HISTORY LAB 2 How much time has to pass before something is considered history?

The full show transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/

How long ago does something have to have happened in order for it to be considered history? In this History Lab episode, Professor Richard Keller explains why he considers the very recent past to be history. He also talks about the research opportunities and challenges he encountered when working on his book on the 2003 Paris heat wave and shares how our present moment can inspire students’ historical research projects.

Episode Links:

Richard C. Keller is Professor of the History of Medicine and Associate Dean of the International Division at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. https://history.wisc.edu/people/keller-richard-c/

The book that Prof. Keller discusses in this episode is Fatal Isolation: The Devastating Paris Heat Wave of 2003, which was published in 2015 by the University of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo20145393.html

National History Day in Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15524

UW–Madison’s History Lab: https://history.wisc.edu/undergraduate-program/the-history-lab/

Do you have a question about how to do history? Record a voice memo we’ll answer your question in an upcoming episode. Our email address is outreach@history.wisc.edu

Our music is “Wholesome” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome CC BY 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/