The Historical Inquiry Lab explores today’s world through historical evidence, geographic context, primary sources, and inquiry-based learning.
Whether you are a teacher, student, or lifelong learner, each investigation is designed to help you ask better questions, examine evidence, and think like a historian.
A narrow waterway between Iran and Oman connects the Persian Gulf to the wider world. This investigation explores why the Strait of Hormuz matters, how geographic chokepoints have shaped history, and what earlier conflicts over trade routes can teach us today.
Geography • Global Trade • Current Events • World History
Featured Article
Every document leaves clues about who wrote it, why, and for whom. This issue walks through a step-by-step method for questioning a source and building an evidence-based argument. It is a practical starting point for any classroom investigation.
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Scaffolds and models that help students turn documents into clear, evidence-based arguments.
Ready-to-use lessons built around real documents, images, and artifacts from the archive.
Connections that help students trace today’s headlines back to the forces that produced them.
The Historical Inquiry Lab helps readers investigate the past rather than simply memorize it.
Each investigation begins with a meaningful question. Readers examine historical context, maps, primary sources, competing perspectives, and evidence before developing their own conclusions.
Our goal is not to tell readers what to think. It is to help them ask stronger questions, recognize complexity, and support their ideas with evidence.
The Historical Inquiry Lab 