Maps, sources, atlases.
A curated set of resources I send students to. Vetted for AP-level use, organized by what you’d actually want to look up.
Maps & Atlases
— visual context —
- TimeMapsInteractive world map across history. Pick a year, see who controlled what.
- GeaCronAnimated political-borders timeline. 3000 BCE to present.
- The True SizeDrag countries around to compare actual size. Antidote to Mercator distortion.
- Running RealityYear-by-year world map with population centers and political boundaries.
Encyclopedias & Long-Form
— deep reading —
- BritannicaAuthoritative, edited, citable. Better than Wikipedia for AP essays.
- World History EncyclopediaFree, peer-reviewed, with great visual references.
- Wikipedia Featured ArticlesWikipedia’s best-vetted entries — useful starting points.
- Smithsonian MagazineLong-form historical journalism. Great for “I want to read about this” days.
Primary Sources
— the documents —
- Fordham Internet History SourcebooksMassive free archive of primary sources. Ancient, medieval, modern.
- Yale Avalon ProjectLegal & diplomatic documents through history.
- National Archives Founding DocsDeclaration, Constitution, Bill of Rights — original documents, transcribed.
- Library of Congress CollectionsPhotos, maps, broadsides, manuscripts, oral histories.
Video Channels
— auditory + visual —
- Heimler’s HistoryThe gold standard for AP history review videos. Watch the relevant unit.
- Crash Course World HistoryJohn Green’s series. Great for engagement, not always great for nuance.
- Tom RicheyStrong APUSH content with clear thesis structures.
- AP Exam Quick ReviewsShort, focused reviews keyed to specific topics.
Population & Data
— numbers behind the story —
- Our World in DataFree, beautifully-charted historical data on almost everything.
- Population PyramidDemographic structure of any country, any year, animated.
- GapminderHans Rosling’s tool. Income vs. life expectancy, animated through history.
- World Population HistoryAnimated map showing global population growth over 2,000 years.
