History Nebraska

Publications

Who We Are

History Nebraska publishes works that explore Nebraska history and culture. Our readers range from professional historians to history buffs to curious people who simply find that learning about the past helps them better enjoy living and traveling here. We all share a passion for well-crafted historical writing.

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Our members make history happen.

"Nebraska Timeline" Columns

From 1992 – 2019, History Nebraska wrote a series of articles for newspapers titled “Nebraska Timeline.” Below you can browse or search through those articles and discover interesting stories from Nebraska’s History. 

“A Certificate of Moral Character”: Rosewater and Rosicky on Immigration

Between 1856 and World War I, over fifty thousand Czechs came to Nebraska, attracted by a steady stream of advertisements in Czech-language newspapers and magazines ...

“Diamond Dick” Tanner

The life of Richard J. "Diamond Dick" Tanner (1869-1943) encompassed a noteworthy long-distance horseback ride, circus stardom as a crack shot, a medical career in ...

“I Want to be a Submarine”

New-fangled military technology abounded at the turn of this century. Airplanes, dirigibles, armored motorized vehicles, and submarines were just a few of the advances ...

“Iron Man” Sarg Cole

"Iron Man Will Race Time," announced the Omaha World-Herald on May 2, 1925, as it introduced readers to an upcoming endurance contest that was also a colorful ...

“It’s Going to be a Stunner”: Feminine Swimsuits in 1887

The first swimsuits for women were far from the brief costumes now seen at beaches and swimming pools. Female swimmers once wore bloomers and black stockings into the ...

“Just Say No,” 1880s-style

A hundred years before America's youth were encouraged to "just say no" to drugs, manyyoung people shunned the use of alcohol and tobacco. For some, playing cards was ...

1888 Nebraska State Fair Bands

Bands have been a tradition at the Nebraska State Fair for almost as long as the fair has existed. The September 4, 1886, Daily Call of Lincoln, on microfilm at the ...

A Bogus Detective Agency

Modern attempts to defraud the credulous by offering membership in a group with accompanying benefits in exchange for an upfront payment have long roots. The Omaha Daily ...

A Circus Wedding

Readers of the Seward Reporter on August 9, 1883, learned of a recent wedding in the community in which the bride and groom were not area residents, but members of a ...

A Day in a Reporter’s Life, 1879

Imagine yourself as a newspaper editor/reporter in a town without the internet, without automobiles, and even without newfangled inventions such as telephone and ...

A Drink for New Year’s Eve

Douglas County sheriffs after a raid on an illegal still. Ca. 1922. New Year's Eve in the 1920s saw Nebraskans unable to legally include alcohol in their ...

A Frontier Editor

"It is the easiest thing in the world to edit and publish a paper on the Frontier," wrote Mark J. Kelley, editor of The Little Blue (Jenkins Mills) on January 8, 1870. ...

Contact Us

David Bristow | Publications
History Nebraska
1500 R St
Lincoln, NE 68508
402-471-4748
[email protected]
Information Services:
Looking for research help? Contact Library/Archives, the Museum, or Education. The Publications division is an editorial office; we don’t have archival collections or reference staff here.
News and Events:
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About History Nebraska
History Nebraska was founded in 1878 as the Nebraska State Historical Society by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed History Nebraska from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director and CEO Jill Dolberg. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for History Nebraska.
Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast.

Nebraska Collections

History Nebraska's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

History Nebraska Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

Support History Nebraska
Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to History Nebraska help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of History Nebraska by donating to the History Nebraska Foundation today.

Volunteers are the heroes of History Nebraska. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.