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 

“In times of change and danger when there is a quicksand of fear under men’s reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present.” – John Dos Passos, The Ground We Stand On: Some Examples from the History of a Political Creed (1941) 

(More Quotes ») 

Article of the Week 

“AI’s Future May Be Written in Railroads’ Past” – Adrian Wooldridge, Bloomberg, December 5, 2025. 

Wooldridge points to several parallels between the ongoing spending spree by AI companies and the buildout of railroads during the second half of the 19th century, such as the role of “buccaneers” (e.g., today’s AI CEOs) who shamelessly evangelize the new technology and “extravagant financial engineering.” He argues that although financial busts causing considerable short-term pain are inevitable in the AI era, the long-term “economic pluses” will be worthwhile, just as railroads eventually boosted productivity, increased connectivity, and lowered supply chain costs.