Obscure Histories

A community activist and co-founder of the Brixton Black Women’s group, Olive Morris dedicated her life to advocating for others. Although she died at the age of 26 from cancer, she leaves a lasting legacy. Elizabeth Burns paints a nuanced story of her life and the times in which she lived. #history #britishhistory #olivemorris #obscurehistories https://lnkd.in/giFYwsn8

**NEW** Operation Mincemeat, by Matthew Adams. During WWII, the Allies needed a foothold in Italy to begin their Mediterranean Invasion. This gruesome — but effective — covert operation fooled the Nazis all the way up the command chain. It was spycraft inspired by the brainstorms of Ian Flemming (of James Bond fame), but implemented by the real MI5. https://lnkd.in/g5yXKQur #obscurehistories #history #WWII #spycraft #jamesbond #MI5 #warhistory

OH writer, Amanda Minchin, is also a screenwriter. Here she is discussing the screenplay she wrote on early TV pioneers, Mary Kay & Johnny. Amanda wrote on Mary Kay & Johnny in her debut piece for OH last year. Congrats Amanda!

**NEW** "The Akwaete & The British: British envoys abruptly left this Nigerian region in 1902. Why?" by a terrific new writer for OH, Grace Amadi. Amadi gives us an incredible, new perspective on the history of of the Akwaete region in Nigeria in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, using historical documents and interviews with the people who live in the area. This great overview provides a balanced perspective on the situation, while also discussing the legacy of the British companies who sought to tap the resources for export. https://lnkd.in/gTUQ5qkF #history #obscurehistories #Nigeria #Akwaete #BritishHistory

Year in Review: *Fifteen* new, original pieces from our Community Writer's Initiative https://lnkd.in/ginY7WHm If you are like us and don't want to work today, check out this recap of our new pieces from 2024 — there's bound to be something for everyone. Our nine excellent authors represented here produced incredible, original, thoughtful, and accessible historical content this year, with more slated for next year. They include Jenna Demmer, CHES, Sophie Adekola, Jason Phillips, Nate Barker, Rachel Martinez, Amanda Minchin, Katherine Brown, Matthew Adams, and angela youngman. I am so grateful to know them, work alongside them, and learn from them. We are committed to ad-free, non-commodification of original and accessible historical content. We are a nonprofit, working to create revenue by being useful — stay tuned for our new educational initiatives in early 2025 that will raise funds to keep paying our authors. We are community-led, and you are our community! Thank you to everyone for an incredible year! Yours in history, Dana

**NEW** In a pivotal moment in Saving Private Ryan, General Marshall takes a letter from his desk a reads a condolence letter from Abraham Lincoln to a grieving mother who had lost multiple sons in the Civil War. Perhaps a rare of Hollywood *not* taking liberties with the source material, the letter — known as the Bixby letter — is real, and attributed to Abraham Lincoln. The letter is used as a catalyst that sets the operation to save Private Ryan into motion. And yet, this letter — considered to be a model in this genre — has an extremely complicated history, with doubts about the circumstances it describes and even its authorship. OH writer, Amanda Minchin, brilliantly takes us through the use of the letter in the film, the history of while it was so poignant, and then the actuality of the situation. In the process, we learn how the real stories can be complicated and even messy, and infinitely more interesting than film can convey. https://lnkd.in/gn-9wNDW (Newsletter subscribers receive stories before they go online. Go to obscurehistories.org main page to subscribe. Donations to Obscure Histories are tax deductible.) #history #obscurehistories #filmhistory #bixbyletter #civilwar #savingprivateryan #film

**NEW** James Wong Howe was a brilliant cinematographer who successfully navigated the transition from silent movies to modern cinema, pioneering techniques and styles throughout his legendary career. Howe earned 16 #academyawards nominations along the way, winning twice for Best Cinematography. Rachel Martinez has another wonderful piece on the history of cinema complete with stunning images from Howe's impressive body of work. https://lnkd.in/gbs5j3Mf #obscurehistories #history #historyofcinema #historyoffilm #historyofAsianAmericans #AAPI

GIVING TUESDAY | How donating to Obscure Histories is like raising venture capital for the greater good. Measure your ROI in warm fuzzies. **Last year, OH became an official nonprofit. This is also our 10th year of being online!** We have worked to make Obscure Histories something based on being useful. We DON'T have adverts or paywalls. We DO pay our writers. We DON'T gatekeep content. DO create educational content that is community led. We DON'T raise revenue with clickbait or monetize our content. We DO create curricula that teach professional skills using history stories to help fund our work. We are trying something new. Be part of doing something that prioritizes people, not SEO. If you want to be a part of this "something new," click below for our latest newsletter that shares a few options on how you can help. Donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. https://lnkd.in/gx9Kfabf Yours in history, Dana #history #obscurehistories #nonprofits #givingtuesday #beinguseful

Champi hair oiling is taking the hair-world by storm, but its practice goes back thousands of years, and it is an integral component of family bonding activities. Our resident beauty expert, Sophie Adekola, takes us on another beauty journey, this time through India and Ayurvedic medicine. https://lnkd.in/guab3v8N #history #obscurehistories #indianhistory #champi #hairoiling #ayurvedicmedicine #beauty

**NEW** Mary Anning was an early paleontologist before there even was a word for it. This remarkable story about her life and struggle for recognition is thoroughly told by a new writer to OH, angela youngman. Mary Anning was a professional fossil hunter from a very early age, and her knowledge, tenacity, and dedication to her field shaped it from the start. Ms. Youngman is an established writer and historian, and we're overjoyed to be able to include her terrific piece here at Obscure Histories. https://lnkd.in/gi_t6BH7 #obscurehistories #history #womenshistory #paleontology #dinosaurhunters #fossils #historyofscience #Englishhistory