Department of History

History provides windows to the world and to the human psyche.  Clio, the muse of History, opens those windows to reveal vistas of the past that help us understand former times, places, and peoples as well as our own.

The study of History:

• enriches those who undertake it
• provides them with skills that they will find invaluable - to think critically, to write with authority, and to understand broadly

As James M. McPherson, a preeminent scholar of the Civil War, has written, history is “a continuing dialogue between the present and the past.”  Because of that, History is not just one written record but also an on-going analysis of many records. It is a challenge to do History well, but it's intriguing and, yes, it can even be fun.

This Month in History

Month: FEBRUARY

February 23, 1945
U.S. Flag Raised on Iwo Jima

"During the bloody Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment of the 5th Division take the crest of Mount Suribachi, the island's highest peak and most strategic position, and raise the U.S. flag. Marine photographer Louis Lowery was with them and recorded the event. American soldiers fighting for control of Suribachi's slopes cheered the raising of the flag, and several hours later more Marines headed up to the crest with a larger flag. Joe Rosenthal, a photographer with the Associated Press, met them along the way and recorded the raising of the second flag along with a Marine still photographer and a motion-picture cameraman. " (Source)