Boston University

History

Composite image of a hand holding an icecream cone and a portrait on Hannah Spiegelman. On the left, a hand with golden nail polish holds an ice cream cone. The ice cream cone is a light brown color with chunks graham cracker and candy, named “Goonies Never Say Die.” On the right, a photo of Hannah, a young woman with round glasses, icicle-blue curly hair, wearing a pink shirt with ice cream cones and the phrase “I scream for reproductive rights.” Hannah holds a dripping ice cream cone and smiles wide, as if mid laugh. A flower bush is seen blurred behind her.

Food History

Alum’s Blog Combines Twin Passions: History and Ice Cream

February 17, 2021

A pair of gloved hands making a heart over a red background

Self-Care

Inspiring Stories on Practicing Self-Care This Valentine’s Day

February 11, 2021

An illustration of a 19th century slaughterhouse in Chicago

Books

In Animal City, CAS Historian Traces the History of Livestock in US Cities

February 9, 2021

Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts, as Jill Biden and their children Ashley and Hunter look on on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. Photo by Andrew Harnik - Pool

Inauguration Day

President Biden’s Inaugural Address Gave America Reassurance and Hope

January 20, 2021

A photo of National Guard troops in front of the US Capitol

Politics

This Presidential Inauguration Will Be Unlike Any Other, but It Isn’t the Only Exceptional One

January 20, 2021

Photo of Trump supporters clashing with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. Police officers, dressed in riot gear, push back a metal barrier as insurgent Trump supporters holding American flags and Trump 2020 flags try to break through the line.

Politics

As Trump Supporters Storm Capitol, BU Historian Answers: How Worried Should Americans Be?

January 6, 2021

University News

“If You Do Nothing, Racial Inequality Persists”—Ibram X. Kendi Honors Howard Zinn in Annual Zinn Lecture

December 9, 2020

An illustration of the first Thanksgiving

History

What That Turkey Is All About

November 23, 2020

Photo of a group of students gathered in the MFA in 2018. Behind the students are two large works of art in ornate frames. A semi -circle of students listen as one student presents their work of choice.

Arts & Culture

Visiting Ancient Worlds Virtually through Student-Made Videos

November 20, 2020

Composite image of three book covers, from left: Cook, Taste, Learn by Guy Crosby, Recipes and Remembrances of Fair Dillard by Zella Palmer, and Halal Food by Febe Armanios and Bogac Ergene.

Food Studies

MET’s Pépin Lecture Series in Food Studies & Gastronomy Goes Virtual

November 12, 2020

A photo of water buffalo grazing

Wetlands

When Wildlife, Politics, and Morals Collide

November 5, 2020

Portrait of Eugenio Menegon, College of Arts & Sciences associate professor of Chinese, wearing a bright blue button down and black leather jacket. He smiles and a fuzzy background with a building and fall trees are seen behind him.

History

BU Spearheads Massive Database of Centuries of Culture-Sharing between the West and China

November 4, 2020

A photo of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Kristen Welker on the debate stage

Politics

Trump, Biden Clash on Immigration, COVID … and Abe Lincoln

October 23, 2020

Artistic rendering of The Embrace MLK monument in Boston by Hank Willis Thomas with MASS Design Group

Voices & Opinion

POV: It’s Time to Change How We Choose Monuments and Statues

October 16, 2020

A photo of Paula Austin standing outside a house

Books

A History of Racial Discrimination and the Fight for Change

October 12, 2020

A portrait photo of Christine Woodbury Hamel

Performance Arts

Why Policing the Way Voices Sound Has to Stop

September 17, 2020

Photos of Richard Nixon and Donald Trump sitting at the desk in the Oval Office

Politics

The Trump Tapes vs the Nixon Tapes

September 10, 2020

Photo of the headstones of Rebecca Lee Crumpler (MED'1864), reading "the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the US." and her husband Arthuer Crumpler. The headstones are at the Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park. Bright green grass grows around the headstones.

Historic Alumni

Trailblazing BU Alum Gets a Gravestone 125 Years after Her Death

August 7, 2020

President Donald Trump speaks at Mount Rushmore National Monument Friday, July 3, 2020, in Keystone, S.D. Trump stands at the podium and the faces of Mt. Rushmore are seen behind him.

Voices & Opinion

POV: Trump’s Call for a National Garden of American Heroes Misses the Point

August 4, 2020

The Emancipation Group statue in Boston's Park Square. The statue shows Abraham Lincoln towering over a crouched and half-naked formerly enslaved man, Archer Alexander.

Arts & Culture

How a BU Art History Scholar Helped Boston Rethink Its Emancipation Memorial

July 21, 2020

How a BU Art History Scholar Helped Boston Rethink Its Emancipation Memorial