What do you think?
Rate this book
Unexplained History: What Historians Still Don't Understand
One Day University presents a series of audio lectures recorded in real-time from some of the top minds in the United States. Given by award-winning professors and experts in their field, these recorded lectures dive deep into the worlds of religion, government, literature, and social justice.Despite what the song Wonderful World says, there's a lot we know about history. But there are still some pretty big gaps in our knowledge, for the simple reason that a lot of information about the past gets lost over time. Wars, fires, floods, deliberate destruction, or just plain carelessness―all of these factors and more contribute to some pretty fascinating historical mysteries. Together, we'll discuss the latest reliable evidence and theories for some major events, people, and buildings that fascinate all of us. Who were the first Americans, and when―and how―did they arrive? How on earth did Stonehenge get built? What did Cleopatra look like? What caused the Salem witchcraft outbreak of 1692? All of these, and more, will be examined during this fun and fascinating talk.This audio lecture includes a supplemental PDF.
- GenresHistory
Audio CD
Published June 1, 2021
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 5, 2023
This is a rollicking good "One Day University" class on what historians don't know. Professor Caroline Winterer of Stanford University presented her comments to a live audience. This was a refreshing historical look; the audience loved it as much as I did.
There are three myths about learning history --
1) If we try hard, we can learn the last 10,000 to 12,000 years of history.
The reality is -- The further we go back in time, the less information we have. Before 1800, ninety percent of the world was illiterate. So, if people did not produce documents, we don't know they existed.
a) Before 1450 CE (and the discovery of the printing press), there was no exploration of the interior landscape (personal thoughts and feelings).
b) Before 4000 BCE, there was no writing, except for tax documents or counting possessions.
c) Before 10,000 BCE, people still needed to settle in villages. So instead, people wandered around the landscape, trying to survive.
2) Historians agree on how to interpret historical events.
The reality is -- People don't see or interpret things the same way. Thus
a) The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the Constitution because people have different attitudes about its message.
b) We need help interpreting something as abstract as art in the absence of words.
3) History is full of alien invasion and conspiracy theories.
The reality is -- This would make history departments more exciting and sexy.
Then Professor Winterer cites five case studies to show how little we know about history. Finally, she asked her college students what things they find mysterious about the past (and would like to learn more about).
1) What accent did the founding fathers have (British or American)?
The lecture was worth listening to for this answer alone. I was blown away by the research.
2) What were the Salem Witch Trials all about?
Everything we learned about witches from the Scarlet Letter (by Nathaniel Hawthorne) needs to be corrected. Most of what we know about witches comes from the 19th century and needs to be revised.
She explains that the Witch Trials ended after 200+ years of religious conflict in Europe. This led to anxiety and violence and plunged the Europeans into the Wars of Religion. More than a million Europeans died in these wars. At the end was the Protestant Reformation. Thus, the pope's authority was being contested. All of this eventually spread across to America.
Witches were viewed as the devil trying to overturn Christianity and had to be obliterated. However, as people were executed in Europe, the thought that witches were active in America took hold, and the leaders wanted to eradicate them.
3) What did Cleopatra really look like?
Cleopatra VII was not Egyptian but from the Ptolemy dynasty (Greek). Because the pharaohs were considered to be agents of God, family incest was practiced. Unfortunately, we do not have one statue, coin, or picture from the Egyptian world that is unambiguously Cleopatra. Therefore, we must look at Ptolemaic figures for clues about Cleopatra's looks.
4) What is the meaning behind the Neolithic structures of Stonehenge?
Historians have yet to learn precisely what Stonehenge is. It is not a druid temple. Neolithic means this structure predates writing, so there are no written clues.
5) Who peopled the Americas in the 10,000 BCs?
There are three beliefs. First, the Indians were descendants of the Carthaginians (believed in the 1800s by George Washington and others). Second, the people who came down the Bering Strait during the Plasticine Ice Age peopled the Americas. And third, people floated down the Kelp Highway along the Pacific Coast and entered the Americas there.
This lecture was enthralling. I listened twice.
There are three myths about learning history --
1) If we try hard, we can learn the last 10,000 to 12,000 years of history.
The reality is -- The further we go back in time, the less information we have. Before 1800, ninety percent of the world was illiterate. So, if people did not produce documents, we don't know they existed.
a) Before 1450 CE (and the discovery of the printing press), there was no exploration of the interior landscape (personal thoughts and feelings).
b) Before 4000 BCE, there was no writing, except for tax documents or counting possessions.
c) Before 10,000 BCE, people still needed to settle in villages. So instead, people wandered around the landscape, trying to survive.
2) Historians agree on how to interpret historical events.
The reality is -- People don't see or interpret things the same way. Thus
a) The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the Constitution because people have different attitudes about its message.
b) We need help interpreting something as abstract as art in the absence of words.
3) History is full of alien invasion and conspiracy theories.
The reality is -- This would make history departments more exciting and sexy.
Then Professor Winterer cites five case studies to show how little we know about history. Finally, she asked her college students what things they find mysterious about the past (and would like to learn more about).
1) What accent did the founding fathers have (British or American)?
The lecture was worth listening to for this answer alone. I was blown away by the research.
2) What were the Salem Witch Trials all about?
Everything we learned about witches from the Scarlet Letter (by Nathaniel Hawthorne) needs to be corrected. Most of what we know about witches comes from the 19th century and needs to be revised.
She explains that the Witch Trials ended after 200+ years of religious conflict in Europe. This led to anxiety and violence and plunged the Europeans into the Wars of Religion. More than a million Europeans died in these wars. At the end was the Protestant Reformation. Thus, the pope's authority was being contested. All of this eventually spread across to America.
Witches were viewed as the devil trying to overturn Christianity and had to be obliterated. However, as people were executed in Europe, the thought that witches were active in America took hold, and the leaders wanted to eradicate them.
3) What did Cleopatra really look like?
Cleopatra VII was not Egyptian but from the Ptolemy dynasty (Greek). Because the pharaohs were considered to be agents of God, family incest was practiced. Unfortunately, we do not have one statue, coin, or picture from the Egyptian world that is unambiguously Cleopatra. Therefore, we must look at Ptolemaic figures for clues about Cleopatra's looks.
4) What is the meaning behind the Neolithic structures of Stonehenge?
Historians have yet to learn precisely what Stonehenge is. It is not a druid temple. Neolithic means this structure predates writing, so there are no written clues.
5) Who peopled the Americas in the 10,000 BCs?
There are three beliefs. First, the Indians were descendants of the Carthaginians (believed in the 1800s by George Washington and others). Second, the people who came down the Bering Strait during the Plasticine Ice Age peopled the Americas. And third, people floated down the Kelp Highway along the Pacific Coast and entered the Americas there.
This lecture was enthralling. I listened twice.
Displaying 1 of 1 review