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Think Like a Historian
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Question sources, check famous myths against the evidence, read the web like a fact checker, and write a small piece of real history of your own.
2h 54m5 constellations
01Question any source: who, when, why, and who agrees
02Check famous claims against the best-placed evidence
03Read the web laterally, like a professional fact checker
04Write a short, sourced account of the past, with honest uncertainty
Every lesson of Think Like a Historian
15 lessons in 5 levels, about 3 hours. Level 1 is free.
Level 1Read Sources Like a HistorianFree · 3 lessons
- What historians do differentlyTell primary from secondary sources, and see how historians read them differently from students.11 min
- Source it before you read itJudge a document by who made it, when, why and for whom, before trusting what it says.11 min
- Checkpoint: corroborate and contextualiseCompare independent sources and place them in their time before drawing a conclusion.12 min
Level 2Famous Myths, CheckedMembership · 3 lessons
- “Let them eat cake”, who said it?Use a primary source and a date to test one of history's most famous quotations.11 min
- Did Vikings wear horned helmets?See how a museum weighs finds, images and gaps before answering a simple-sounding question.11 min
- Checkpoint: myths from space and elsewhereCheck a famous claim against the institution best placed to know, and write a precise correction.12 min
Level 3Numbers and MemoriesMembership · 3 lessons
- Did people die at 40?Read historical averages correctly, and avoid the two opposite myths about life expectancy.11 min
- Memory as evidenceTreat eyewitness memory as valuable testimony that still needs corroboration.11 min
- Checkpoint: say how sure you arePresent numbers and claims about the past with ranges, sources and honest limits.12 min
Level 4History Meets the InternetMembership · 3 lessons
- Read laterallyJudge a website the way professional fact checkers do, by leaving it.11 min
- What students miss online, and the fixKnow where online judgment fails most often, and the short checks that fix it.11 min
- Checkpoint: an old photo goes viralCheck a historical photo's caption with sourcing and lateral reading, and correct it kindly.12 min
Level 5Be the HistorianMembership · 3 lessons
- Record an oral historyInterview someone about the past with consent, open questions and a plan to corroborate.12 min
- Write a short historical accountWrite a claim backed by named sources, with corroboration and honest uncertainty.12 min
- Capstone: your micro-historyAnswer one small question about the past with three sources and 300 careful words, and share it.14 min
AFTER THE CORE