What is Casual Historian?

Casual Historian is a multimedia project consisting of Videos, Articles, and Podcasts, trying to make complex, boring, or even controversial subjects of history more approachable to a casual audience. You shouldn’t need a PhD to understand what historians are talking about, so I’m trying to cut through the academic fluff and get to the point.

Casual Historian is also trying to bring light to subjects you never thought you would be interested in, or that don’t get the attention they deserve; Who are the Black Hebrew Israelites? Why did FDR run for a third or fourth term? And how did the Soviet Union cover up a genocide for half a century? All of this, and more, can be found out here through our videos, articles, and podcasts.

Casual Historian is also home to the History of the Modern Middle East Podcast, a narrative history that tells the story of the Middle East from the late 19th century to the present.

The mission of Casual Historian is to get more people to realize that they can love history too.

Who am I?

My name is Grant Hurst. I am an independent historian, YouTuber, and recovering activist. I received a BA in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Modesto Junior College, and a Bachelor's Degree in History from the California State University of Stanislaus. I have dabbled in making YouTube videos since 2007, with my current channel coming into being in 2013. I tried numerous styles of videos until I stumbled upon history. In the process of making videos I have learned how to research, write, and edit video and audio. Every video, article, and podcast you find here are (with the exception of the Casual Historian Podcast) one man projects. 

For years I was an activist for the Republican Party. I was a member of my Junior College’s chapter of the College Republicans, serving in nearly every officer role the club had to offer. I represented my chapter at larger statewide meetings of the CRs, as well as at the meetings of the local GOP. I have served as a voting member of the Stanislaus County Republican Party Central Committee, where I helped craft part of the organization's charter. I have volunteered on numerous campaigns, knocking on doors and phone banking for Mayoral, State legislative, and Congressional offices.

I retired from political activism in 2016 when I saw US national politics heading in a direction I didn’t like. At that point I decided to focus on my studies, and start getting serious about YouTube, podcasting, and everything else I’m doing now. 

For business Inquiries, you can reach me at grantghurst@gmail.com

For fan mail, you can reach me at casualhistorian@gmail.com