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3 Reasons We’re Looking Forward to “Lincoln”
We’re marking our calendars for the upcoming release of “Lincoln,” the new biopic directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Here are three reasons why the History.com staff can’t wait for November 16:
1. Team of Rivals
We love the book the film is based on—the best-seller “Team of Rivals,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. (She’s the presidential biographer and author of the Pulitzer Prize- winning “No Ordinary Time,” about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.) In “Team of Rivals,” Goodwin delivers a unique assessment of Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his successful run for the presidency and his attempts to forge a political coalition among his former opponents. Mindful of the need to avoid conflict while civil war loomed, Lincoln chose to include his major rivals in his administration, regardless of their divergent political views. Lincoln’s decision to appoint these men—William Seward, Edward Bates, Salmon P. Chase and, later in his first term, Edwin Stanton—to his Cabinet has been hailed by historians as one of the shrewdest political moves ever made by an American president. Of course his plan was not 100 percent successful—several Cabinet members left during his first term—but Lincoln’s skill as a manager of personalities, as well as armies, is an essential part of what made him so extraordinary.
Promotional poster for "Lincoln" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
2. The Screenplay
Pulitzer- and Tony-Award winning playwright Tony Kushner wrote the screen adaptation. From what we can tell, the story told in Goodwin’s book has been streamlined in the film. Instead of the full four years of Lincoln’s presidency, the movie focuses on its final months, as Lincoln struggles to win the war, plan for a post-war peace and fights to secure passage of the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery. Yes, we’re sad to see some of the backstory go, but the final months of both the Civil War and Lincoln’s own life are sure to make for an exciting ride.
3. The Cast
Of course, there’s Daniel Day-Lewis, a famously intense actor who’s had great success playing real-life figures in the past (Bill “The Butcher” Cutting in “Gangs of New York”; disabled artist Christy Brown in “My Left Foot”; accused IRA militant Gerry Conlon in “In the Name of the Father).” Then there’s Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens, the powerful, and sometimes obstinate, head of the Radical Republicans in Congress, who often butted heads with Lincoln. And, of course, Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. Our 16th first lady was whip smart, emotionally complicated and brimming—ok, overflowing—with nervous energy, and our bet is that Field will be pretty convincing.
We’ve been waiting for this movie for years—through casting changes and production delays—so you can imagine how psyched we were a few weeks ago when the official promotional poster was released. We emailed it around the office, and gathered at each other’s desks to dissect it. The consensus? It’s awesome. The beard is almost eerily perfect and it’s such a strikingly iconic image that several people we know thought it actually was a photo of Lincoln. Needless to say, we’re eagerly awaiting our first glimpse at a full trailer, which is due to be released later this week–both online and live in Times Square, on Thursday, 9/13, at 7pm ET.
November 16 can’t come soon enough.
Our Favorites on History.com
To celebrate the launch of our new blog, we’d like to share five of our favorite links on History.com. We’re especially proud of these features and think they represent the best of what our site has to offer. Check out the list below, and stay tuned for our picks from elsewhere around the web!
1. Ultimate History Quiz
The Ultimate History Quiz is one of the most popular features on the site. It’s fast, entertaining and simple. It’s also highly addictive and an incredibly easy way to pass the time—trust us; some of us have spent hours lying on the couch playing on our phones. You can download the UHQ “app” here. This summer, we organized a “Play the Staff” event in which we challenged our fellow history fans (and each other) for bragging rights. We just hope you have as much fun playing as we do!
2. Civil War 150
A few years ago, with the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War approaching, we wanted to tackle this complicated—and sometimes dry–topic in a way that would be informative, but also fresh and exciting. One day, after chatting about which Civil War generals we would (or wouldn’t) want to be named after, we started a list of the 150 things everyone should know about the Civil War. We then created a series of infographics that highlighted its most mind-boggling aspects. We met with our favorite historians and authors to get their take on what subjects to include, dug up some truly crazy and fascinating facts (did you know that “pinkeye” was listed as the official cause of death for at least one Union soldier?) and came out of it with a much richer understanding of both the causes of the war and its lasting impact on our nation 150 years on.
3. Titanic By the Numbers
Earlier this year we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster in a number of ways. We wrote a series of articles that covered different aspects of the tragedy, we tweeted the events of April 1912 in real time and we produced a new infographic that gives viewers a fresh look at one of history’s most legendary events. Engrossing, visual infographics like this one have become some of our favorite new features on the site, and we can’t wait to produce more of them.
4. Thank a Vet
Last year, we launched a campaign designed to honor the men and women of our armed forces for their contributions and sacrifices. As part of this outreach program, we produced a series of videos in which dozens of Americans (including HISTORY staff members) were able to share their own stories of friends, family members and loved ones, thanking them for their service. To keep the message going, we set up a permanent Twitter feed that allows anyone to send a quick message of thanks to all our servicemen and women. Earlier this year, in commemoration of Memorial Day, we donated $1 for every tweet sent with the hashtag #thankavet, raising over $25,000 for America’s VetDogs, a nonprofit organization that provides guide and service dogs to our disabled veterans. This is a cause that we all care about deeply, and we were proud to do our small part. We truly believe it’s never too late to say thank you.
5. Deconstructed: Eiffel Tower
This video is part of our Deconstructed web series, which basically breaks down people, places and things into quick, digestible facts and figures. The Golden Gate Bridge, the American flag, Spartan warriors, Tyrannosaurus rex… There’s a ton of them, and they’re all both fun and packed with information. This one stands out because the music really makes us feel like we’re in the City of Lights.
Introducing Our New HISTORY Blog
Here at the History.com office, we talk about a lot of things. What to eat for lunch. The best way to get from Park Slope in Brooklyn to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The likelihood of the Jets making the playoffs. Also, what really happened to the ancient Maya, whether Burr meant to kill Hamilton and which Civil War general we’d choose to lead our army.
Yes, believe it or not, we spend a lot of time talking about history—when we’re not writing about history, doing research, tracking down archival photos or checking facts. And so, rather than simply continuing to discuss—and debate—amongst ourselves, we thought it was time to launch our new HISTORY Blog. From now on, when one of our producers emerges from their cubicle with yet another new history fact of the day, we’re not the only ones who get to hear about it. You, too, will discover Sitting Bull’s childhood name (Jumping Badger), which U.S. president was the first born in a hospital (Carter) or how many living descendants Genghis Khan might have today (16 million!).
What do we have in mind for this new forum? A closer look at amazing images and sites we love, our take on the latest history books and movies, first looks at brand-new videos on our site, what we’re looking forward to down the line and much more. We’re excited for the chance to share our love of history on a more direct and personal level, and we hope you enjoy what we have to offer.
For more of the HISTORY features we work on every day, check out History in the Headlines, HISTORY Lists, Ask HISTORY and Hungry History.
