Historical Topics, State of the Field

70,300 → 12,187: A Brief History of Great Power Non-Proliferation Diplomacy (1945 – 2026)

By Jessica Dickinson Goodman In 1967, the U.S. had 31,255 nuclear warheads and the U.S.S.R. was racing to catch up; by 1986, Moscow had 40,159. By 1986, the world had 70,300 acknowledged nuclear warheads. But today, the world is down to 12,187.  What changed? And what could it mean for nuclear competition with China? How did the U.S. and U.S.S.R. Start Nuclear Arms Control Then? … Continue reading 70,300 → 12,187: A Brief History of Great Power Non-Proliferation Diplomacy (1945 – 2026)

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Historical Topics, research

Patrick J. Hurley and the Great Mexican Dance Conspiracy

Stewart Huntsman On March 1, 1939, an agent of the Sinclair Oil Company sent his superiors a warning of a dastardly conspiracy. “What I shall report herein will sound fantastic,” he wrote, “it IS the plan of the people here.” The report was forwarded by air mail to the Shoreham Building in Washington, DC, where it was reviewed by Sinclair officials, among them former Secretary … Continue reading Patrick J. Hurley and the Great Mexican Dance Conspiracy

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Interviews

Where are they now? Checking in on Footnote Alumni

We reached out to past Footnote staff to find out what they’re up to these days, and what their time at The Footnote meant to them. Here are some of their updates! Megan Huang, MA ‘25, Director of Digital Content (2024-2025) I am still based in the Washington, DC area, where I now work in opposition political research. One of my main responsibilities is puttingto … Continue reading Where are they now? Checking in on Footnote Alumni

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Historical Topics, History in Popular Culture, research

A Plant, A Pretext, A Prison System: Marijuana, the Carceral State, and the Racial Politics of Control 

Umber Rashid For generations, marijuana has been tied to elements of our counterculture since the 1960s. Draped in the imagery of rebellion, antiwar protests, and the scenes of different genres of music, this historical narrative turned cannabis into a symbol of personal freedom tied with cultural dissent. This, however, gives a limited picture of how marijuana functions in modern U.S. history, as it misses a … Continue reading A Plant, A Pretext, A Prison System: Marijuana, the Carceral State, and the Racial Politics of Control 

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Historical Topics, Op-ed, research

From Brochures to Monographs: Lessons from the National Park Service for A Historian-in-Training

Victoria Korotchenko When people think of the National Park Service, they often conjure images of Yosemite or Yellowstone. When I mention that I intern with the service, I often hear about people’s memorable family vacations or their favorite hikes. Some even tell me about their bucket-list goal to hit up all 63 national parks. Sometimes I don’t have the heart to tell them that there … Continue reading From Brochures to Monographs: Lessons from the National Park Service for A Historian-in-Training

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Historical Topics

W.E.B. Du Bois and the American Dilemma

Jack Hill In the year 1868, the United States of America—scarcely recovered from its Civil War and barely able to call itself “united”—was a nation of fewer than 35 million souls, and around twelve percent of them bore the indelible mark of Africa in their ancestry. Slavery had been abolished in name, if not entirely in substance. In most of the country, Black Americans were … Continue reading W.E.B. Du Bois and the American Dilemma

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Historical Topics, History in Popular Culture

Cultural Memory and Reimagining Irish Identity

Isabella Terrizzano Just before Saint Patrick’s Day 2025, twenty-seven years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, two Irish artists from opposing sides of Belfast performed on stage together, marking a historic cultural moment in this generation’s perception of Irish identity.  To those unfamiliar with Irish history, this may seem unexciting; however, when placed in the context of the longstanding feud between unionists and … Continue reading Cultural Memory and Reimagining Irish Identity

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Historical Topics, research

Franco and the Foreign Press in Post-WWII Spain

Gavin Dunsby For scholars of 20th-century Spain, newspapers are an important source of information on the country’s rapid developments from the Spanish Civil War to the political violence of terrorist organizations that rocked Spain during the latter part of the century. Newspapers covered all of these events, even when threats of censorship, expulsion, or criminal prosecutions loomed over them. During the Franco regime (1939 to … Continue reading Franco and the Foreign Press in Post-WWII Spain

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Historical Topics, History in Popular Culture

Miracle on Ice: International Hockey in Times of Geopolitical Turmoil

Madi Campbell Geopolitical tensions in international sporting events are not uncommon. From 1980 Lake Placid to 2025 Boston, geopolitics have historically boiled over in ice hockey, and this year’s Milan Olympics have been no exception.  Even casual hockey fans know the story of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” between the United States and the Soviet Union—especially as it became part of the mythos in the … Continue reading Miracle on Ice: International Hockey in Times of Geopolitical Turmoil

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Historical Topics, History in Popular Culture

A Raciolinguistic Perspective? On the History of Spanish Speakers in the US in the Era of Bad Bunny

Patrick Grey Last week on Sunday, February 1, Bad Bunny became the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his record sung entirely in Spanish. His sixth studio album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” discusses many themes such as Puerto Rican culture and diaspora, the island’s struggle with gentrification driving out locals, and a nostalgic call to keep our memories … Continue reading A Raciolinguistic Perspective? On the History of Spanish Speakers in the US in the Era of Bad Bunny

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