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 

“I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past.” – Patrick Henry, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech, March 23, 1775 

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Article of the Week 

“What the 1920s Can Teach Us About Surviving the AI Revolution” by George Anders, The Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2026. 

“We’ve been here before,” Anders declares, drawing parallels between America’s reaction to the adoption of cars in the 1920s and current uncertainties about the rise of AI. In the ‘20s, the car drew criticism for reshaping social norms, eliminated jobs in traditional sectors, and amassed a poor safety record, writes Anders. But regulation requiring licenses and new features such as rearview mirrors added by industry increased trust in vehicles, while the auto industry generated hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Understanding “how US society made peace with the 1920s’ innovation frenzy provides some encouraging signals about the ways that society can absorb” new technologies like AI today, Anders argues.