Today’s What We’re Reading features a look at the diversity of the history discipline, investigating the history of the Tooth Fairy, mourning the Christmas canon, and much more!

History and the Profession

How the Historical Profession Has Changed since 1970

Steve Hochstadt for HNN discusses the transformation of the history discipline in the academy, finding that from the 1970s the proportion of history PhDs earned by minorities has steadily risen.

Prestige vs. Major

The Review of Higher Education published a study that reveals that women who do not pursue majors in science, technology, mathematics, or business, and who enroll in elite institutions, are “destined to earn much less than their male counterparts.”

The Ethics of a Metaphor

On using analogies, including historical ones.

Odd Adventures in Tooth Fairy History

Jacqueline Antonovich historicizes the mythology and tradition surrounding the Tooth Fairy.

Fun and Off-Beat

All I Want for Christmas Is a New Christmas Song

“The yule canon, it seems, isn’t just closed—it’s a location-undisclosed black site that’s locked down tighter than Santa’s workshop.”

Items Confiscated by the TSA

An assortment of odd, and in many cases dangerous, contraband taken from passengers on a daily basis by TSA.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.