Writing history requires an interesting topic, a well-defined question, a rich vein of evidence, and a particular set of skills. The web can be a useful source of both material and advice, but is also overflowing with misinformation, unsubstantiated assertion, and gossip.

The following sites are useful and reliable places to start exploring history online. You can find various guides to the nuts and bolts of researching and writing history; a brief introduction to the numerous reference works available through our own library and online; and an extensive list of resources for studying history, divided by region. You may also want to look at our own library's resources for evaluating websites and sorting the wheat from the chaff.

The second half of the 19th century saw an expansion of industrial and imperial power throughout the world. In 1853, the steam-powered "black ships" of Commodore Perry arrived in Tokyo Bay, seen here in a contemporary wood block print. They catalyzed a swift response on the part of the Japanese to "seek knowledge throughout the world" and before long to seek imperial opportunities of their own.