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 

“The past is our sole repository of information about what works and what does not; we have nothing else to draw upon.” – Robert Crowcroft, “The Case for Applied History,” History Today, September 2018.

(More Quotes ») 

Article of the Week 

“Rebirth of the madman theory? Unpredictability isn’t what it was when it comes to foreign policy” – Andrew Latham, The Conversation, January 26, 2026.

Comparing Trump’s unpredictability in foreign policy to Nixon’s “madman” strategy, Latham cautions that the three conditions that made Nixon’s gambits successful no longer hold: information was scarce, the USSR was risk-averse and stable, Nixon selectively paired unpredictability with restraint. Today, the volume and speed of information floating online prevent leaders from carefully crafting signals over time, America’s enemies are unsurprised by volatility, and Trump has acted unpredictably too often for his threats to retain credibility.