About this Site
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Chimpanzees have gotten by okay in ignorance of the origins of their kind. And some humans live in blissful ignorance of that from which their world has arisen. But the world of now is connected to the past, and knowing that past helps in providing perspective on the world today. Knowing can be painful, but some of us accept the pain and find pleasure in greater understanding. And knowing the past can be useful.
Historians begin with inquiry, and inquiry requires doubt. And like a good scientist a good historian maintains a degree of doubt and modesty, leaving himself open to discoveries and newly presented facts. This is what I try to do with my history narratives.
I describe humanity from prehistory to the 21st century -- a gigantic subject that requires help from people who have done good works. I've drawn from those who have devoted their professional lives to a deeper and more narrow focus of study. The purpose is to address any query concerning a major development that could at some point have been answered by time, as in "time will tell." In other words the purpose is to illuminate historical trends, to describe the works of monarchs, tyrants and priests, the promises of prophets and politicians and the expectations of revolutionaries and military strategists. I offer in my narratives an interpretation rather just data. I offer a sketched order in place of the fragmentation that encyclopedias offer.
An attempt has been made here to avoid the distortion that rises from selecting only those facts that support my point of view. My interest is primarily in what actually has happened rather than defending my point of view. But with people spread across an entire spectrum of opinion I am bound to offend. I'm not inclined to conform to anyone's idea of correctness. Conformity or servility have never been my habit, but I would like to draw strength from views that differ from my own. If you disagree with me, I would appreciate from you facts and an able argument.
I need help. This site has benefited from the scrutiny of professional scholars and others, and I would appreciate more help no matter how small.
Apart from my narratives, in another section of the website I respond to the opinions and positions of others with opinions of my own. Again, if you disagree, I might benefit from you telling me why. Vituperation merely tells me what I already know - that people disagree. And vituperation alone suggests stupidity.
Mostly my book summaries have been to add historical information rather than critiques on authors, but lately I've been responding to what I believe to be errors by other authors.
My biographies entitled "Inside a Few Heads" are largely about philosophy and are opinion pieces.
My timelines run from 300,000 BCE to the present. I often try to give the reader more than the usual substance one finds in single line timelines.
This site is largely a one-person operation, without benefit of the copy editors that well-known pundits enjoy. The Google ads bring me a very modest return, which helps me get by and pay for help. If you represent a foundation and want to make it possible to extend this site's work and reach, without the ads, I would appreciate hearing from you.
Biography
My name: Frank Eugene Smitha. Joined the Marine Corps in September, 1951. Returned to civilian life in 1954 at the age of twenty. Worked as a laborer and began taking courses at Glendale Junior College, including remedial English. Traveled to Europe. Read a lot of books. Bored to death working on assembly lines. Enjoyed driving a Yellow Cab while living at Venice Beach.
In 1963 I entered U.C.L.A. as a junior, majoring in sociology. Remained associated with the University of California but at the U.C. Berkeley campus, where I worked part-time running copy machines, often sitting with roommates in the auditorium-size history classes they were enrolled in, or attending guest lectures. Tried to write for publication, receiving rejection notices with enough praise to lure me on. My main interest in history was World War I. Debate about the origins of that war was a muddle in the mid-1960s. The view I acquired then is now widely accepted.
I left Berkeley in 1973, and, to satisfy the insistence of my Ph.D. candidate wife, I graduated, from California State University, East Bay - at the age of forty-three - with Dean's List honors and a B.A. in history. One of my professors tried to get me a scholarship from his Alma Mater, Stanford, but without success, and I had to go back to earning a living.
Ten years later, in 1987, I began writing the history that appears on this site, still struggling with typos and needing to rewrite, but benefiting from use of a computer.
I now live in Ohio.
