Boston University

History

A photo of John Thornton and Linda Heywood

Research Accolades

Two BU Scholars of African American History Elected to AAAS

April 29, 2020

Black and white photograph of the Federal Street Post Office in the wake of the Great Boston Fire of 1872. A billow of smoke rises from the top of an old fire truck, a crowd of men stand close by.

Campus History

From the Great Boston Fire to the Depression to Coronavirus: A Short History of BU’s Biggest Campus Disruptions

April 24, 2020

Children and Poverty

Why Are “Some Kids Worth Less”?

April 9, 2020

Opioid Crisis

Tracking the Path of the Opioid Crisis

February 18, 2020

2020 Democratic Presidential candidates Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar on stage during the Iowa Democratic Debate.

Climate Change

Climate Policy and Presidential Politics: How Candidates Rank

February 14, 2020

A group of women march holding signs that read "We want beer 1933" and American flags.

Voices & Opinion

POV: The 100th Anniversary of Prohibition Reminds Us That Bans Rarely Work

January 17, 2020

The Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989.

Books

Andrew Bacevich on Winning the Cold War, Then Blowing the Cold Peace

January 14, 2020

BU Poli Sci professor Spencer Piston delivers a talk called Who Built America in response to a talk by conservative figurehead, Ben Shapiro.

Politics

A Response to Ben Shapiro’s Talk at BU Last Month

December 9, 2019

A Boston University football player runs the ball in the 1969 Pasadena Bowl game.

Football

50 Years Ago, the BU Football Team Played Its Only Bowl Game

December 5, 2019

A student stands at a podium in class acting as president of revolutionary France’s 1791 National Assembly

Education

Listen to a Lecture about Revolution? Why Not Play a Revolutionary in Class?

December 2, 2019

Composite image showing conservative commentator Ben Shapiro delivering a speech at Boston University (left) and African American protestors holding a sign that says 'Whose Freedom?' while demonstrating against Shapiro's appearance at BU.

Voices & Opinion

Impassioned Reactions to Ben Shapiro’s Speech at BU

November 14, 2019

Halloween

The History of Halloween

October 30, 2019

the ghost of Eugene O'Neill in Shelton Hall (now known as Kilachand Hall) at Boston University

BU History

The Ghost of Kilachand Hall

October 30, 2019

Joe bagley holding a Chinese lantern artifact found in an archaeological dig of Boston's Chinatown neighborhood.

Archaeology

The Alum Digging Up Chinatown’s Archaeological Treasures

October 9, 2019

The observatory dome

Astronomy

The Secret History of BU’s PRB Observatory and the Telescope It Was Built to House

September 30, 2019

Portrait of Robert Eschmann.

Racism

The Internet Is Unmasking Racism. Here’s What That Means to Young People of Color.

July 30, 2019

Offred, the heroine in The Handmaids Tale stands in the Arlington Station

Things-to-do

Take a Tour of 10 Locales from The Handmaid’s Tale

July 30, 2019

central-square

In the City

To Do Today: Central Square Activism Walking Tour

July 25, 2019

The sign that hangs outside the African Meeting House

In the City

Retracing Boston’s African American History

July 23, 2019

Humanities

How the Japanese Imperial Family, the World’s Oldest Royal Line, Transcends Time

July 9, 2019

How the Japanese Imperial Family, the World’s Oldest Royal Line, Transcends Time