Current History

Current History is a long-running American publication focused exclusively on contemporary world affairs. Established in 1914 by George Washington Ochs Oakes, the brother of New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs, it began as The New York Times Current History of the European War and was created to provide detailed documentation and interpretation of the First World War. Its founding purpose was not merely to report daily events, but to preserve and explain what Oakes understood as history being made in real time. From the beginning, the publication sought contributions from historians, political scientists, journalists, and other specialists. Harvard historian Albert Bushnell Hart helped organize its original group of contributing editors, and early contributors included George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Charles A. Beard, Allan Nevins, and Henry Steele Commager. The New York Times Company published Current History from its launch through 1936. The magazine then passed to editor Merle Tracy and was sold again in 1939 to an ownership group associated with Joseph Hilton Smyth. Smyth's relationship with the publication ended during that year, but his broader publishing activities later became connected to a legal and diplomatic scandal involving allegations that he and two associates had acted as unregistered agents for the Japanese government. Current History addressed the matter in its October 1942 issue and stated that Smyth had not controlled the magazine's editorial policies during the period in which he held an ownership interest. Since 1942, ownership has remained with members of the Redmond family. The publication's current publisher is Daniel Mark Redmond, while Joshua Lustig serves as editor. Current History presents itself as independent of institutional, political, and governmental affiliations. It is based in Philadelphia and publishes monthly during the September-to-May academic publishing season, producing ten issues annually. Since 1953, the editorial program has generally assigned individual issues to a particular geographical region or broad international theme. Seven issues focus on China and East Asia, Russia and Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, South Asia, and Africa. Another issue examines global trends, while the final issue addresses a special subject such as climate change or global governance. Each issue combines interpretive essays with a chronology of significant international events. Most issues also include book reviews and a commentary article, giving the publication a format that sits between an academic journal, a current-affairs magazine, and a reference work. Its contributors have included prominent scholars, policymakers, diplomats, and public intellectuals, among them James Schlesinger, Francis Fukuyama, Jeffrey Sachs, Bruce Riedel, Leslie H. Gelb, Bruce Russett, Elizabeth Economy, Charles Kupchan, Ivo Daalder, Joseph Cirincione, Phebe Marr, Juan Cole, Bruce Gilley, and Marina Ottaway. The publication's contemporary contributing-editors board includes academics and policy specialists affiliated with institutions such as the London School of Economics and Political Science, Brown University, Yale University, New York University, Stanford University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, and other universities and policy organizations. Current History is also available through scholarly information services and archival platforms, including JSTOR, HathiTrust, and the Internet Archive. In Journal Citation Reports, its reported 2014 impact factor was 0.127, placing it near the lower end of the political science and international relations journal rankings at that time. Its continuing identity rests on longevity, geographically organized coverage, specialist authorship, and an effort to place current international events in historical and analytical context.

Current History began publication on December 12, 1914, under the title The New York Times Current History of the European War. Its founder, George Washington Ochs Oakes, established the periodical during the First World War to create a detailed record and interpretation of rapidly unfolding international events. Oakes aimed to make the publication a form of contemporaneous historical documentation rather than a conventional daily newspaper supplement. To support that mission, he asked Harvard historian Albert Bushnell Hart to help assemble a group of contributing editors drawn from history and the social sciences. The early publication attracted contributors with substantial public and intellectual reputations. Among those associated with its pages were George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Charles A. Beard, Allan Nevins, and Henry Steele Commager. Grover Clark served as a Beijing correspondent, reflecting the journal's early interest in reporting and interpreting international developments beyond Europe. The publication remained under the ownership and publishing control of The New York Times Company from its founding until 1936. In 1936, The New York Times sold the publication to editor Merle Tracy. Three years later, it was sold to an ownership group that included Joseph Hilton Smyth, who was also involved with other periodicals, including The Living Age and The North American Review. Smyth's association with Current History ended in 1939. In the wider context of the group's publishing activities, Smyth and two associates were later convicted of acting as agents for the Japanese government without registering with the United States Department of State. The episode became part of the magazine's institutional history because of Smyth's temporary ownership interest. In its October 1942 issue, Current History discussed the matter and asserted that Smyth had not directed its editorial policies during his period of involvement. Members of the Redmond family have owned Current History since 1942. The publication developed into an independent periodical based in Philadelphia and maintained that it had no formal affiliation with a political organization, government, or other institution. Its publishing schedule became organized around the academic year, with monthly issues appearing from September through May. A major editorial restructuring occurred in 1953, when the magazine adopted its continuing practice of assigning most issues to a single region or broad theme. Seven annual issues address China and East Asia, Russia and Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, South Asia, and Africa. A further issue focuses on global trends, and another is devoted to a special topic, including themes such as climate change or global governance. The issues generally contain a chronology of major international events, and most include book reviews and a commentary feature. Over time, Current History expanded its roster of contributors beyond its early literary and historical figures to include scholars, diplomats, public officials, and policy analysts. Later contributors have included James Schlesinger, Francis Fukuyama, Jeffrey Sachs, Bruce Riedel, Leslie H. Gelb, Bruce Russett, Elizabeth Economy, Charles Kupchan, Ivo Daalder, Joseph Cirincione, Phebe Marr, Juan Cole, Bruce Gilley, and Marina Ottaway. The modern contributing-editors board includes specialists affiliated with universities and international policy institutions across the United States and Europe. Daniel Mark Redmond is identified as publisher and Joshua Lustig as editor. The periodical is distributed through scholarly and archival channels, including JSTOR, HathiTrust, and the Internet Archive. It has also been assessed through journal citation metrics. Journal Citation Reports recorded a 2014 impact factor of 0.127, ranking the journal 149th of 161 titles in political science and 82nd of 85 titles in international relations for that reporting period. Despite its magazine format and current-affairs orientation, Current History's sustained value lies in its specialist authorship, regional organization, historical framing, and regular effort to document international developments for an academic and policy-oriented audience.

• 2014

  Journal citation metric reported

  [1]Current Historyen.wikipedia.org

  Journal Citation Reports recorded a 2014 impact factor of 0.127 for Current History.

• 1953

  Regional and thematic issue structure adopted

  [1]Current Historyen.wikipedia.org

  Current History began its continuing practice of devoting individual issues to specific world regions or broad international themes.

• 1942

  Redmond family ownership begins

  [1]Current Historyen.wikipedia.org

  Members of the Redmond family became the publication's owners, beginning the ownership period that continues in the reference material.

• 1942

  Editorial response to the Smyth controversy

  [1]Current Historyen.wikipedia.org

  The October issue addressed Joseph Hilton Smyth's later legal controversy and stated that he had not controlled Current History's editorial policies.

• 1939

  Ownership transfer involving Joseph Hilton Smyth

  [1]Current Historyen.wikipedia.org

  The publication was sold to an ownership group that included Joseph Hilton Smyth; his association with Current History ended later that year.

• 1936

  End of New York Times Company ownership

  [1]Current Historyen.wikipedia.org

  The New York Times Company sold Current History to editor Merle Tracy after publishing it for more than two decades.

• 1914

  Founding and first issue

  [1]Current Historyen.wikipedia.org

  George Washington Ochs Oakes founded the publication, initially titled The New York Times Current History of the European War. Its first issue appeared on December 12, 1914.

An independent, specialist current-affairs periodical that combines scholarly analysis, regional expertise, historical context, event chronologies, commentary, and reviews for readers interested in international relations and world politics.

• Academic and current-affairs periodical · 1914

  Current History

  The publication's principal offering is a monthly magazine issued from September through May. Its editorial program is organized around international affairs, with seven issues devoted to defined world regions, one examining global trends, and one addressing a special theme. Issues typically combine commissioned analysis with an international-events chronology, and most also contain book reviews and a commentary article. The format serves academic, policy, and informed general readers seeking contextualized coverage rather than daily news reporting.

• 1939

  Joseph Hilton Smyth ownership controversy

  Current History was briefly associated with an ownership group that included Joseph Hilton Smyth. Smyth and two associates were later convicted of acting as agents for the Japanese government without registering with the United States Department of State in connection with their publishing activities. Current History addressed the matter in its October 1942 issue and maintained that Smyth had not controlled the magazine's editorial policies during his ownership period.

  Source

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• 1953

  Adoption of regional and thematic issue planningStrategy

  Background

  The publication sought a consistent editorial framework for covering contemporary international affairs across different parts of the world.

  Action taken

  Current History organized its annual schedule around individual issues focused on seven world regions, global trends, and a special international theme.

  Aftermath

  The regional and thematic structure became a defining feature of the publication and remains central to its editorial identity.

  Source

1. 1Current Historyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Current History official websitecurrenthistory.com