SM-6 missile strain raises strategic risks in wider conflict
Iran’s retaliation to the intensifying war may be swift, but the longer-term risks lie in how prolonged fighting could strain U.S. defenses and tempt rivals like China.
The Department of History thrives on its close relationship with many other departments, centers and area studies programs in the humanities and social sciences at Cornell. The faculty includes more than a dozen prize-winning authors as well as winners of Cornell’s prestigious teaching and advising awards.
History Events
Mar
05
Thursday
04:45 PM
LaFeber-Silbey Lecture - Philippe Sands
Goldwin Smith Hall
G64
Mar
18
Wednesday
10:10 AM
Mar
19
Thursday
12:00 PM
Greenland: The Last Colony in Europe
Clark Hall
700
Mar
19
Thursday
05:00 PM
Claude McKay: The Wanderings of a Rebellious Poet
Goldwin Smith Hall
HEC Auditorium, room 132
Apr
09
Thursday
12:00 PM
Apr
09
Thursday
04:30 PM
European History Colloquium - Dan Edelstein
Mary Ann Wood
B21
Apr
14
Tuesday
05:00 PM
Pop after Empire: Disco, Decolonization, and the Re-Making of Europe's Pop Music Industry
A. D. White House
Guerlac Room
Apr
28
Tuesday
05:00 PM
Get to know history at Cornell
Department of History News
Little changing as Ukraine-Russia war drags toward Fifth year
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, what’s notable is the lack of change in the last year, says David Silbey, a professor at Cornell University who specializes in military history and defense policy.
Global Hubs researchers probe war, how to keep peace
Two Cornell researchers collaborated with colleagues in the United Kingdom in an effort to understand the organized violence of modern war.
Historical marker commemorates Toni Morrison’s time in Ithaca
Cornell faculty, staff, students and community members celebrated the 95th birthday of Toni Morrison, M.A. ’55, by unveiling a new historical marker in front of 513 N. Albany St., where she lived while in graduate school.
Your February 2026 reads
This month’s featured titles by A&S alumni and faculty include a look at the urban-rural divide, a biography of an anti-poverty activist, and a business guide for "winning dream jobs, awards, and elite opportunities.”
LaFeber-Silbey Lecture considers “A World Without Law?”
Scholar of law Philippe Sands will give the LaFeber-Silbey Lecture in History on March 5, considering "Lessons from History and Literature, from Nuremberg to Pinochet and Beyond.”
How WWII changed ideas of racial purity in Japan
The new book explores what happened to “mixed blood” children born to Japanese women and foreign soldiers.
College of Arts and Sciences announces 2026 Klarman Fellows
The 12 early-career scholars will pursue research in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
Undergraduate Study
History is valuable as preparation for graduate, professional, or law school and for any career that requires critical thinking and good writing; the reputation of the faculty for scholarship, teaching, and advising; and most of all, the intrinsic interest of the discipline.
Graduate Program
Cornell's Department of History has a topnotch faculty covering a wide range time periods, geographic regions and methodologies. As a student in our program, you will also be able to work with members of the wider Graduate Field of History, which includes scholars whose main appointment is in other colleges and programs at Cornell but who are able to supervise dissertations of Ph.D. students in History.
Connections through history
Public History Initiative
The Cornell Public History Initiative (CPHI) works to stimulate and deepen dialogue among undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and their wider communities about the sedimented histories that shape our contemporary world.