Appalachian State University’s Department of History will soon welcome Dr. Lindsay Rae Smith Privette to discuss the American Civil War in its speaker series. Her appearance reinforces the continuing importance of historical examinations of the conflict, offering fresh perspectives on the era’s lasting impacts.

Henry Wilson remains a singular figure in American history as the only New Hampshire native to become vice president. In 1868, while representing Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate, he also authored a 467-page book chronicling the legislative efforts that steered the nation through the Reconstruction era.

Sudan is grappling with a new catastrophe: a destructive landslide in Darfur that has wiped out the village of Tarasin. This disaster compounds the country’s ongoing civil war, severe famine, and widespread disease outbreaks, pushing Sudan further into crisis.

Journalist Shane Bauer’s investigation for The New York Times Magazine chronicles how Bashar al-Assad’s regime made an estimated 100,000 Syrians—children among them—vanish over the country’s 13-year civil war. The figure represents the largest wave of forced disappearances since the Nazi era.