Weights & Measures
Money is a really big deal, to say the least. Most money today fits in our pockets, but communities around the world have used many different sizes and types of objects to facilitate exchange. Understanding how a certain material can hold economic value in a society provides valuable information to curious historians and inquisitive children alike. Monetary metaphors can even tell you the measure of a man, if you know what questions to ask; the most grounded individual might let having their head on a coin, commemorative or otherwise, go to their head.
Illustration: Resplendent quetzal bird, Guatemala, ca. 1923. National Museum of American History, Gift of The Honorable Charles E. Hughes; 20 quetzales coin, Guatemala, 1926. National Museum of American History, Gift of Robert Leon Hughes.
Staff
Advocacy Briefs
In the fall of 2022, the AHA sent two letters: one in favor of the nomination of Colleen Shogan as…
Townhouse Notes
One of the great honors of being managing editor of Perspectives has been editing the In Memoriam section. Over three…
Hope and Despair
In 2009, before Vladimir Putin had solidified his dictatorship, when hopes for a democratic alternative to the Soviet system were…
Julian Nava (1927–2022)
Photo courtesy EA Photography Julian Nava’s remarkable life showed how a historian can flourish professionally and make history at the…
W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963)
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution/CC0 On August 27, 1963, our discipline lost William Edward Burghardt Du Bois. The author of…
AHA Slogan Contest Winner
AHA staff is excited to announce the winner of the AHA Slogan Contest. Members and other historians submitted dozens of…
AHA Member Spotlight: Susan Ferentinos
Susan Ferentinos is a self-employed public history researcher, writer, and consultant. She lives in Port Townsend, Washington, and has been…