Phil Feller
@philfeller.bsky.social
IT professional and scholar of 19th century American political culture. Currently working on a microhistory of the 1855 Know Nothing triumph, part of a project exploring the continuation of antebellum republican thought into the Progressive Era.
Rochester, NY, has a monument at the place where Susan B. Anthony cast a vote in the 1872 presidential election. Although she’d talked a registrar into adding her to the voter list, she was convicted of voting illegally and fined $100. 🗃️
September 19, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Rochester, NY, has a monument at the place where Susan B. Anthony cast a vote in the 1872 presidential election. Although she’d talked a registrar into adding her to the voter list, she was convicted of voting illegally and fined $100. 🗃️
Make a band bigger.
Joy Corps
Joy Corps
Make a band bigger
Truly Massive Attack
Truly Massive Attack
Make a band bigger
They’re Definitely Giants
They’re Definitely Giants
August 24, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Make a band bigger.
Joy Corps
Joy Corps
The house I owned in Troy, NY, was briefly shown in two Gilded Age
Scenes. The RPI fraternity I played hockey for also shows up in period dramas (beginning with The Age of Innocence and including The Gilded Age). Troy was used as a location for The Time Machine when I lived there.
Scenes. The RPI fraternity I played hockey for also shows up in period dramas (beginning with The Age of Innocence and including The Gilded Age). Troy was used as a location for The Time Machine when I lived there.
August 17, 2026 at 3:30 PM
The house I owned in Troy, NY, was briefly shown in two Gilded Age
Scenes. The RPI fraternity I played hockey for also shows up in period dramas (beginning with The Age of Innocence and including The Gilded Age). Troy was used as a location for The Time Machine when I lived there.
Scenes. The RPI fraternity I played hockey for also shows up in period dramas (beginning with The Age of Innocence and including The Gilded Age). Troy was used as a location for The Time Machine when I lived there.
On the way from Lancaster to Philadelphia I stopped in Christiana to see if there is any public commemoration of the 1851 Resistance, a major act opposing the Fugitive Slave Act. I found a rather odd interpretation, including the statement that a slave catcher “died for law.” 🗃️
July 21, 2026 at 12:03 AM
On the way from Lancaster to Philadelphia I stopped in Christiana to see if there is any public commemoration of the 1851 Resistance, a major act opposing the Fugitive Slave Act. I found a rather odd interpretation, including the statement that a slave catcher “died for law.” 🗃️
I’m in Lancaster this weekend, rather than at SHEAR, and took the opportunity to visit the new Stevens and Smith Center. I particularly liked the way that it contextualized Stevens’ life in Lancaster and presented Smith as a political actor in her own right. 🗃️
stevensandsmithcenter.org
stevensandsmithcenter.org
July 17, 2026 at 9:17 PM
I’m in Lancaster this weekend, rather than at SHEAR, and took the opportunity to visit the new Stevens and Smith Center. I particularly liked the way that it contextualized Stevens’ life in Lancaster and presented Smith as a political actor in her own right. 🗃️
stevensandsmithcenter.org
stevensandsmithcenter.org
I always visit Douglass’s grave when back in my home town, and Juneteenth was the obvious day to go this time. 🗃️
June 19, 2026 at 3:00 PM
I always visit Douglass’s grave when back in my home town, and Juneteenth was the obvious day to go this time. 🗃️
I realized when preparing the paper that I presented yesterday at APHC that it involved at literal panic at a Lyceum. I briefly spoke about how a young men’s Lyceum responded politically to a local financial panic that bankrupted potential employers.
June 7, 2026 at 4:16 PM
I realized when preparing the paper that I presented yesterday at APHC that it involved at literal panic at a Lyceum. I briefly spoke about how a young men’s Lyceum responded politically to a local financial panic that bankrupted potential employers.
I’m always happy to contribute cat photos to the internet.
June 6, 2026 at 2:17 AM
I’m always happy to contribute cat photos to the internet.
Having a great time at APHC and looking forward to my presentation tomorrow. It’s been great to hear the presentations this morning and meet other 19th century political historians. @adamrothman.bsky.social was gracious enough to lie and say that I held my own in wordplay.
June 5, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Having a great time at APHC and looking forward to my presentation tomorrow. It’s been great to hear the presentations this morning and meet other 19th century political historians. @adamrothman.bsky.social was gracious enough to lie and say that I held my own in wordplay.
Introduce yourself with ten bands you’ve seen live:
Neutral Milk Hotel
Sharon Van Etten
Son Volt
The Psychedelic Furs
Bruce Springsteen
Elvis Costello
Pet Shop Boys
Metric
Wye Oak
The Mountain Goats
@themountaingoats.bsky.social
Neutral Milk Hotel
Sharon Van Etten
Son Volt
The Psychedelic Furs
Bruce Springsteen
Elvis Costello
Pet Shop Boys
Metric
Wye Oak
The Mountain Goats
@themountaingoats.bsky.social
Introduce yourself with ten bands you've seen live:
Amy Grant
Blaster the Rocketboy
MxPx
Five Iron Frenzy
mewithoutYou
dc Talk
Squad Five-O
Zao
Sixpence None the Richer
Velour 100
Amy Grant
Blaster the Rocketboy
MxPx
Five Iron Frenzy
mewithoutYou
dc Talk
Squad Five-O
Zao
Sixpence None the Richer
Velour 100
introduce yourself with ten bands you've seen live:
ramones
grateful dead
jeff rosenstock
foxing
modest mouse
the clash
lou reed
yes
faith no more
qotsa
ramones
grateful dead
jeff rosenstock
foxing
modest mouse
the clash
lou reed
yes
faith no more
qotsa
May 21, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Introduce yourself with ten bands you’ve seen live:
Neutral Milk Hotel
Sharon Van Etten
Son Volt
The Psychedelic Furs
Bruce Springsteen
Elvis Costello
Pet Shop Boys
Metric
Wye Oak
The Mountain Goats
@themountaingoats.bsky.social
Neutral Milk Hotel
Sharon Van Etten
Son Volt
The Psychedelic Furs
Bruce Springsteen
Elvis Costello
Pet Shop Boys
Metric
Wye Oak
The Mountain Goats
@themountaingoats.bsky.social
Wyna Liu finally has a badge that recognizes my quest for reverse rainbows.
March 9, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Wyna Liu finally has a badge that recognizes my quest for reverse rainbows.
After checking newspaper databases, I think that I have an answer to my question from last week. “The principles of ‘93” appears to be shorthand for some form of Jeffersonian republicanism.
🗃️
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Have any #skystorians come across the phrase “principles of ‘93?” An 1854 announcement for a Connecticut Young Men’s Institute newspaper described it as devoted to those principles. Is it Jeffersonianism?
March 8, 2026 at 6:20 PM
After checking newspaper databases, I think that I have an answer to my question from last week. “The principles of ‘93” appears to be shorthand for some form of Jeffersonian republicanism.
🗃️
🗃️
Have any #skystorians come across the phrase “principles of ‘93?” An 1854 announcement for a Connecticut Young Men’s Institute newspaper described it as devoted to those principles. Is it Jeffersonianism?
March 3, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Have any #skystorians come across the phrase “principles of ‘93?” An 1854 announcement for a Connecticut Young Men’s Institute newspaper described it as devoted to those principles. Is it Jeffersonianism?
February 10, 2026 at 1:48 AM
Do any historians know what type of certificate would possibly be useful for a voter in a 1853 Connecticut election? It’s far too early for it to have been a birth certificate, and a naturalization certificate seems unlikely to be important for Whig voters after 1852.
🗃️
🗃️
February 9, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Do any historians know what type of certificate would possibly be useful for a voter in a 1853 Connecticut election? It’s far too early for it to have been a birth certificate, and a naturalization certificate seems unlikely to be important for Whig voters after 1852.
🗃️
🗃️
What’s your favorite song that has a long title, say at least 6 words long?
“Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand” (Primitive Radio Gods)
Honorable mention to Sufjan Stevens, although my favorites among his songs all have shorter titles.
“Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand” (Primitive Radio Gods)
Honorable mention to Sufjan Stevens, although my favorites among his songs all have shorter titles.
What’s your favorite song that has a long title, say at least 6 words long?
That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate (Mission of Burma)
That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate (Mission of Burma)
Deleted a post about “what’s your least favorite song” because the vibes are bad enough already.
Instead: what’s your favorite song that has a long title, say at least 6 words long?
Mine: “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” (Pearl Jam)
Instead: what’s your favorite song that has a long title, say at least 6 words long?
Mine: “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” (Pearl Jam)
February 4, 2026 at 2:29 PM
What’s your favorite song that has a long title, say at least 6 words long?
“Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand” (Primitive Radio Gods)
Honorable mention to Sufjan Stevens, although my favorites among his songs all have shorter titles.
“Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand” (Primitive Radio Gods)
Honorable mention to Sufjan Stevens, although my favorites among his songs all have shorter titles.
I came across a CT newspaper account of the 1851 Christiana Resistance during my research.
An organized group of free and formerly enslaved Blacks fought off an attempt to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act, blowing a horn to summon reinforcements. 1/3 🗃️
An organized group of free and formerly enslaved Blacks fought off an attempt to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act, blowing a horn to summon reinforcements. 1/3 🗃️
January 28, 2026 at 1:04 AM
I came across a CT newspaper account of the 1851 Christiana Resistance during my research.
An organized group of free and formerly enslaved Blacks fought off an attempt to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act, blowing a horn to summon reinforcements. 1/3 🗃️
An organized group of free and formerly enslaved Blacks fought off an attempt to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act, blowing a horn to summon reinforcements. 1/3 🗃️
I’ve been working on the politics of the 1850s. Although I will focus on how local leaders crafted a rhetorical strategy to help assemble a winning electoral coalition, I’ve also looked into whether updated ecological regression tools can help. 🗃️ 1/4
philfeller.github.io/election-inf...
philfeller.github.io/election-inf...
Connecticut Voter Transitions, 1851-1857
philfeller.github.io
January 16, 2026 at 6:10 PM
I’ve been working on the politics of the 1850s. Although I will focus on how local leaders crafted a rhetorical strategy to help assemble a winning electoral coalition, I’ve also looked into whether updated ecological regression tools can help. 🗃️ 1/4
philfeller.github.io/election-inf...
philfeller.github.io/election-inf...
Post a perfect album from the 90s.
December 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Post a perfect album from the 90s.
I’ve realized one life goal: playing the NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle on air.
www.npr.org/2025/11/16/g...
www.npr.org/2025/11/16/g...
Sunday Puzzle: Name's the Same
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with Phil Feller of Durham, North Carolina, and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz.
www.npr.org
November 16, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I’ve realized one life goal: playing the NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle on air.
www.npr.org/2025/11/16/g...
www.npr.org/2025/11/16/g...
You’ve probably seen that xAI launched Grokipedia, its LLM-created alternative to Wikipedia. I looked at its article on the Know Nothings, and it didn’t take long to find a problem. It made an unconventional claim, and the provided citation failed to support it.
1/ 🗃️
grokipedia.com/page/Know_No...
1/ 🗃️
grokipedia.com/page/Know_No...
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing, more formally the American Party from 1855 onward, was a nativist political movement and party active in the United States from the 1840s through the 1850s, distinguished by its vehe...
grokipedia.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:29 PM
You’ve probably seen that xAI launched Grokipedia, its LLM-created alternative to Wikipedia. I looked at its article on the Know Nothings, and it didn’t take long to find a problem. It made an unconventional claim, and the provided citation failed to support it.
1/ 🗃️
grokipedia.com/page/Know_No...
1/ 🗃️
grokipedia.com/page/Know_No...
I’ve suspected that right-wing fascination with René Girard might come from reading his theory of mimetic desire through the lens of Carl Schmitt. In the specific case of Peter Thiel, that seems to be the case.
www.wired.com/story/the-re...
www.wired.com/story/the-re...
The Real Stakes, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession
Thirty years ago, a peace-loving Austrian theologian spoke to Peter Thiel about the apocalyptic theories of Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt. They’ve been a road map for the billionaire ever since.
www.wired.com
October 4, 2025 at 10:03 PM
I’ve suspected that right-wing fascination with René Girard might come from reading his theory of mimetic desire through the lens of Carl Schmitt. In the specific case of Peter Thiel, that seems to be the case.
www.wired.com/story/the-re...
www.wired.com/story/the-re...
If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.
🗃️
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August 16, 2025 at 9:15 PM
If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.
🗃️
🗃️
I’m in Lancaster, PA, for the weekend, and I discovered that our Airbnb has a famous neighbor.
#skystorians
#skystorians
July 17, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I’m in Lancaster, PA, for the weekend, and I discovered that our Airbnb has a famous neighbor.
#skystorians
#skystorians
Reposted by Phil Feller
"This Bill Will Return Us to an Era of Economic Chaos" www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/o...
Opinion | This Bill Will Return Us to an Era of Economic Chaos
www.nytimes.com
June 17, 2025 at 1:07 PM
"This Bill Will Return Us to an Era of Economic Chaos" www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/o...