I wrote another post about how much I struggled with episode five of Ken Burns’ American Revolution: open.substack.com/pub/evanmwil...

Why the U.S. Navy Doesn’t Build Battleships Anymore On Apr. 7, 1945, aircraft from the U.S. Navy’s fast carrier task force sank the largest battleship ever built, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Yamato.

I have thoughts about the recent announcement that the US Navy will build battleships once more. @warontherocks.bsky.social was kind enough to publish them.

warontherocks.com/2026/01/why-...

Ken Burns' American Revolution, Episode 5 (1) A narrow focus, and a missing perspective

I was not a fan of Ken Burns' American Revolution Episode 5. Some thoughts on the missing global context, and how events in Europe shaped events in the thirteen colonies.

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/ken-burns-...

CFP: Venezuelan Revolutions Series editor: Amanda C. Waterhouse, University of Notre Dame   Recent events in and around Venezuela demand more scholarly and public attention to the country’s history and relevant related t…

#CFP. ageofrevolutions.com/2026/01/06/c...

Photo of the huge dam on the Dnipro river after it was attacked, with billowing smoke and flames.

Issue 3 of Mainsheet, on Challenges in Maritime Archaeology, is online now. I am especially excited to see the publication of this article by a Ukrainian archaeologist about the underwater heritage of his country and the impacts of the war. 🏺 #oa www.mainsheet.mysticseaport.org/article/1475...

Ken Burns' American Revolution, Episode 3 The mysterious Howe brothers

Some background and context for Ken Burns' discussion of the Howe brothers: evanmwilson.substack.com/p/ken-burns-...

Ken Burns' American Revolution, Episode 2 The Arnold Family of Newport

On the Benedicts Arnold and the family's connection to Newport, inspired by Ken Burns' American Revolution Episode 2:

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/ken-burns-...

Ken Burns' American Revolution, Episode 1 Framing the war

Some additional commentary on Ken Burns' American Revolution Episode 1. I talk about missing India; Suffren; and sending the army to the colonies.

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/ken-burns-...

Applied History An anatomy

I tried to figure out what applied history is, and what it means that I have to care about it in my day job:

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/applied-hi...

oh my god Yale

Great read.
@smh-historians.bsky.social

Why did convoys work? The answer might surprise you (sorry)

Why did convoys work?

With apologies for the Buzzfeed-style subtitle...

#navalhistory

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/why-did-co...

A Plan for Manning the Royal Navy, 1813 From the cutting-room floor

A Hunger-Games-style proposal for solving the Royal Navy's manning problems in 1813:

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/a-plan-for...

A Hurricane in Jamaica That one, but also another one.

A Hurricane in Jamaica
substack.com/@evanmwilson...

Retraction watch--a double whammy! Plagiarism AND a double submission! Don't see that every day.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Admiral Lord Nelson in Context A blast from the past

What made Nelson ordinary, and what made him extraordinary.

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/admiral-lo...

History has a whole tense designed specifically for its use. Not many other disciplines can say that!

oh my god this.

And it bleeds into writing. I have to yell to my students “if it’s in the past USE PAST TENSE.”

The 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Navy From Britain's Perspective

I wrote about the Continental Navy on its 250th birthday, specifically about why its dismal combat record obscures its other accomplishments. I've also got a section in there about the challenges the British faced in the early years of the Revolution. Check it out: open.substack.com/pub/evanmwil...

If The Thieving AI Company Can Survive The Legal Settlement, Then It Is Not Big Enough | Defector There is an easy answer to the question “How long does it take to write a book?” but it is not a true one. The easy answer is the duration between when you actually start putting your pen down on the ...

This.

And that meant I got to link to my favorite item on JSTOR: Iggy Pop's essay on Edward Gibbon: www.jstor.org/stable/25528...

Arms and the Man Charlton Heston takes on Patrick O'Brian

I wrote about Charlton Heston writing about Patrick O'Brian in an academic book. What's not to like about that sentence?

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/arms-and-t...

Nope.

Historian achievement unlocked: I've just had my own book explained to me by a stranger.

Where Babies Come From

It's the hover-text that does it. Historians, click through:

xkcd.com/3127/

Men-of-War: Life in Nelson's Navy 2 Part two of my review

In Nelson's era, were British ships really worse than French and Spanish ships? I investigate Patrick O'Brian's claims:

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/men-of-war...

HMS Surprise - Cochrane; Maturin's Pay A Naval Miscellany

I wrote about Patrick O'Brian's evolving relationship with Lord Cochrane, and about how Stephen Maturin lies about his income to Diana Villiers when he proposes in HMS SURPRISE. Check it out!

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/hms-surpri...

#navalhistory

HMS Surprise - Types of Naval Officers Drawn from the History of the British Navy

Stephen Maturin reflects on the types of naval officers in HMS Surprise. He wasn't the first to do that:

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/hms-surpri...

Really? The Unbelievable Stephen Maturin

Patrick O'Brian's Stephen Maturin is an unbelievable character, in the most literal sense. Yet he compels us to suspend our disbelief, and he sticks in our mind long after we're finished with the series. A post from my dad:

evanmwilson.substack.com/p/really

#navalhistory