challenged to look at history from lots of perspectives through a variety of resources. I am continually taught history through museum objects, fellow staff members, artists, Plains Indian tribal members, and scientists. I have such a comprehensive set of historical resources at my fingertips here at the Center, I am hooked!

2.         What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
After growing up in San Diego, I returned to the place in Wyoming where my mother’s family has roots. I am learning about my family history by being immersed in the local area. I now live in a house overlooking a man-made reservoir that flooded the town of Marquette where my great-grandparents lived. I run into people that continually give me little snippets of my own history through their stories. I recently discovered, through my coworker’s family research that I have a distant cousin working with me here at the Center!

3.         How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
I talk about history every day here at the Center. I love challenging students and adults to think about historical topics in a way that they may not have thought about them before. I like to present lots of perspectives and listen to how they process that information and form their own opinions about events in history.

4.         Why is studying/knowing history important?
I think that sense of individual identity that you get from studying history is important. Why do I have the beliefs I have? How do those who came before me shape what is happening in my world now? How do the events of the past effect society as a whole?

5.         What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
While working here at the Center, I have developed an interest in Plains Indian culture and history. It is interesting to observe throughout history how cultures clash, blend, evolve, and hold on to traditional values. I have met some fascinating people that have been willing to share their tribal cultural values and history with me and learning about their perspectives has enriched my understanding of history.

6.         What is the mission of the Education Division Buffalo Bill Center of the West?
Interpretive Education at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West embraces innovative, engaging, and thought-provoking methods of understanding cultural and natural objects and resources. The Center’s interpretive specialists blend far-reaching ideas of the West with experiences that set the stage for compelling stories of the West that unfold in an informal learning process.

7.         What are the greatest challenges and rewards of your job as Director of the Interpretive Education Division?
I think the greatest reward is when I hear someone say “I never thought of it that way before.” Or when a child says, “this is really cool.” It is so fun to watch the light bulb go on! I think the challenges for the museum field in general are remaining relevant to an ever changing audience. As a new generation begins to learn in different ways and with technology changing so fast, it is hard to keep up!

7 Questions With Amy French, The Roaming Historian

Amy French holds a Ph.D. in history. She is a tenured history professor and owner of Roaming Historian (a company offering travel and historian services). When she's not in the classroom, she and her husband enjoy traveling the world's most treasured sites, cities, and cultures. As the Roaming Historian she encourages others to explore the past with her one place at a time.http://roaminghistorian.com/

1.   How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
When I was almost four years of age, my parents took me to see the Egyptian exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum. I was mesmerized by the artifacts, but the piece that fascinated me the most was a mummified cat. I immediately pelted my parents with questions about it. Why was it mummified? Was it their pet? Did they worship it? My parents encouraged my curiosity by purchasing a subscription to an archaeological journal (they didn't have a lot of stuff for kids back then), which I devoured monthly. They continued to take me to museums and center our family vacations around historical sites, so I have my parents to thank for cultivating my life-long love of history.

2.  What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
The past seems to command my present. I'm always looking to explore historical sites or sift through archives. I like to think that I live in the moment, but whose moment I live in is a different story.

3.   How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
I'm a history professor so history plays a huge part of my career. My husband and I also own a company, Roaming Historian, which allows me to share my passion for history with a broader audience than my college's student body. As the Roaming Historian, I encourage others to integrate history into their travels. I help travel destinations promote their history to travelers and offer other travel services, as well as history services (research, consulting, speaking engagements, etc.). I am incredibly fortunate that I have two positions, which I love, that let me share my passion for history with others!

4.   Why is studying/knowing history important?
Besides the fact that it is just the coolest subject on Earth? Studying history opens up a world of possibilities and inspires us to be great (or not to make the same mistakes as others). Through learning the past we build an appreciation of other cultures and become engaged, global citizens. I love having a complex, diverse past to explore, and studying history continually sharpens my abilities to think critically and analytically.

5.   What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

It is difficult to choose just one era, but an aspect that I greatly enjoy is labor history, especially that of women. Coming from a working-class background, I was the first in my immediate family to go to college. My grandmother had a scholarship, but her father wouldn't let her accept it because she was a woman. I identify with the history of laborers and want to tell the story of people who are like me.

6.   How and why did you get to be the Roaming Historian?

Initially, I started writing about my travels for my friends, family, and students. As an avid watcher of travel shows and reader of travel articles, I noticed that a lot of them included history or were about historical sites. Since these were popular shows and magazines, I saw an opportunity to share my passion and expertise with a broader audience—so I became the Roaming Historian. As the Roaming Historian, I offer travelers ideas and opinions from a professional historian; I'm also able to offer my professional services in a variety of other ways.

7.   What are some of your greatest memories of trips you’ve taken as the Roaming Historian? 

Rome is the city where I connect to its past most deeply, but Athens is a close second. As I wandered down Rome's cobblestone streets, my spirit felt at peace. It felt like I was home. I love Rome's culture: its food, historical sites, joie de vivre, and respect for heritage. Athens is another great city where I have wonderful memories. Climbing the Acropolis and gazing upon the Parthenon gave me chills. I couldn't believe that I was visiting the birthplace of democracy, and that I was standing where noted scholars may have once stood. Both are fantastic cities! Ephesus, Turkey is another great memory. To wander through a huge archaeological site fulfilled my childhood dreams and made me realize that my life had come full circle. I still have the same insatiable curiosity for the past that I did when I was a child. Thankfully, my professional and personal lives allow me to live my dreams daily.

7 Questions With Amanda Read, Co-Host of the History Author Show

1. How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?

I think I loved history from the moment I could pay attention to stories. I grew up as an Army child, home educated and living abroad, who was curious about the behind-the-scenes of just about everything. Sometimes I felt like all the interesting things happened before I was born, and that I just missed out on the world's highlights. My imaginary games with my siblings often involved historical themes.

 2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
When my mother began reading aloud Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series to me when I was around 5 years old, I got excited about the notion of everyday experiences being meaningful history. After all, every bit of the past was once in the present! I started keeping a journal with attention to detail as if my writing might one day be meaningful, historical documentation. Naturally, I was partial to the written word. Sometimes I would make copies of letters I wrote to friends, and saved every letter I received (even the envelopes so I'd remember what postage looked like over the years, apparently). To this day I have a habit of not wanting to delete e-mail correspondence, because after my research experiences I think of how frustrating it is to only find fragments of letters and notebooks through which to understand life in previous eras. Ha!

3. How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in history and am working on a biography of USDA Chief Chemist Harvey Wiley (1844-1930), a project that started out as a screenplay. It's a story that tells of the classic tension between science and politics, and the origins of America's large federal bureaucracy, with a chemist and suffragette's romance throughout. My dream is to create historical drama films, bringing lesser known stories of the past to life on the screen for modern audiences. There's a special place in my heart for the Biblical epic, always yearning to give people a better understanding of the ancient world. But even in my freelance writing and journalism, history never ceases to play a role. When I report on a current event, I like to consider not only "what is the story?", but "what is the backstory?" What happened explains so much of what is happening. 

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?
History gives us the opportunity to learn from the life experiences of entire generations. As a relatively young country in the grand scheme of things, the United States of America in particular has a deep well of knowledge in other countries' histories from which to draw when it comes to government, and therefore (in my humble opinion) has less excuses for error! I think studying history also helps keep current events in perspective. Whenever I get irritated by a glitch in a contemporary convenience (like weak internet connection), I have to remind myself how people had to wait on communication across long distances for so many ages! We need to be grateful for the innovative work that some people pioneered generations before us. We have so much more time for leisure than most of them did, but we aren't always using it as productively as they might have dreamed.

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
That's always a tough question for me, because I have such eclectic interests. But I keep coming back to the 17th-18th centuries, known for being the age of reason, enlightenment, and revolution (but having a lot of human folly mixed in there too). Perhaps I can blame this interest on the biographies of Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal that I read when I was 9 years old. I particularly like studying what I call the "genealogy of ideas," discovering how many policies and cultural practices today are rooted in the thoughts of philosophers and other intellectuals that go back many generations. The enlightenments are naturally a big part of that study.

6. What is the premise of the History Author Show?
I once wrote (much to a history professor's appreciation) that the story of history, in a way, is a story of the historians themselves. Whenever you read about people of the past, you're reading not only about the characters within the events, but the interpretation by the characters who are recording and analyzing the events. The History Author Show interviews those characters who research and write history today - or as our host Dean Karayanis says, "we bring you the people who build the time machines."

7. What can listeners expect to hear in your shows?
Expect to hear deep conversation, laughter, vintage music, and some talented voice over artists bringing history to life!

7 Questions With Matthew Harffy, Author of The Serpent Sword

Matthew Harffy lived in Northumberland as a child and the area had a great impact on him. Decades later, a documentary about Northumbria's Golden Age sowed the kernel of an idea for a series of historical fiction novels. The first of them is the action-packed tale of vengeance and coming of age, THE SERPENT SWORD. The sequel is THE CROSS AND THE CURSE.

Matthew has worked in the IT industry, where he spent all day writing and editing, just not the words that most interested him. Prior to that he worked in Spain as an English teacher and translator. He has co-authored seven published academic articles, ranging in topic from the ecological impact of mining to the construction of a marble pipe organ.

Matthew lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.

When not writing, or spending time with his family, Matthew sings in a band called Rock Dog.

1.       How and/or when did you get hooked on history?
I think living in Europe and having parents who would take me to amazing historical sites sparked an interest in history from a early age. I grew up in England and lived in some fabulous places that were steeped in history. We lived for a few years in the village of Norham in Northumberland, where I would play in the ruined Norman castle on the hill overlooking the Tweed valley. Later we moved to Spain, and went to places such as Toledo, with its cathedral and castle, and the monastery palace of El Escorial. Being surrounded by such rich history, how could I not be hooked? 

2.      What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
My wife loves history too, so when we travel anywhere, we are both interested in visiting local monuments and museums. That, and our mutual love of books, are constants in our relationship and we have tried to instill the same passions in our daughters. 

3.      How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
History is of course a major part of my writing career. I've only published one novel and it is historical fiction, so I spend a large proportion of my time researching history and reading other historical fiction novels.

4.      Why is studying/knowing history important?
Knowing history is important because by understanding the past, we can try to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. It is the typical answer, but I think it is really true. It is a pity that more people don't seem to care about the lessons of the past.

5.      What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
For the last few years I have been immersed in early seventh century Britain researching for my novels. It is a fascinating time, with Christianity emerging as the primary religion of the British Isles. It is a time of clashes between the Germanic peoples known as the Anglo-Saxons and the native Britons. It is a time where the island of Britain is splintered into several small kingdoms, each vying for supremacy. England as a concept did not exist and the land would not be unified for many centuries. It is a dark age of battles, heroism, intrigue and religious conflict. It is a wonderful time to write about, with so many stories, and so little in the way of hard facts. Perfect for a novelist.

6.       What drew you to the world of the Bernicia Chronicles?
As I have said in the previous answer, the period is full of interesting characters and powerful stories. The land of Bernicia itself is what nowadays is called Northumberland, along with part of modern-day Scotland. I lived there for a few years as a child and I fell in love with the rugged landscape, rocky coastline and ruined castles. It is so barren in places, it is easy to imagine Anglo-Saxon warriors trudging through the windswept hills of the Cheviots towards the fortress of Bebbanburg (Bamburgh), atop its crag of rock, standing sentinel over the iron-gray waters of the North Sea.

7.       What will history lovers get out of your books?
They will get a feeling of total authenticity as they sit beside the protagonist, Beobrand, on mead benches in smoky halls while scops sing epic tales of dragons and night-dwellers. They will feel the rush of terror and excitement as shieldwalls clash. They will be taken on a journey into the dark past of the British Isles as Beobrand searches for his brother's killer, seeking to bring justice to an untamed land. And readers will learn of the history of those faraway northern kingdoms as the Angelfolc (the Angles) fought to gain control of the land from the Waelisc (the Welsh) who inhabited the island before their arrival. 

Links:
Website: http://www.matthewharffy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MatthewHarffyAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewHarffy
Buy THE SERPENT SWORD: http://getbook.at/TheSerpentSword




Bamburgh Castle at dawn

7 Questions With Charles Belfoure, author of House of Thieves

Charles Belfoure is a practicing architect from Maryland who’s written architectural histories and now writes novels. His first novel THE PARIS ARCHITECT about an architect who designs hiding places for Jews escaping the Germans in WWII occupied Paris made the New York Times Bestseller List. Architecture is the basis of all the plots in his historical fiction.

 



1. How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
I had always been drawn to history starting in 1961 on the 100th anniversary of the Civil War. I was seven.

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
History fascinates me, it’s basically the only thing I read along with biography.

3. How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
As an architect, the first stuff I wrote was architectural history and always included the broad historical context like what was going on in the world when a building was designed.

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?
What is happening at this very moment in the United States and the world is a continuation of history. To understand what’s going on now, you have to have an understanding of the past.

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
America’s Gilded Age from the 1870s up to America’s entry into the First World War.

6. Tell us about your book House of Thieves?
To pay off his son’s gambling debts, a society architect in 1886 New York is forced to join a criminal gang and plan robberies of the buildings he’s designed. Or his son will be killed. It’s like the Age of Innocence meets the Gangs of New York.

7. What will the real history buff love about your story?
The history buff will enjoy the details of Gilded Age high society and New York’s underworld.

7 Questions With Pamela Newkirk, Author of Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga

Pamela Newkirk is an award-winning journalist, a professor of journalism, and a director of undergraduate studies at New York University. She is the author of Within the Veil: Black Journalists, White Media, which won the National Press Club Award for Media Criticism, and the editor of Letters from Black America. She lives in New York City.


1.      How and/or when did you get you hooked on history?
My dad was an antiques dealer and collected black memorabilia -- vintage posters, photographs, rare books, postcards and letters -- that had been tucked in bureaus and trunks acquired in estate sales. The ephemera of early black life was all around me and I became fascinated by the lost history -- by the many influential people and movements that were not included in history books. When I discovered the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which was founded by someone like my father who valued the ephemera of black life, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. 

2.      What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
It has played a very meaningful role in my life and has taught me the value of cherishing family history which feeds into our collective history. Unfortunately much of the history of African Americans and other marginalized people is left out of the historical narrative. For so long their artifacts were  not valued by major institutions and, as a result, they became devalued by African Americans themselves.  

3.      How is/How was history a part of your professional life/career?
While SPECTACLE is solely a historical work, all of my previous books have a historical dimension. My first book, Within the Veil: Black Journals, White Media explores the efforts by African American journalists to work in mainstream newsrooms, beginning during the Civil War. .However most of the book addresses contemporary issues. That was followed by two epistolary collections. The last, Letters from Black America, includes 250 letters penned by African Americans from the 1700s to 2008. The correspondents include slaves, surgeons, soldiers, parents, politicians and is a multidimensional portrait of black life in letters. 

4.      Why is studying/knowing history important?
Because it enables us to recognize progress or regression. Hopefully we won't continue to make the same mistakes.  It is the foundation that generation after generation builds on. 

5.      What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
The early twentieth century was fascinating. Cities like New York were becoming beacons of art, culture, architecture and attracting tens of thousands of immigrants from around the world,  bringing with them their languages, customs, and culture, Also new disciplines, like anthropology, were being created. A truly fascinating period and historians have only scratched the surface. There's so much more to unearth.

6.       Tell us about your book Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga?
SPECTACLE is the story of a young Congolese man who in 1906 made national and global headlines after he was exhibited in the Bronx Zoo Monkey House, at times with an orangutan. He had been captured in the Congo and was held in the zoo against his will. This episode illuminates racial attitudes at the dawn of the twentieth century in one of the world's most progressive cities. It also shows how deeply pernicious attitudes about Africans were embedded in science, in media and in popular culture. Also, a century later, the entire episode had been sanitized and the man who most exploited Ota Benga was depicted in accounts as his friend and savior.

7.       It is a story that few people are aware of.  Why is it important today? 
This episode reveals the progress we've made in a century, but also exposes the roots of outlandish beliefs that had been grounded in science, and  that linger still.  Ota Benga's exhibition was not the creation of one bad egg. There was a wide web of complicity among some of the city's most eminent men and institutions, including The New York Times, the mayor, leading scientists, along with tens of thousands of New Yorkers. Nearly a quarter-million people flocked to the zoo to see a diminutive caged African in the monkey house.

Also, it was important to correct the historical record.