Blogging the Past: Moving History into the 21st Century

Blogs have become increasingly popular as a medium for communication in the 21st century. They offer the chance to reach people instantaneously, and with a greater amount of space to convey a point than Twitter or other forums. So it is only natural that historians would take history to blogs in an attempt to reach other people who share their interests and passions.

One of the blogs that I have found that does an excellent job of this is Culture&Stuff, a blog that deals with "unearthing less familiar stories from the past," focusing mostly on 17th and 18th century French history. The blog itself has a clean, modern aesthetic to it - the titles of posts are in bright neon blue font, making them easy to see on the page. The author (or authors - it is difficult to tell, since there is little autobiographical information, although I am inclined to believe that it is the work of a single person) covers a wide variety of topics, and in an interesting manner. The current front article as I write this is a film review for the film A Royal Affair, which covers the tumultuous stories of King Christian VII of Denmark, his wife, Caroline Mathilde, and her lover and the king's physician, Johann Friedrich Struensee. What I admire the most about this blog is not only the article topics, which vary from Theorigne de Mericourt to an analyzation of the truth behind Moulin Rouge, but the very open language used in the articles. There is never a moment where I feel as if I am being talked down to, or as if there is technical language is being used to exclude me from some sort of club exclusive to historians. Everything is written in layman's terms, touching on the traditional aspects and the more bizarre.

Another blog that I find extremely interesting is Chickamauga Blog, run by David A. Powell. Powell, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, holds a Bachelor's degree in history. He is currently researching the Battle of Chickamauga. I was especially drawn to this blog because of the topic - I am quite interested in the Civil War, and the Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga practically took place in my backyard. Growing up, my family visited the historic battlefield, and I have always wanted to know more about what happened there. This blog, like Culture&Stuff's, is clean and organized. However, it is not as modern in appearance, favoring a sleek grey and white profile instead. Powell also has a very casual and accessible writing style, while remaining informative and interesting. What I really enjoy about Powell's blog is the insights into researching a topic that it gives - especially for someone who is currently studying history, this is a great way to see what life is like after graduation. 

Both of these blogs are really amazing sources, and I really enjoyed reading them both! The links are attached below:

Culture&Stuff:

http://cultureandstuff.com/

Chickamauga Blog: Chickamauga, the Civil War, and sometimes, just life:

http://chickamaugablog.wordpress.com/