UWA History and Social Sciences

06/19/2026

If you're looking for lesson plans for Juneteenth, Gilder Lehrman Institute has you covered.

Juneteenth is this Friday! Explore educational resources from the Gilder Lehrman Institute to learn more about this important holiday. This curated collection includes primary sources, classroom-ready lesson plans, and a short film from our partners at Annenberg Classroom.

Browse our Juneteenth resources here: gilderlehrman.org/historical-holidays/juneteenth

06/19/2026

If you're near Birmingham today, you'll want to check out these events.

06/19/2026

A really fascinating look at the historical background and continuing significance of our national holiday.

Juneteenth is an often overlooked event in our nation’s history. On June 19, 1865, Union troops freed enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay and across Texas some two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

06/18/2026

Congratulations to our friends, Professors Jones and Brown.

The University of West Alabama has presented two long-term faculty members emeritus honors upon their retirement. Dr. Tina N. Jones has been named Vice President Emerita, and Dr. Alan Brown has been named Professor Emeritus.

06/18/2026

On this day in history:

Pope Adrian IV crowns Frederick I Barbarossa Holy Roman Emperor (1155); The US declares war against Great Britain as War of 1812 begins (1812); Battles of Waterloo and Wavre: Wellington and Bluecher crush Napoleon (1815); President Wilson calls up the National Guard to secure the Mexican Border against hostile incursions. (1916); Paul McCartney born (1942); Dr. Bernard Whitfield Robinson becomes the first black officer in the U.S. Navy (1942); Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space (1983); Five people die after submersible implodes while exploring wreckage of the Titanic (2023); Baseball great Willie Mays dies (2024).

06/17/2026

On this day in history:

Arab conquest of Sicily began: Asad ibn al-Furat lands with c. 15,000 troops (827); Union of Kalmar established among Denmark, Sweden & Norway (1397); Battle of Bunker Hill fought (1775); Three day Battle of the Trebbia begins: Austro-Russians defeat the French (1799); Battle of Boonville, MS (1861); Statue of Liberty arrives in New York as a gift from France (1885); Pershing leads a Punitive Expedition into Mexico in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Pancho Villa (1916); Final Japanese defensive line on Okinawa breached (1945); Vietnam: First B-52 raid, 30 miles north of Saigon (1965); Republican operatives break into Democratic Party offices at the Watergate Hotel in Washington (1972); Tennis star Venus Williams born (1980); Rapper Kendrick Lamar born (1987); Juneteenth established as US federal holiday (2021).

06/16/2026

The America250 Commission revealed the contents of a time capsule to be placed in Philadelphia on 4 July. Check out what your state put in the capsule, revealing how they want to be remembered 100 years from now.

America250 is a bipartisan initiative working to engage every American in the 250th anniversary of the United States.

06/16/2026

On this day in history:

King Henry VII defeated the Earl of Lincoln in the Battle of Stoke Field, & pardoned Lambert Shimnel, the bogus Edward VI, and gave him a job in the royal kitchens (1487); President Abraham Lincoln gives "House Divided" speech (1858); Mary Queen of Scots imprisoned in Lochleven Castle (1567); British capture Fort Beausojour, Nova Scotia, initiate the expulsion of the Acadians (1755); Blackhawk War: Battle of Kellogg's Grove, Ill (1832); Siege of Petersburg & Richmond begins (1864); Ford Motor Company is incorporated (1903); USSR occupies Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia (1940); Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space (1963); Rapper Tupac Shakur born (1971); The movie, "The Blues Brothers" opened in Chicago (1980).

06/15/2026

On this day in history:

El Cid liberated Valencia from the Moors (1094); King John seals the Magna Carta (1215); Pope Leo X condemns Martin Luther as a heretic (1520); Jews are expelled from Genoa (1567); Margaret Jones becomes first person executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts Bay Colony (1648); On a motion by John Adams, Congress appointed George Washington "General and Commander-in-Chief of all the forces raised or to be raised" in the defense of American liberties (1775); Battle of Petersburg: Grant's first assault (1864); Henry O Flipper becomes the first black cadet to graduate from West Point (1877); Eadweard Muybridge's "Sallie Gardner at a Gallop, considered the first motion picture, filmed to settle a bet (1878); Hi**er meets Mussolini for the first time, Rome (1934); Chinese president Xi Jinping born (1953); Comedy series, "Black Adder" premiered on British television (1983); Israel and the Vatican establish diplomatic relations (1994); "The Lion King" premiered in US movie theatres (1994); American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald dies (1996).

06/12/2026

If you're a recent graduate with a certificate in Public History, you might want to check out this job. If you'd like to learn more about Public History at UWA, contact Prof. Valerie Pope Burnes at [email protected].

📣 We're Hiring!

Do you love history, storytelling, and connecting with people? Join our team at Africatown Heritage House as a Museum Tour Guide and help bring one of America's most important stories to life. If you're passionate about engaging visitors and sharing the rich history and legacy of Africatown, we'd love to hear from you!

🔗 View the full job description here:
https://www.historymuseumofmobile.com/job-postings/