About this Site
Historians begin with inquiry, and inquiry requires doubt. Like a good scientist, a good historian maintains a degree of doubt and modesty, leaving himself open to newly perceived connections and differentiations. This site is devoted to accuracy and has benefitted from examination and criticism by colleagues, professors and other readers. It will continue to be devoted to the common reader as it becomes a collective effort associated more closely with academia, planned to take effect in 2014.
I've read primary sources and I draw from the works of people who have devoted their professional lives to a narrow focus of study – the real historians – and some social scientists.
My job is to describe. I believe in emotional development that allows one to acquire the capability of a degree of objectivity. But I also have my opinion sections. I expect you to interpret as you please. if you find that I don't conform to your idea of correctness or that I've made a factual error, I would appreciate hearing from you with at least a little detail that supports your point of view. We live in a world with a lot of verbal nonsense. Don't let me get away with anything.
I have a volunteer copy editor who works in her home and tries to keep me from sloppy writing. Sometimes for speed I put my work online first and she corrects it a few hours later. Sometimes I send it to her first. The site has 1,100,000 words or more (1,864 documents averaging 600 words). It has 345 maps and more than 1,500 other images. My copy editor is trying to keep up with the changes that I often make.
Sections
Timeline covers events listed by the year, from 4.3 million years ago to 1921. Beginning with 1921 the entries are listed by day.
World News. This month's events and ideas in a single paragraph and subject per day.
Country Proflies provides quick access to a map of each country, data such as population, life expectancy, religions, economic growth, governmental institutions, recent history and more.
Macrohistories are described in a list of selected works from Spengler to works as recent as 2010.
Commentary and More History consists of blatant opinion on subjects ranging from ancient history to developments today.
The purpose of my book summaries is largely to provide historical information.
"Inside a Few Heads" is largely about philosophers but also includes Stalin, Sadam Hussein, Timothy McVeigh, Kimveer Gill and Jared Loughner.
biography
In California in 1951, FRANK E. SMITHA dropped out of high school and joined the Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged in 1954 and worked as a laborer. He soon began taking courses, including remedial English, at Glendale Community College. He saved his money, traveled abroad, read books, drove a cab, became politically active and in 1963 
entered UCLA as a junior majoring in sociology. His interest changed from sociology to history. On January 1, 1965 he moved to Berkeley. There he worked part-time for the university. With student friends he attended classes, without credit, and he attended lectures. Using campus libraries he did research and wrote. He traveled again, through Commmunist Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Soviet Union, Japan, the South Pacific and back to work on the Berkeley campus, until 1973. That year he married. He traveled with his wife, sailed and collected notes for an outline of world history. His PhD-candidate wife insisted on his acquiring a degree, and in 1977 he graduated with a bachelor's degree from California State University, Hayward, with Dean's List honors – his focus modern European history. He burned his unfinished book to avoid distraction from earning a living and began working as a writer-editor in Silicon Valley. In 1987 he returned to part-time work and began research for the historical narratives that would appear ten years later as Antiquity Online. He now lives in central Ohio.
Click here for boring biographical details
