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Rick Shenkman is the founder of the History News Network, the website that features leading historians' perspectives on current events. He can regularly be seen on CNN and MSNBC. He is a New York Times best-selling author of seven history books, including Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History (HarperCollins), Presidential Ambition: How the Presidents Gained Power, Kept Power and Got Things Done (HarperCollins) and  Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the American Voter (Basic Books, June 2008). 

 

His latest book is Political Animals: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics (Basic Books).

 

Educated at Vassar and Harvard, Mr. Shenkman is an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter and the former managing editor of KIRO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Seattle. In 1997 he was the host, writer and producer of a prime time series for The Learning Channel inspired by his books on myths. In 2008 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of American Historians. He gives lectures at colleges around the country on several topics, including American myths and presidential politics. 

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Follow Rick on Twitter. He blogs at Stone Age Brain.