What is Cool Stories About History?
A history newsletter for people who forgot everything school taught them.
Every week, a true story.
A destiny, a turning point, a decision made in the night.
You have fun. And you actually remember.
I also write Cool Stories About Art. 150,000 readers on Substack, 312,000 on Instagram.
But here is where it comes from. 👇
66 Days
You have forgotten the year Rome fell.
But if I tell you that a man bought the Roman Empire at auction and lost it 66 days later, you will still remember it a year from now.
Your memory is not the problem. It is the way it was told to you.
The Same Trick
With art, the method came down to one line. Stop explaining. Tell the story.
A scene, a date, a man alone in a room.
The reader remembers without any effort, and walks away knowing things he did not know that morning.
History was waiting for the same treatment.
You were taught it in chapters and dates. It is made of scenes !
A Little About Me
I am Julien. I live in Paris.
Two years ago I started Cool Stories About Art, with one simple idea: learning art while having fun.
History is my other passion, and always has been. It was my best grade in school, mostly because I was bad at everything else, and I still read history books almost every night.
Start With These Three :
What You Should Expect :
✅ One captivating true story / week
✅ Documents and scenes decoded, detail by detail
✅ Understand what was really at stake, and be able to tell it
❌ No lectures. No dates to memorize. No moral at the end.
Ready for the full experience?
💎 4 captivating full stories / month
🙂 Your direct access. Comment, ask questions, DM me anytime
📚 The full archive, no limit
iPhone user? Subscribe at the website, not via the app. Apple adds +30% to the price.
About Cool Stories About History
Cool Stories About History makes history stick, through short and vivid stories.
It is also a growing reference, with complete guides to the people who shaped history and a glossary of historical terms explained in plain words. Its author also writes Cool Stories About Art, followed by more than 150,000 readers on Substack and 312,000 on Instagram.
FAQ
Can I really learn history this way?
Yes. The story is the hook, not the substance. Every one of them carries a figure you had never come across, a period you can finally place, an event you thought you knew. And a story sticks. You remember what happened to a man long after you have forgotten a date, and the history comes with it.
Is it free?
The stories are paid. With the free plan you get half of every one, which is usually enough to know if you want the rest. The guides and the glossary are free for everyone, with no limit.
Can I write to you?
Yes. Reply to any email, or write to julien@coolstoriesabout.art. I read everything. I answer as many as I can, and paid subscribers first, since they are the ones keeping this going.
What if I want to leave?
There is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email.
Your posts about history are always interesting and often intriguing.