Damn History | Issue 75

The author H.G. Wells was active in a variety of left-leaning causes throughout his long literary career, and he made sure he crossed paths with many influential and interesting people.

In 1934 Wells interviewed Soviet leader Josef Stalin (for what exact purpose, I’m not sure) and discussed with Stalin the differences between liberalism and communism. The interview grew argumentative and prickly. This is how it began:

Wells: I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Stalin, for agreeing to see me. I was in the United States recently. I had a long conversation with President Roosevelt and tried to ascertain what his leading ideas were. Now I have come to ask you what you are doing to change the world. . .

Stalin: Not so very much.

An unpromising start. But things warmed up from there. You can read the entire transcript at the Marxists Internet Archive. I recommend it for a look into the minds of two of the twentieth century’s most forceful figures.

Here in Damn History you'll find, as usual, recommendations on good and popularly accessible historical reading, with tips on writing and links to my own work.

 — Jack El-Hai

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Jack_ElHai

Contact me at [email protected]

Personal Notes

If you're in the San Diego area, catch Sense of Decency, a new play by Jake Broder that is adapted from my book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist. It premieres on April 17.

Through February 5, buy the audio edition of my book The Lobotomist at half price.

For a bountiful collection of my popular-history book and article recommendations, search X (formerly known as Twitter) for the hashtag #popularhistory.

Recent Popular History from All Over

You may find some of these articles behind a paywall if you’ve exceeded the publisher’s allowance of free views.

An essay explains why it was advisable to avoid Isaac Asimov at parties during the 1960s. 

“It was dark, hairy, and humanlike.”

Arctic explorers found a young Iñupiaq woman asleep with her tabby cat.

Three abandoned children and a forty-year mystery.

TMI: A graphic history of White House health disclosures.

A concise history of U.S. accents and dialects, including the California vowel shift.

An inheritance case unravels an art dynasty. 

Some of the champagne bottles aboard the Titanic never imploded despite many years under deep-sea pressure. Why?

Worthy of a footnote. 

Resources       

Russian textbooks offer lessons in whitewashing history. 

The influence of the late journalist and teacher Jon Franklin, author of Writing for Story.

Popular-history writer David Grann describes how he vets his stories and conducts his research.

"A private library is not an ego-building appendage but a research tool. Read books are far less valuable than unread ones." – Nassim Nicholas Talib

Housekeeping

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More next month, and thanks for taking a look. And you are welcome to forward Damn History in its entirety to anyone.

About me: I'm a journalist whose beat is history. I've contributed hundreds of articles to such publications as Smithsonian, The Atlantic, Wired, Scientific American, Discover, GQ, The Washington Post Magazine, and many others. My books include The Lost Brothers: A Family’s Decades-Long Search, The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness, Non-Stop: A Turbulent History of Northwest Airlines, and The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Goering, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WW2. I often give presentations to groups of writers, readers, and others.

Please feel free to get in touch.