Purpose
This blog is dedicated to the proposition that the national news magazines -- Time and Newsweek -- especially before the advent of blogging, represented the best look at reading history as it was being lived. A "first draft", as it were.
History's First Draft
Each week a different classic issue will be put up on the blog, and excerpts from that issue will give a taste of the coverage of the news of the day. It's also the conviction of this blog that these issues represent an artistic statement -- sometimes made with photography, other times with design and layout.
I've just always liked owning these perishable gems, and I think the cover art tells a story of its own. Together they form a mosaic of our times. So, here they come, one at a time, feel free to comment and debate. Because history, even instant history, should not be old and fussy.
On the subject of comments, let's use them! In every post, I will try to add a sense of how this history impacted my life (if I was alive when it happened) or some perspective on the event looking back from today. Hopefully, readers of Instant History will do the same. Think of the comments to each post as a chance to write a little bit about "where were you?" or "what you think now." Could be fun and educational at the same time.
Finally, on the subject of education, it's my hope that the teaching community may find some value in this blog's lively (hopefully!) presentation. Please feel free to use it to inspire students to pay a little closer attention in history class, to incorporate the content within into research projects and to, hopefully, realize that history really is worth caring about and, actually, just fun to know about. And, if you want to stick a link up here and there, Instant History will love you!
So, there it is. Thanks for stopping by. Come back anytime.
Bryce Zabel
bztv-at-aol.com
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