1892 quotes by historians for you to enjoy

The brank, or scold's bridle, was unknown in America in its English shape: though from colonial records we learn that scolding women were far too plentiful, and were gagged for that annoying and irritating habit. Alice Morse Earle

Women Too Unknown Plentiful Though Colonial Records Habit Shape Annoying Learn Scold Were America Irritating Far English Bridle

When I started researching history in the 1960s, a lot of women about whom I've subsequently written were actually footnotes to history. There was a perception that women weren't important. And it's true. Women were seen historically as far inferior to men. Alison Weir

History Women Men Perception Seen Important About Written True Were Lot Historically Inferior Subsequently Far Researching Whom Actually Started

The first Elizabeth film was an absolute travesty historically. It really was sloppy. Things like 'The Other Boleyn Girl' and 'The Tudors,' people's perception is distorted because of these. It matters to me as a historian, because I spend my life trying to get it right. Alison Weir

Life Me People Girl My Life Perception First Matters Other Spend Distorted Sloppy Absolute Like Because Historian Historically Get Trying Really Film Right Things Elizabeth

In 1965, when I was fourteen, I read my first adult novel; it was a historical novel about Katherine of Aragon, and I could not put it down. When I finished it, I had to find out the true facts behind the story and if people really carried on like that in those days. So I began to read proper history books, and found that they did! Alison Weir

History People Finished First Down Books Those Carried Out Find About Proper Could Adult Facts Had Put True Days Like Read Historical Began History Books Did Behind Story Story Books Really Katherine Novel Found Fourteen

At school, up to the age of sixteen, I found history boring, for we were studying the Industrial Revolution, which was all about Acts, Trade Unions and the factory system, and I wanted to know about people, because it is people who make history. Alison Weir

History Age People School Revolution Unions System Boring About Factory Studying Know Industrial Industrial Revolution Make Because Trade Trade Unions Were Up Sixteen Wanted Which Who Found Acts

I feel very strongly that where the facts exist, a historical novelist should use them if they're writing about a person who really lived, because a lot of people come to history through historical novels. I did. And a lot of people want their history that way. Alison Weir

History People Writing Way About Strongly Through Facts Feel Come Because Exist Lot Historical Very Person Did Where Want Them Really Should Use Who Novelist Novels Lived

Over the past years, I have lectured many times on the Cuban missile crisis, most provocatively to 200 senior officers of the former Soviet army in Moscow in 1991, among them KGB generals. There, my knowledge of Penkovsky's role was thoroughly confirmed, and so was the Soviet military men's residual sense of humiliation at Khrushchev's 'blink'. Alistair Horne

Knowledge Army Humiliation Men Past Sense Military Thoroughly Crisis Generals Missile Over Moscow Most Cuban Cuban Missile Crisis Blink Years Times Role Officers Soviet Senior Confirmed Former Them Many Among Residual

Following 9/11, intelligence indicated numerous links between al-Qa'eda and Algeria. It began to look as though the roots of jihad could be traced back to the war in Algeria that began 50 years ago. Alistair Horne

War Intelligence Numerous Algeria Jihad Back Though Following Could Between Look Years Years Ago Began Links Roots

Though not the longest battle in history - that was Verdun - Stalingrad was certainly the most pitiless, an adjective that reappears regularly in Mr. Beevor's classic work. Alistair Horne

Work History Battle Though Adjective Classic Longest Most Regularly Certainly

Shortly after Pearl Harbor, FDR committed a most visionary act: He appointed a Harvard historian to write the official account of the U.S. Navy in World War II. Samuel Eliot Morison was given the rank of lieutenant commander, with the right to interview anyone of whatever status. Alistair Horne

War World Whatever Interview Rank Visionary Harvard Status Lieutenant Given Write He Most Commander Historian Account Official Committed Anyone After Samuel Act Harbor Navy Right Pearl Pearl Harbor Appointed World War World War II

In 1939, Fitzroy Maclean, a gangly Highland aristocrat in his early 30s, was serving as a British diplomat in the U.S.S.R. Disgusted by the Soviet show trials, he quit the Foreign Service and would go on to serve with Tito's partisans fighting the Germans in Yugoslavia. Alistair Horne

A triumph in which Kissinger could claim to have played some little part, in the presidential elections that November, President Richard Nixon had won the second greatest landslide in American history. Forty-seven million Americans had voted for him - and for his and Kissinger's policies - representing more than 60 percent of all the votes cast. Alistair Horne

History November Richard Nixon President Presidential Claim Nixon Some Percent Triumph More Cast Kissinger Could Had Part Voted Votes Policies Him Greatest His Won Than American Representing American History Which Little Richard Elections Landslide Million Played Second

Though Washington had closed down for the holidays, the next day, December 26, a key message from Hanoi brought Kissinger racing back to his office. It was the signal the White House had anxiously been awaiting; it was also the day of one of the biggest raids by the giant B-52s. Alistair Horne

Day Key Closed White White House Down Back Giant Though Signal Brought Kissinger Had House Also Message Been His Office December Biggest Holidays Racing Next Awaiting Washington

On 6 October 1973, the Yom Kippur war broke out between a coalition of Arab states and Israel. At 6 A.M. that morning, Kissinger, asleep in the Waldorf, was taken by surprise by the Arab attack - as were the CIA and the rest of the world. Alistair Horne

War Morning CIA World Rest States Broke Arab Out Kissinger Attack Taken Between Israel October Surprise Were Asleep Coalition

In the late 1980s, a new revolt broke out, this time led by the fundamentalist FIS (Islamic Salvation Front). Many of its leaders were the kind of young Algerians who joined the struggle against the French occupiers in the 1950s. Alistair Horne

Kissinger was surely one of the very few statesmen to try to do something positive to break the log jam of the Cold War; to try to end the war in Vietnam; to bring a halt to the cycle of war in the Middle East. Alistair Horne

Without Kissinger's work in the Middle East, with Sadat especially, I doubt if the Camp David Agreements five years later would have happened. His achievements over detente, the seeds of trust he sowed in a very distrustful and hostile Moscow, helped over a long period. Alistair Horne

Work Trust Long Doubt Later East Would Seeds Detente Kissinger David Long Period He Hostile Over Moscow Period Without His Years Camp Very Five Achievements Middle Middle East Happened Helped Agreements

Mikheil Saakashvili can claim that 80 per cent of Georgians wanted to join NATO; on the other hand, a similar percentage of Russians would almost certainly support Putin's quest for a strong Russia. We would mistake this mood at our peril. Alistair Horne

Mistake Strong NATO Other Our Claim Mood Would Per Russia Russians Similar Percentage Join Putin Support Almost Peril Quest Hand Georgian Wanted Cent Certainly

History never repeats, but there are the obvious precedents that pessimists can reach for: Sarajevo, 1914; the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia, 1938. But equally relevant might be the tragically meaningless guarantees Britain extended to Poland in 1939. Alistair Horne

History Relevant Never Poland Reach Obvious Equally Repeats Tragically Might Meaningless Pessimists Czechoslovakia Extended Britain Guarantees

A small foot in China, no different from a tiny waist in Victorian England, represented the height of female refinement. For families with marriageable daughters, foot size translated into its own form of currency and a means of achieving upward mobility. The most desirable bride possessed a three-inch foot, known as a 'golden lotus.' Amanda Foreman

Own Possessed Small Daughters Foot Most Known Female Waist Mobility Refinement Lotus Families Currency Tiny Golden Different Size Achieving Form Upward Upward Mobility China Victorian Height Translated Means England Bride Desirable

In 1874, Mary Fraser accompanied her husband Hugh to Hong Kong, arriving hours after a typhoon had wrecked the island. Some 10,000 boat families had drowned in the harbour. There was no way to avoid the bloated bodies, and when Mary disembarked, she felt her foot land on something soft. Amanda Foreman

Husband Hong Kong Way Some Wrecked Something Mary Foot Had Drowned Hours She Felt Island Kong Bloated Accompanied Arriving Families Hugh After Boat Land Bodies Harbour Avoid Her Soft

The photograph of the Queen sitting stiffly across the table from Glasgow resident Susan McCarron is so natural and expressive that it looks utterly fake. It looks like an artist's portrait, complete with symbolism, humour and poignancy. No wonder the palace and the press have interpreted it in such different ways. Amanda Foreman

Natural Queen Humour Complete Press Ways Photograph Table Poignancy No Wonder Glasgow Like Looks Fake Wonder Susan Sitting Artist Different Across Different Ways Palace Expressive Resident Utterly Portrait Interpreted Symbolism

Took Finally Guilty Easy Having Had He Divorce Anne Catherine Himself Sought Wives Came Continue His Contrary Did Any Refusal After Which Turn Pope Popular Belief Awarded Found Henry Route Her Treason

Quotes by Historians