Applied History Project

The mission of Harvard’s Applied History Project is to revitalize applied history by promoting the production and use of historical reasoning to clarify public and private challenges and choices. Founded by Professors Graham Allison and Niall Ferguson in 2016, the Applied History Project builds upon the foundation laid by Professors Ernest May and Richard Neustadt in the 1980s, reflected in their book Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers. 

Advancing its mission, the Project sponsors the Applied History Working Group of faculty members across Harvard University to organize discussions with scholars and practitioners; supports historians and policymakers in producing Applied History; develops courses in Applied History; funds the Ernest May Fellowships in History and Policy for pre- and post-doctoral students; and holds Applied History Events open to the Harvard Community and the public. Harvard’s project is one of the leaders among a rapidly expanding network of universities and think tanks that are furthering the discipline of Applied History by clarifying predicaments and choices to inform better decisions.

The Project gratefully acknowledges the Stanton Foundation's generous support for its Applied History endeavors. 

Quote of the Week 

“History is not the accumulation of events of every kind which happened in the past. It is the science of human societies.” – Fustel de Coulanges, lecture from 1862 quoted in Revue de Synthese historique (1901)

(More Quotes ») 

Article of the Week 

“The Midterms Feel Like 2006 All Over Again” by Carl Hulse (chief Washington correspondent) in The New York Times

Hulse argues that parallels between this year’s midterm elections and the 2006 midterms are “instructive” for both parties, agreeing with Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer who has said “the analogy is amazing” and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel who called 2026 “2006 2.0.” Hulse stresses the “structural changes” that make this year that complicate the analogy, such as recent redistricting that has made it harder to unseat some Republicans who might have otherwise faced tough races. But Hulse also notes strategic lessons that Democrats might draw from their victory in 2006, including the necessity to focus on “kitchen-table economic concerns” (Social Security privatization in 2006, cuts to social programs in 2026).