I recently completed a PhD in History at York University in Toronto, Canada. My dissertation dealt with household fuel consumption in England between 1750 and 1830. My research interests include environmental, energy and economic history with a particular focus on the Industrial Revolution.
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Josh MacFadyen on Ice Storms, Supply Chains and… davidzylberberg on Ice Storms, Supply Chains and… Stephen Hart on Ice Storms, Supply Chains and… 
David Zylberberg- Fuel Prices, Regional Diets and Cooking Habits in the English Industrial Revolution October 30, 2015Energy prices have a profound impact on daily lives, particularly cooking habits. Between 1750 and 1830, various English regions had one of four main energy sources (local coal, non-local coal, peat and wood) with their own environmental and price dynamics. … Continue reading →
- Some Thoughts on SSHRC’s Open Access Policy March 11, 2015In late February, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada announced a new policy mandating that publications resulting from funded research are to become openly available within one year. Similar policies are already in place in Britain. Ian … Continue reading →
- 1847 and 2010: Ugly Manifestations of the Macroeconomic Trilemma January 26, 2015On January 25, 2015 the New Democracy government led by Antonis Samaras lost its bid for re-election. Meanwhile, its coalition partner, PASOK, received less than 5% of the vote, despite having been the largest party in recent decades and in … Continue reading →
- Coal Power with Low Emissions: Is Boundary Dam a New Energy Paradigm October 24, 2014Energy sources are interchangeable for many purposes. Pre-industrial people burned various woods, peat, coal, dung and straw for cooking and basic manufacturing. In such societies, fuels varied between communities depending upon local availability and cost in either money or labour. … Continue reading →
- Are the Repeated failure of Polls to Predict Canadian Elections due to a form of Observation Bias? June 19, 2014In recent years, polls have failed to predict the outcomes of numerous federal and provincial elections. In last week’s Ontario election, poll aggregator Eric Grénier predicted a Liberal minority government with the possibility of a Progressive Conservative minority government. These … Continue reading →
- Why is this time Different? Political Implications of prolonged Economic Downturns March 26, 2014Historians place a disproportionate emphasis on the 1930s when teaching European History. The decade looms large in our courses with discussions of economic depressions, the rise of far-right political parties and the onset of the Second World War. We generally … Continue reading →
- Economic Development, Political Institutions and Geo-Politics February 14, 2014In the last few days, Brad Delong and Andrew Smith have both written informative posts on an interesting question. Namely, the relationship between political institutions and early modern economic development. I am hoping to start a major research project that … Continue reading →
- Ice Storms, Supply Chains and Fuel January 7, 2014Josh MacFadyen recently wrote an interesting piece on urban firewood and the Toronto ice storm of December 2013. The discussion of the Montreal wood famine of 1872 was informative and I look forward to reading the larger work that it … Continue reading →
- Commemoration and the First World War January 5, 2014We begin 2014 in the midst of renewed discussions about the appropriate ways to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the First World War’s outbreak. In England this is evident with the recent column by Education Secretary Michael Gove and the … Continue reading →
- Do Historians Believe the Kingdom is United? History Curriculums and National History November 25, 2013By David Zylberberg Benedict Anderson famously wrote that nations are Imagined Communities brought together by a vision of common identity. The ways in which history is taught and understood play an important role in fostering national commonality. Many current countries … Continue reading →
- Fuel Prices, Regional Diets and Cooking Habits in the English Industrial Revolution October 30, 2015
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