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 helps us] foresee the Events of things, perceive their Causes, and by remembering those Evils that are past, provide Remedies against those which are coming upon us.” – Degory Wheare, Method and Order of Reading both Civil and Ecclesiastical Histories (1635)

(More Quotes ») 

Article of the Week 

“The 2030s Will Bring a Fiscal Cliff. Here’s How It Got So Steep.” by The Editorial Board, The Washington Post

As the US national debt is expected to surpass 100 percent of GDP this year, the editorial leader asks the Applied History question: how did we get here? Using visualizations and historical annotations, the article notes key moments in which US federal deficits ballooned between 1962 (when the Office of Management and Budget began its modern accounting of revenues and costs) and 2026. Catalysts include the wars after 9/11, stimulus spending during the Great Recession, and COVID-19 stimulus. But the graphic also illuminates the role of perpetual increases in entitlement spending.