What is your favorite part of history to read/learn about? (1 Viewer)

[Krodwhodat]

I absolutely love reading about WW2 and watching documentaries. I find my self more interested in the war in Europe than in the pacific. I even preferred band of brothers over pacific. I also enjoy reading about it from other countries perspectives.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Huac

 

[Krodwhodat]

Huac

Just looked that up and I'm going to start reading on that as well. I love watching Cold War movies from the 50's. I also listen to old time classics on siriusxm and the old radio shows were awesome. The best is "I was a communist for the FBI"

 

[superchuck500]

I'm a 60s junkie. Basically beginning with the campaign leading up to the 1960 election, through the crumbling of the Nixon administration. That's really the period of 1959 - 1974. I was an American History major in college, but my focus was on that period.

I just think that period is so fascinating at so many levels. Politically, you have the young, outsider Catholic presidency that captures the public attention in a way not really seen before - and his tragic assassination, followed by two clinically paranoid career politicians undone by their own psychoses. In foreign policy, you have the greatest threat to the end of the modern world ever experienced (Missile Crisis) and the deep solidification of the Cold War, and the containment doctrine misplaced in Southeast Asia pushing us to sacrifice more than 60,000 to try to save a corrupt, feudalistic, agricultural nation from itself. In domestic policy, you have the Civil Rights movement, the student movement, and the Anti-war movement all coming against resistance that culminated with some truly shameful episodes in how Americans treat each other. And in culture, you have a complete explosion of color - with the sudden emergence of rock/pop music as a creative and political force, and similar paradigm shifts in fashion, art, stage, etc.

I still read non-fiction and watch documentaries on that era with much more vigor than any other. I truly can't get enough.

 

[Zack Lee]

besides my obvious obsession with NOLA history, it has to be ancient Greece and Rome. Before the History channel fell apart completely I used to love any show concerning the engineering or philosophy of those cultures. Last year I read several books surrounding WW2 including Rise and Fall of the Third and "The 2nd World War" Also, I have the World at War Documentary series and have only watched the first 5 so far. Definitely getting back to those. It is hard to believe that a series done in 1973 was so well done.

 

[msusaintsfan]

I love all types of military history, Louisiana and South Mississippi history.

I think WWII history may be my most interested subject. Since my grandfather and great uncle served during WWII and my other grandfather was stateside during the war due to family hardship. Great Uncle served in European front while grandfather was on Pacific front. Great Uncle would talk about it, but grandfather rarely talked about it.

 

[CapitalCitySaint]

I'm a 60s junkie. Basically beginning with the campaign leading up to the 1960 election, through the crumbling of the Nixon administration. That's really the period of 1959 - 1974. I was an American History major in college, but my focus was on that period.

I just think that period is so fascinating at so many levels. Politically, you have the young, outsider Catholic presidency that captures the public attention in a way not really seen before - and his tragic assassination, followed by two clinically paranoid career politicians undone by their own psychoses. In foreign policy, you have the greatest threat to the end of the modern world ever experienced (Missile Crisis) and the deep solidification of the Cold War, and the containment doctrine misplaced in Southeast Asia pushing us to sacrifice more than 60,000 to try to save a corrupt, feudalistic, agricultural nation from itself. In domestic policy, you have the Civil Rights movement, the student movement, and the Anti-war movement all coming against resistance that culminated with some truly shameful episodes in how Americans treat each other. And in culture, you have a complete explosion of color - with the sudden emergence of rock/pop music as a creative and political force, and similar paradigm shifts in fashion, art, stage, etc.

I still read non-fiction and watch documentaries on that era with much more vigor than any other. I truly can't get enough.

Ditto. I find the politics of this era particularly interesting as well as the fashion and art.

In college I had to take an Art History class. I thought it was going to be an easy class....it was not 'difficult' per se but it was so mind-numbingly boring (Pre-Renaissance; Renaissance ....blah all that religious art) until I had to write a paper on Roy Lichtenstein. It was then that I became much more engaged.

 

[zeetes]

ancient Greece and Rome.

**** yeah. bring on the gladiators and winged shoe dudes and ****.

zeetes is an alternative spelling/translation of "zetes." he was an argonaut with wings on his boots and head. how freaking cool. something something harpies something something golden fleece blah blah ran from a fight. bad ***.

 

[boutrous]

For me it's WWII and the American Civil War.

When I was younger (college) it was the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Before that it was ancient Greece and Rome, in particular their gods. (middle / high school)

Prior to that it was dinosaurs and prehistoric era (elementary school)



My wife likes Egyptian Pharroh history.

 

[JimEverett]

I'm a 60s junkie. Basically beginning with the campaign leading up to the 1960 election, through the crumbling of the Nixon administration. That's really the period of 1959 - 1974. I was an American History major in college, but my focus was on that period.

I just think that period is so fascinating at so many levels. Politically, you have the young, outsider Catholic presidency that captures the public attention in a way not really seen before - and his tragic assassination, followed by two clinically paranoid career politicians undone by their own psychoses. In foreign policy, you have the greatest threat to the end of the modern world ever experienced (Missile Crisis) and the deep solidification of the Cold War, and the containment doctrine misplaced in Southeast Asia pushing us to sacrifice more than 60,000 to try to save a corrupt, feudalistic, agricultural nation from itself. In domestic policy, you have the Civil Rights movement, the student movement, and the Anti-war movement all coming against resistance that culminated with some truly shameful episodes in how Americans treat each other. And in culture, you have a complete explosion of color - with the sudden emergence of rock/pop music as a creative and political force, and similar paradigm shifts in fashion, art, stage, etc.

I still read non-fiction and watch documentaries on that era with much more vigor than any other. I truly can't get enough.

It is a very interesting time, but I would expand it to include the time to start with the planning of the post WW2 world.

And you have to include the biggest political force in the world during that time - the end of colonialism. I think during the time the focus was on the Cold War, but I think history will see that the biggest force was the ending of the colonial era and the changes it brought. In fact, there is a good chance, imo, that history will name our era as the "post-colonial era" - signifying the emergence of the non-European/American world.

 

[Zack Lee]

For me it's WWII and the American Civil War.

have you ever been to Vicksburg? I have been through that battle field 3 times. I have not gotten around to reading any books about it yet but that place is cool enough to get non-history people interested.

**** yeah. bring on the gladiators and winged shoe dudes and ****.

zeetes is an alternative spelling/translation of "zetes." he was an argonaut with wings on his boots and head. how freaking cool. something something harpies something something golden fleece blah blah ran from a fight. bad ***.

I did not know this about you Zeetes. You are a riddler rapping in Enigma.

 

[saintmdterps]

Naval History, and particularly that during the era of the wooden warships. I know way too much about the war against the Barbary Pirates 200 years ago. names like William Bainbridge, Edward Preble, Stephen Decatur, and Thomas Truxtun fascinate me

John Paul Jones, Trafalgar, the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of the Saintes, Kearsarge vs the Alabama, Jutland, Leyte Gulf (Evan Thomas' Sea of Thunder is excellent) are further interests.

I used to read a lot of Sci-fi and have gotten back to the genre somewhat here of late.

 

[bigdaddysaints]

Mine has always been Medieval and old west..
But I really do like learning all history. My wife always gives me a hard time about watching the history channel so much.
When I was in school, basically the only way to learn history other than in class, was to break out the encyclopedia.. Now, if I have a random thought, I Google it.. If I'm unsure about something I having a discussion about, I don't hesitate to Google it..

 

[HoustonSaint68]

I absolutely love reading about WW2 and watching documentaries. I find my self more interested in the war in Europe than in the pacific. I even preferred band of brothers over pacific. I also enjoy reading about it from other countries perspectives.

...NOLA history....ancient...Rome. Before the History channel fell apart completely....

It's really a tragedy what's become of the History Channel...like MTV but a thousand times worse given the potential for it.

For me it's WWII and the American Civil War.

When I was younger (college) it was the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Naval History, and particularly that during the era of the wooden warships. I know way too much about the war against the Barbary Pirates 200 years ago. names like William Bainbridge, Edward Preble, Stephen Decatur, and Thomas Truxtun fascinate me

John Paul Jones, Trafalgar, the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of the Saintes...

The above covers it for me. As with saintmdterps, wooden ships and iron men are at the top of my list and have been since I first read C.S. Forester when I was 12 years old.

Hey saintmdterps, have you read Six Frigates? Really excellent. Boutros, you might like it also. My next book is one on Cochrane -- trying to find the time to get to it.

 

[HoustonSaint68]

Before that it was ancient Greece and Rome, in particular their gods. (middle / high school)

Ok, so even if it's a close 51/49 split, Greek or Roman?