Looking Back, Thinking Ahead
Help us shape how It Was Always History should move forward
When we started this project in July, the plan was simple. Tell the story of each day as history left it. No grand mission, no fixed target. Yet here we are, more than one hundred pieces in, with a small but loyal group of readers who have stayed with us through assassinations, revolutions, scientific leaps and the small turning points that history often hides in plain sight.
It feels right to pause and take stock. Our audience is not large, but those of you who have subscribed read with care and consistency. For that, we are grateful. You have earned a say in where this goes next.
First, the familiar question. Do you still want the ‘On This Day’ format? Some pieces are sharper when kept tight. Others breathe better with more room. Should we extend them? Cut them back? Keep them as they are? Your view matters.
We are also wondering whether the written word is enough. A short podcast or audio reading would let you take these stories into the rhythms of your day. A bit of conversation or scene-setting in audio or video could bring moments to life in a way text cannot. If that would serve you, tell us, and we can look at the options.
Then there is the larger canvas. Some stories refuse to shrink to a single date. The French Revolution cannot be boxed in by a stray afternoon in 1793. The Tudors stretch far beyond one monarch’s rise or execution. The American Civil War runs on its own grim clock, and the world wars refuse to be tidily summarised. Even the recent memory of COVID-19 carries more weight than any anniversary slot can take. These are histories that call for slow work and structure. If you would like us to break these eras into linked chapters, we are ready to explore that.
Today, though, we can share one new thread that will run alongside our usual work. Samuel H. Vance, author of the Corporate Clashes series, has permitted us to serialise selected chapters from his books. Many of you have written to say you want history that touches the present. Vance has a gift for that. He does not just track what companies do, but also shows the human instincts that drive decisions.
The rivalries he explores are sharp and often dramatic. The struggle between Taylor Swift and Big Machine Records over artistic control. The uneasy spectacle of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. The long duel between Apple and Samsung that shaped how billions now use their phones. The gaming battle between Xbox and PlayStation grew from two different visions of what a console should be. The race for space between SpaceX and Blue Origin carried ambition far beyond engineering.
In later volumes, the ground widens. TikTok and Instagram fight for attention in a world hooked on the quick hit of a swipe. Blackberry’s fall and the iPhone’s rise show how one misjudgement can sink a giant. Disney and DreamWorks clash over how stories should be told. FedEx and UPS compete with a relentlessness that reshaped global logistics. And then come the newer clashes: Häagen-Dazs against Ben & Jerry’s, with their competing values and styles; WWF and WCW battling for the soul of wrestling; Toyota and Honda raising the standards of modern engineering; and Netflix overtaking Blockbuster with a quiet idea that became a cultural shift.
These are not tales of balance sheets. They are stories of people pushing against other people. Vision, pride, stubbornness, risk, and the occasional stroke of luck.
So as we decide what this blog becomes, we want to hear from you. Do you want more of the daily history pieces? Deeper series on the great eras. More from Corporate Clashes. Or something we have not thought to ask.
History is wide. Please help us choose the next road to walk.