Cypher, the Cynical Historian
@cynicalhistorian.bsky.social
The Cynical Historian on YouTube; PhD specializing in American violence during the frontier Southwest; fervent W.Wilson basher
https://www.youtube.com/@CynicalHistorian
https://www.youtube.com/@CynicalHistorian
Pinned
Red Scares and anti-communist demagogues have driven our political history into some dark places for well over a century. We're headed for even worse if we fail learn how redbaiting works through a larger context. Here's my longest ever episode explaining that history: youtu.be/5fYbXCAQORE
By the end of today, i will have driven approximately 1800 miles over the course of one week. Albuquerque ➡️ Las Vegas ➡️ San Luis Obispo ➡️ Las Vegas (and plenty of small trips in between). Been a blast, but it'll be nice to stay home for the next week
November 25, 2025 at 1:36 AM
By the end of today, i will have driven approximately 1800 miles over the course of one week. Albuquerque ➡️ Las Vegas ➡️ San Luis Obispo ➡️ Las Vegas (and plenty of small trips in between). Been a blast, but it'll be nice to stay home for the next week
Just in time for Thanksgiving week, I released a lecture on initial European colonization of North America. Check it out:
Initial European Colonization | American History Lecture
This is the second lecture for my US history course, covering Europeans’ initial contact, conquest, and settlement of North America. This includes Nordic settlements, why Europe turned outward,…
youtu.be
November 23, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Just in time for Thanksgiving week, I released a lecture on initial European colonization of North America. Check it out:
My historian father and I watched Ken Burns's Revolution episodes. We laughed about how terrible it all was from beginning to end. Anyone claiming this is a good documentary has no clue what a good documentary is
November 22, 2025 at 5:03 PM
My historian father and I watched Ken Burns's Revolution episodes. We laughed about how terrible it all was from beginning to end. Anyone claiming this is a good documentary has no clue what a good documentary is
Downtown San Luis Obispo has lost all of its breweries and nightclubs. I'm happy to have had farmers market tritip again, but sad to see so much of how I used to live here disappear
November 21, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Downtown San Luis Obispo has lost all of its breweries and nightclubs. I'm happy to have had farmers market tritip again, but sad to see so much of how I used to live here disappear
Odd traveling all the way back to Las Vegas and the rain was ONLY in the desert parts of my trip
November 18, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Odd traveling all the way back to Las Vegas and the rain was ONLY in the desert parts of my trip
One thing we must remember with Trump is that we're in the Second Gilded Age: Corruption and graft are PAR FOR THE COURSE
November 16, 2025 at 5:23 AM
One thing we must remember with Trump is that we're in the Second Gilded Age: Corruption and graft are PAR FOR THE COURSE
How is it that I've been streaming on Twitch for years and only just learned how to sub to someone using my Amazon Prime point!? I really am a luddite sometimes
November 16, 2025 at 3:27 AM
How is it that I've been streaming on Twitch for years and only just learned how to sub to someone using my Amazon Prime point!? I really am a luddite sometimes
Went to wikipedia after watching this video to learn more and discovered it is heavily plagiarized. Such a blatant rip off, often word-for-word. Historical content farms are turgid, unhelpful, and bereft of creativity. Avoid such disgraces
November 16, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Went to wikipedia after watching this video to learn more and discovered it is heavily plagiarized. Such a blatant rip off, often word-for-word. Historical content farms are turgid, unhelpful, and bereft of creativity. Avoid such disgraces
I made a map of American states that were never governed by a different state, territory, or colony. Empires/nations don't count (I'm considering New Amsterdam to be New York here). Kinda interesting to think about
November 15, 2025 at 8:27 PM
I made a map of American states that were never governed by a different state, territory, or colony. Empires/nations don't count (I'm considering New Amsterdam to be New York here). Kinda interesting to think about
I'm gonna play some more AC Valhalla on twitch.tv/cynicalhisto... because I will not be able to again for another couple of weeks due to traveling
November 15, 2025 at 12:49 AM
I'm gonna play some more AC Valhalla on twitch.tv/cynicalhisto... because I will not be able to again for another couple of weeks due to traveling
I haven't heard a singular YouTuber who isn't focused on history correctly invoke the 3/5ths compromise. Acting indignant about "three fifths of a person" = stupidity. Full personhood there would've been PRO-SLAVERY! Pretend some semblance historical literacy
November 14, 2025 at 8:27 PM
I haven't heard a singular YouTuber who isn't focused on history correctly invoke the 3/5ths compromise. Acting indignant about "three fifths of a person" = stupidity. Full personhood there would've been PRO-SLAVERY! Pretend some semblance historical literacy
My YouTube emails are mostly about defeating copyright trolls
November 14, 2025 at 5:06 PM
My YouTube emails are mostly about defeating copyright trolls
Beginning with the first Red Scare, many groups tried to counter May Day (Internat'l Workers Day) with "Americanization Day," more of the America First & 100% American bigotry popular at the time. Ike declared it "Loyalty & Law Day" in 1955. Trump reaffirmed it this year
November 14, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Beginning with the first Red Scare, many groups tried to counter May Day (Internat'l Workers Day) with "Americanization Day," more of the America First & 100% American bigotry popular at the time. Ike declared it "Loyalty & Law Day" in 1955. Trump reaffirmed it this year
It's almost like i could predict the future. Be sure to watch my episode about redbaiting: youtu.be/5fYbXCAQORE
November 13, 2025 at 8:27 PM
It's almost like i could predict the future. Be sure to watch my episode about redbaiting: youtu.be/5fYbXCAQORE
Reminder: I made a diatribe about how to find good books. If I'm not an expert on the topic, consult this episode before asking me for recommendations (it's better than anything i can do outside my field): youtu.be/XEWl49PI4vw
Teaching to fish vs giving fish and all that
Teaching to fish vs giving fish and all that
November 13, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reminder: I made a diatribe about how to find good books. If I'm not an expert on the topic, consult this episode before asking me for recommendations (it's better than anything i can do outside my field): youtu.be/XEWl49PI4vw
Teaching to fish vs giving fish and all that
Teaching to fish vs giving fish and all that
Been narrowing the title with more and more tests. Who would've expected such a huge gap for such tiny changes? Also, I'll be late for the weekly game-stream today. Have a veterans mixer thing to attend. Once back, I'm playing AC Valhalla on twitch.tv/cynicalhisto...
November 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Been narrowing the title with more and more tests. Who would've expected such a huge gap for such tiny changes? Also, I'll be late for the weekly game-stream today. Have a veterans mixer thing to attend. Once back, I'm playing AC Valhalla on twitch.tv/cynicalhisto...
Reading history I'm completely oblivious to is so exhilarating. Every twist and turn is new to me. I just hit the end of Liholiho's (Kamehameha II) life and am somehow excited to learn how Hawaii handled his succession, despite already happening. I miss this feeling
November 12, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Reading history I'm completely oblivious to is so exhilarating. Every twist and turn is new to me. I just hit the end of Liholiho's (Kamehameha II) life and am somehow excited to learn how Hawaii handled his succession, despite already happening. I miss this feeling
Reposted by Cypher, the Cynical Historian
NEVER FORGET: Draft-dodger Donald Trump called fallen soldiers "suckers & losers," and said of war hero John McCain's POW torture "I prefer heroes who don't get caught." #VeteransDay
November 11, 2025 at 2:03 PM
NEVER FORGET: Draft-dodger Donald Trump called fallen soldiers "suckers & losers," and said of war hero John McCain's POW torture "I prefer heroes who don't get caught." #VeteransDay
Word of the day: Capitulation
November 10, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Word of the day: Capitulation
Further examples of what this administration considers "woke history" is simply anything that doesn't confirm their white supremacy
1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Further examples of what this administration considers "woke history" is simply anything that doesn't confirm their white supremacy
Why does every early Hawaiian name begin with "Ka-?" I'm two books into researching Chief of War, and no one has explained or even highlighted this
November 9, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Why does every early Hawaiian name begin with "Ka-?" I'm two books into researching Chief of War, and no one has explained or even highlighted this
Anybody good at colorizing wanna take a crack at this? I especially want the flags in color (the small one next to France is Poland). This is from Vladivostok in 1918
November 8, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Anybody good at colorizing wanna take a crack at this? I especially want the flags in color (the small one next to France is Poland). This is from Vladivostok in 1918
The genocide in Sudan has reached a rate unseen since Rwanda, yet the UAE (a US ally) supplies arms to the perpetrators. Unfortunately, Trump seems to endorse genocide and will do nothing about it nor even admit that the atrocity is taking place. Our leaders are cowards
November 6, 2025 at 8:27 PM
The genocide in Sudan has reached a rate unseen since Rwanda, yet the UAE (a US ally) supplies arms to the perpetrators. Unfortunately, Trump seems to endorse genocide and will do nothing about it nor even admit that the atrocity is taking place. Our leaders are cowards
It's time to clean my redbait comments section. Join me in an hour for a purge party on twitch.tv/cynicalhisto... while we'll laugh at the miscreants and banish them into oblivion. After that's complete, I'll play the final DLC of AC Odyssey
November 6, 2025 at 12:02 AM
It's time to clean my redbait comments section. Join me in an hour for a purge party on twitch.tv/cynicalhisto... while we'll laugh at the miscreants and banish them into oblivion. After that's complete, I'll play the final DLC of AC Odyssey
Remember remember the 5th of November, the gunpowder treason and plot
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot
November 5, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Remember remember the 5th of November, the gunpowder treason and plot
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot