Why History with Myra?

How will this blog be different to sites such as Wikipedia, Britannica, or other history website?

My love for history came before learning it in class— being forced to memorize dates or read primary sources that seemed meaningless.

I fell in love with history by spending my childhood summers visiting castles and finding out about all the connections between various kingdoms, monarches and artists through exchange, travel, trade and ‘renaissances’. I want to create an easy and enjoyable way to travel through time. Where random facts make you understand why we do things a certain way today or why we are surrounded by a certain type of architecture. Why do we know certain names and not others? Who decides who is remembered in history? I want to deconstruct, and untangle so that you can discover, question and enjoy learning history.

What approaches will you take?

I have a deconstructive mindset towards history: I believe historiographical methods have imposed certain prejudices on specific figures — most of the time, women. I aim to present facts after carefully choosing which authors I read. I have found that many historical biographies are written by the extreme right or royalists, instrumentalizing certain information about the past to argue for certain things today… I read an array of books by different historians and academics, and I will try to translate what is often technically challenging to understand — because of historical terms — into something easier to read. Of course, I will source all these readings so that you can take part as well!

I believe history should be accessible and inclusive for all. It is part of constructing our identity and understanding why we live, behave and navigate the world the way we do. Sure, I tend to love the "Game of Thrones" stories of our rulers, but I also love learning about the ways people actually lived back then.

What content will you prioritize?

One of the main reasons I am finally able to launch this website is AI. With it, I can at last build the interactive maps, timelines, and features I have always dreamt of creating. The interactivity this website offers is the fruit of how my mind sees history: ever since I was a little girl, I have been drawing royal family trees, jotting down dates, and collecting an array of random facts.

So, be ready for a steady stream of:

  • interactive timelines

  • blog posts about places to discover and the history behind them

  • a fun facts gallery

  • interactive maps with historical context bubbles